Monday, November 27, 2017

Checklist Devotions

November 27, 2017

I must confess that often I enter my devotional time with God in a perfunctory manner, opening my Bible and reading without really paying attention to what is being said. Sometimes, it’s because I’m so familiar with the text that I end up skimming through it just to get through it. Other times, I have other things on my mind and my schedule that intrude upon what should be holy ground. To my shame, I don’t always take the time to quiet my heart before God so I can be attentive to what he might be telling me. So yesterday when I read a devotional from a woman named Kat Lee, it was like an arrow to the heart. She told about a time when her small son wandered away from her in the mall. She was frantic in her searching till she found him. God used that incident to reveal his heart to her. Here’s what she said:

“One of the most important reasons we start every day with Jesus is not that it’s something to check off our Christian to-do list. It’s important because God loves His children unfathomably ... and He’s asking you and me to help reach them. He doesn’t need us to preach from the rooftops. He just wants us to be willing to come before Him each day and ask, “Is someone you love lost? How can I help?”

Shift 1: It’s Not About a Checklist

“Maybe God wants you to reach out to a neighbor today.
Maybe someone in your home or a stranger at the store needs an encouraging word or a smile. Maybe you’ll simply inspire others by the choices you make and the way you live the day. You may never know. But if you take the time to ask Him each morning, you just might get to be the rescuer who leads someone back to their Father who loves them more than life itself.

Maybe the person God wants to rescue is you.

“To have you come close each day to hear how He loves you and cares for you. To give you time to lay your burdens at His feet. Maybe you have deep hurts that need to be healed before you can even think about helping others, and daily time with God is the remedy.

“Whatever the reason, the fact is that the most powerful thing we can do is build a habit of listening to God each day. To bring Him glory, to remember His goodness, and to steady our hearts before the storms hit, begin the day by studying His Word, praying, and worshipping.”


Tonight, I am thankful for faithful saints who share their stories that help me to recalibrate my own life with Christ.

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