My Not-So-Daily Devotions

Published: Feb. 29, 2020, midnight

b'You\\u2019ve probably heard it in youth group or Sunday school: \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153It\\u2019s very important to have daily devotions.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nBut you just can\\u2019t 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.\\nYou might begin to wonder, *If Bible reading is so important, why can\\u2019t I do it every day?*\\nThe Bible is important because it tells us about Jesus and the true story of His good news\\u2014news that affects every area of our lives (Acts 10:43).\\nBut we get stuck in legalism when we say that anyone should adhere to certain practices or habits to prove they know God. That\\u2019s 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).\\nInstead, we can live in the grace Jesus has given us, going to the Bible regularly\\u2014individually and with other believers at church\\u2014because we love Jesus and want to know Him better.\\nYour best friend doesn\\u2019t chew you out when you don\\u2019t talk to them for a few days, do they? Well, God doesn\\u2019t either. He wants us to spend time with Him, but He\\u2019s never legalistic about it (Colossians 2:6-18). It\\u2019s about having a relationship with Him.\\nWhat\\u2019s 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). \\u2022 Robyn Mulder\\n\\u2022 Since the Bible is about Jesus, what are the central truths of the gospel? (Find more information by checking out our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page!) How do these truths help us study and understand God\\u2019s Word (Luke 24:44-48; 2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Timothy 3:15-17)? \\n\\u2022 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)?\\n\\u2022 How does the Holy Spirit teach us about Jesus as we study the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)? \\nFor you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God\\u2019s gift\\u2014not from works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (CSB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nRomans 3:20-24'