Monday, July 30, 2012

A lamp to my feet and a light to my path


Psalm 119:24  Your testimonies are my delight;    they are my counselors.

As missionary moms, we definitely need to fit the reading of God’s Word in to our busy days.  Before we became missionaries, I was “hit or miss” when it came to daily devotions.   Hard to admit, but even early on in our missionary career, it was hard to find the time!  But in the past few years I have sensed my need for feeding on God’s word, really desiring the wisdom and knowledge that comes through reading His word.  It has become so much a part of my daily schedule now, that it is something that I can’t leave out of my day!

I really feel that the past two years we have been in a spiritual battle.  We were worn out from family issues, mission field issues, support issues, and just getting through everyday life - everything was trying to drag us down.  The bright spot in my days became my “quiet time,” spending time with the Lord, listening to His wisdom and guidance, and praying for His will to be done.

Here are some thoughts to remember in order to make reading God’s word a priority. Some of my thoughts are taken from reading, “Life Management for Busy Women” by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth George.

-   *   First things first –We need time in God’s word and in prayer.  If it is not first on your plan for the day, this should be on your schedule to be done at some time during the day!  For myself, I read a small portion in the morning and another portion in the evening, and then have my prayer time.  So far it has been working for me!  The most important thing is to plan to do it and then do it.

-   *   When we daily devote ourselves and our time to God, we are tapping into God’s power and strength for the day.   We want to hear God’s heart, we want to glorify God with our lives and service. 

-    *  We are being equipped for the work and ministry God has for us.   Before going out into the world, we need to be prepared spiritually by being in God’s word.

-     *  Whether we are out and about meeting people, sharing God’s love, helping in practical ways, or perhaps we are home with our children, homeschooling, caring for them, loving them, we need to be spiritually prepared for the day . 

-      *   We need spiritual food as much as or more than physical food.   If we go through the day without eating a meal, we will become physically weak, and the same can be said about going through the day without spiritual nourishment!

-     *     We need to be woman of one book – the Bible.  While enjoying reading Christian fiction and Christian living books, we need to remember to read what honors and glorifies Him, and to put reading the Bible before reading anything else.

-       *  Since we serve our risen Savior, it may mean that there will be demands in our day that are more than others  have to experience.  If we are not not daily nourished by God’s word, we will start to feel like there is not enough of us to go around, and that’s when we start to feel frazzled and frenzied.

-      *  Really read the Word of God!  Dive into it – learn it, memorize it, apply it to your life, and be ready to share it with others!

Psalm 119:11  I have stored up your word in my heart,    that I might not sin against you.



What do you do for your devotions and personal Bible study?  What works for you?  What are you studying and learning right now?







I'm Karen, serving with my family in Odessa, Ukraine.   Please visit my blog at http://tryingtoclearmymuddledthoughts.blogspot.com/


2 comments:

  1. Thank you for writing this. Over the years, especially with small children, I have had a very hard time carving out quiet time. My children have some kind of radar, so that if I try to get up before them--even if it's just to roll over in bed and grab my Bible--they're up. And it seems like as soon as I get into a good routine, it changes.

    What is working for me, and has been for the past few years, is the Daily Audio Bible podcast. I love it! It has really brought some Bible passages to life for me. Hearing them is different from reading them, and they change translations each week. I used to be quite set in which translation I like, but switching around has been really good for me.

    Oh, also, I have had to get over some false guilt for not starting my days off with Scripture. First thing in the morning is good, but I can't let that be my idol. I do better with claiming time during nap/rest time or in the evenings and little bits throughout the day.

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  2. Thank you for this lovely reminder about not only the importance of being in the word, but the life-giving joy of it! I am with Phyllis in nap-time being my most ideal time to meet with God in His word. That is usually the time when I am really in need of some perspective to carry on for the rest of the day in a way that honors Him. I'm usually my most tired at nap time, so meeting with God then and experiencing His refreshment at that time of day works great for me. I've also been slowly memorizing Philippians, and that has proved a good challenge as I can meditate on bits and pieces throughout the day when I have a moment here or there of down time. I am not the fastest at memorization, and this has actually worked strangely to my advantage as I feel like I am getting a lot out of the passages that I memorize because I spend so much time on them.

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