My Not-So-Daily Devotions

You’ve probably heard it in youth group or Sunday school: “It’s very important to have daily devotions.â€

But you just can’t seem to make it happen, and you feel terrible. Between homework, extracurriculars, and family activities, it seems impossible to open your Bible every day. A couple of weeks might even go by before you find a few minutes to do devotions.

You might begin to wonder, *If Bible reading is so important, why can’t I do it every day?*

The Bible is important because it tells us about Jesus and the true story of His good news—news that affects every area of our lives (Acts 10:43).

But we get stuck in legalism when we say that anyone should adhere to certain practices or habits to prove they know God. That’s what the Pharisees did in Bible times, and Jesus was pretty clear that the Pharisees did not understand the God they claimed to serve (Matthew 23).

Instead, we can live in the grace Jesus has given us, going to the Bible regularly—individually and with other believers at church—because we love Jesus and want to know Him better.

Your best friend doesn’t chew you out when you don’t talk to them for a few days, do they? Well, God doesn’t either. He wants us to spend time with Him, but He’s never legalistic about it (Colossians 2:6-18). It’s about having a relationship with Him.

What’s important is that you make Jesus and being with His people central to your life, regularly reading His Word and deepening your understanding of the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Timothy 4:13). • Robyn Mulder

• Since the Bible is about Jesus, what are the central truths of the gospel? (Find more information by checking out our “Know Jesus” page!) How do these truths help us study and understand God’s Word (Luke 24:44-48; 2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Timothy 3:15-17)?

• What is the difference between a legalistic habit and a grace-based habit? Why is it important that our lives are based on what Jesus did, not on what we do (Ephesians 2:8-9)?

• How does the Holy Spirit teach us about Jesus as we study the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)?

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (CSB)

Read Verses:

Romans 3:20-24