Friday, July 30, 2021

 Thoughts on My Devotions (Part 1)

To think my way thru the paragraph I use the following method to help me wring out everything I can from the paragraph. I pray you might find something useful here this morning:
Speaker: (Who is speaking/talking in the passage?)
Subject: (What did the speaker say?)
Setting: (Where does the event/activity take place?)
Schedule: (When does the event/activity take place?)
Stars: (Who are the main characters in the passage?)
Statement: (What does the passage say?)
Sense: (What does it mean by what it says?)

For some time in my private devotions/meditations I have used S P A C E - in the application portion of my devotion:

Sin to confess
Promise to Claim
Admonition to Consider
Command to Complete
Example to Copy

This morning I developed another method to help me think my way through a paragraph of Scripture - P I E  S H A P E

Principle to Cherish
Imperative to Comply
Example to Copy
Sin to Confess
Habit to Commence
Attitude to Consider
Promise to Claim
Error to Condemn

You may be able to stay alive eating one or two meals a week but you will not grow or be healthy enough to produce fruit with out a daily intake of scripture calories from a daily devotion or quiet time as you meditate through a paragraph of Scripture.
Reading provides familiarity and some (limited) nourishment, but meditation on a passage provided the "nutrients" for growth and development.
Don't make it a "legalistic" duty, but look forward to it as a time to fellowship and commune with your God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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