Some years ago I decided that I needed to learn how to make Danish pastry.  I had little idea of what was required.  Only after I had passed “the point of no return” did I realize just how much effort is required to make these delectable treats.  Suffice it to say, the next time I purchased a Danish from the bakery I appreciated all the more the flaky sweetness and the bakers craft and time I knew were invested in providing me this favored delicacy.

Many approach the idea of daily Christian devotions with the same mindset I possessed about the making of a Danish.  We may think spending time with God, enjoying a bit of His character, and being encouraged by His direction would be sweet to taste.  We may have purchased some prepackaged devotional material to sample in the past, found it satisfying and enjoyed it without the least idea of the work necessary to produce it.Now we are trying to read our Bible on our own and find it difficult (maybe even dry or boring).  We feel a little guilty, so we either quit daily devotions or we rush down to the local Christian supermarket and peruse the aisles for a quick fix.

If I may repeat my wife’s encouragement to me when I complained about Danish being so much more complicated than my signature oatmeal raisin cookies.  Don’t give up, the end product is worth it!

I have practiced daily devotions for about thirty years now, and I have some helps I learned along the way. [Not one of the following are unique to me; I tested each suggestion provided me by others and found these helpful and made them part of my daily devotional practice.]

Be Awake. Daily devotions are far more helpful when the brain is active.

Begin by talking to God.  I ask God to reveal Himself to me through the reading of His Word and to show me how to apply His Word to my present situation.

Choose a place to begin, and park there a while. I suggest the Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, or Ephesians for starters.  I love the narratives of Genesis and Exodus 1-20, of Joshua, Judges, the Kings and Chronicles and Acts, but not everyone is patient enough to begin with these involved and sometimes complicated stories.  We know God meets us along the way, however the, “open the Bible and read whatever is there,” devotion is the least helpful method.

Ask three simple questions about whatever passage you read:

What does the passage say?  Allow the obvious and direct language used in the Bible to speak first.  Don’t fall into the trap of making the Bible into metaphors about whatever the imagination will inspire.

How is the passage connected to other passages of Scripture?  A lot of the nonsense people take away from reading their Bibles is the result of disconnecting a particular passage from its Biblical roots.  Pay attention to the immediate context of a passage [It is advantageous, however, to ignore the chapter and verse divisions as often as possible].  Many Bibles have “cross references,” look some of them up to see how a thought or statement is connected to other portions of Scripture.

How does the passage apply to life presently?  Not every passage will immediately apply, but the reader will be pleasantly surprised how much of God’s Word will speak to the need of the day.

Jot down some notes. When we keep some kind of a record of our daily devotion we leave behind a “trail of crumbs” to serve as testimony to our spiritual journey.  I regularly go back and read what I wrote last year, or last decade, in order to remind myself of things learned previously, to be challenged by lessons still unlearned, to be encouraged by the faithfulness of God.  I have no desire to leave my children the riches that will cause strife, that will be stolen or decay.  I do deeply desire to leave them a legacy of honest interaction with the Creator who met with me day-by-day.

Don’t quit. Because I have journals from years past, I have written proof of periods of time (sometimes months) where I drew from a dry well.  Maybe I wasn’t listening, maybe God wasn’t talking (I suggest the former to be more true than the latter).  Either way, even the a trek through the desert gets the traveler to the other side.

If you find something particular meaningful to you, share it with others. Yes, people will think you weird if you talk about what you learned from God in your daily devotions.  You will most certainly freak folks out if you speak about God speaking to your heart through His word.  Still, God has an uncanny way of making sure that those who need to hear from Him through you will be around to hear you speak about the time you spent with Him.

“The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.” (Psalm 19:7–11, NLT)

I think I am going to go home and make some Danish!