God loves us and He is always waiting for each one of us to ask Him about how we can deepen our personal relationship with Him. God wants us to know Him. Despite your circumstances, the Bible says God is at work in everyone’s life, “So that they should seek the Lord and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27).
If you sincerely ask God what you should do in order to enrich your relationship with Him, you will hear Him responding back in one way or another. In order to better hear what God is trying to communicate to you, it’s important that you listen to God, reflect upon God, be humble before God and ultimately trust God. While God has a lot of things to say to all of us, He puts doing these things into the hearts and minds of anyone who sincerely wants to know Him better. Daily devotional time will assist you through this process. Here are six devotions to deepen your faith in Christ.
Seek God Wholeheartedly
Unless we love the truth, we cannot know it. We must search for God with passion and persistence. For those who don’t know Him, the search for God can be difficult and perplexing, especially in a world with so many spiritual options. Fortunately, Jesus promised in Luke 11:9 that if they ask, they will receive; if they seek, they will find; and if they knock, the door will be opened to them. This doesn’t mean the truth will be easy but that the answer will come to those who persistently seek it.
You can begin your devotional time by focusing on Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all Your heart.” If you already know God, take in the lessons of Psalm 42:12, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Ask yourself are you panting after and thirsting for the living God? Seek God today while helping friends who don’t know Him learn to ask, seek and knock as well.
Being Made in God’s Image
One of the most important biblical revelations for Christians is the fact that we are made in the image of God. It is also one that those outside the faith have viciously attacked. Many question how humans can be created in God’s image when we commit such evil acts. However, our human spirit provides evidence that God’s traits – his love, trust and freedom – are alive in us. A great truth to focus on during your devotional time is how you are uniquely made in God’s image. This reminds us that we were created with great value and for noble purses – and that we have great potential. It’s important that we live this truth out. Ask God what worthy goal He wants you to pursue today.
Recognizing God’s Unique Love
1 John 4:8 reminds us, “God is love.” But did you know that many other religions and worldviews diminish or deny this idea. Atheism denies that God exists at all. Eastern religions generally hold to the pantheistic view that says everything is God, you no longer have to have a personal God who can relate to us as people and certainly not the One who can love us. While Allah in Islam is said to love those who do good deeds, those who are pure, those who are righteous and those who fight in his cause, the Qur’an is equally clear that Allah has no love for his transgressors, ungrateful sinners, the unjust or the proud.
Once you recognize how many various belief systems minimize God’s love, Christian truths about the God of Scripture jump out in fulfilling contrast. During your devotional time, focus on God’s unique love. Try to step outside of the walls of the familiar to realize the uniqueness of God. He loves us. We matter so much to God that He sacrificed His only Son to pay for our sins and to pave the way back to Him. This is a God to be followed, worshiped and loved in return.
When Answers Evade You
The Bible tells us, “Since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe,” (1 Corinthians 1:21). There will always be questions we don’t feel equipped to answer, even when we actively read Scripture and seek Him. A great theme to focus on during your devotional time is questions about God. When answers evade you, sometimes it’s best to study up, get better answers and come back to the person later. Other times, God will lead us to bypass their questions and go straight to the simple message of the Gospel. God is guiding you, even when you think you don’t have the right words.
Following the Light
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). While we know that Jesus is light, it can be hard to truly grasp this when there is so much evil taking place in the world. Evil is very real and its effects are ugly. We may not be able to comprehend why God allows it, but we can trust and follow Him as He leads us through it. A great theme to focus on during your devotional time is following Christ as light. When it comes to our understanding of tragedy and suffering, we may not be able to make out all the details of why something happened, but there are biblical points of light that we can follow. These will lead us in the right direction, toward some conclusions that can help satisfy our hearts and souls.
A Blessing for Doubters
A great theme to focus on during your devotional time is doubt. Remember, to doubt is human. For some people, believing comes easily. Somebody will tell them what’s true and they readily accept it. But for many of us, skepticism runs deep and claims of the miraculous aren’t as easy to take in. We see examples of this in Scripture, like Thomas. He earned the title “Doubting Thomas” for his unwillingness to merely accept testimonies of his fellow disciples when they told him they had seen the risen Lord.
While Thomas was a skeptic, he was not a cynic. He didn’t rule out the possibility that his friends were right, but he said, “Unless I see the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and put my finger where the nails were, an put my hands into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Fortunately, God’s blessings await those who approach their doubts with diligent investigation, a sincere search for truth and a willingness to seek the One who showed that He was the truth.
During your devotional time, it’s important to seek truth while deepening your knowledge of Christ. By spending time carefully reading through the Bible and reflecting on Scripture, you will be inspired, encouraged and equipped to “give an answer to everyone who asks you to give reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). These practical takeaways will allow you to put this confidence and knowledge into action.
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