Every Day (Friday Devotional)

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers, but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.

- Psalm 1:1-2

There are certain important things that, on busy or stressful or frantic days, you might wind up skipping. These are things that, under normal circumstances, you would never neglect, things that you wouldn’t dream of missing for weeks on end. But when life gets crazy, these little things fall by the wayside for a few days.

Making the bed. Drinking water. Exercising. These are just a few of the everyday tasks that, in trying seasons, can become more like occasional chores.

But the reality is, the longer you go without these things, the worse you begin to feel. Leaving your bed unmade for a day or two is no big deal, but if it’s never done, you start to feel like a slob. Rely on coffee and Coke for hydration and you’ll feel jittery instead of nourished. And every time you choose the couch over the gym, you get further and further from the feeling of fitness you’re pursuing. 

Even for the most faithful Christians, spending time with the Lord in prayer and Bible study is often relegated to an occasional task. It’s something you do on Sunday mornings, and maybe in another weekly devotional setting. Perhaps you make a resolution every January to spend 15 minutes a day with God, only to be sidetracked when the new year gets busy.

But the longer you go without personal devotional time, the worse your spiritual life starts to feel. Temptations that had once been tamed suddenly come roaring back. Healthy perspectives you’ve gained start to fade into the background of stress and busyness. Obedience becomes a more and more distant goal.

Personal devotional time—a few minutes spent reading God’s Word and praying—doesn’t have to be formulaic or rote, but it ought to be regular. Instead of regarding it as spiritual extra credit, something you do when you have time, it should instead be understood as an essential assignment. You might skip some tasks, but there are others—brushing your teeth, getting dressed—you wouldn’t leave the house without doing. May time with the Lord not be something you skip, but something you can’t live without.