Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. —James 4:8
How are your daily devotions? It’s a simple question that can stir up a lot of feelings. If you haven’t been consistent in prayer and studying God’s Word, it might trigger guilt or shame. On the flip side, it could make you feel great to check off that activity several days in a row, thus fueling pride.
This is where I find many women (including myself) going in circles, exhausted and frustrated because no matter how hard we try, we can’t “measure up” in our relationship with God. We start off with a passionate desire to know God through His Word, but pressure to maintain perfection can cause us to experience exhaustion, guilt, and self-doubt.
The reason we find ourselves at this dead end is simple: we’ve reduced our relationship with God to things we do, methods we practice, and plans we follow.
Spiritual disciplines are a good, necessary, and beautiful means of grace for our growth, but they’re just tools. They aren’t the destination but a vehicle for reaching our true goal: close communion with God.
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“The Difference Between Doing a Devotional and a Life of Devotion” (Betsy Gómez, Joven Verdadera blog at AvivaNuestrosCorazones.com)
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
Are you using devotions to measure your relationship with God? How can you shift your focus to a time of communion with Him?