Spend seven minutes with God
The DNA of Discipleship: Divine Truth 1
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
Psalm 1:3
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
One way to engage the Scriptures is a pattern called 7 minutes with God. You do 5 things which you can number on the fingers of one hand.
1. Pray and ask God to open your heart to learn from the Scriptures. We ask the Holy Spirit to teach us.
2. Read the passage from a Bible. If we are just starting out, it should be something that is good for beginners.
3. Read it again slowly, savoring the ideas. Chew on them. Think about any questions provided with the reading.
4. Pick a thought or phrase that stands out which you can focus on throughout the day. To help remember, record ideas in the comment section for that verse or bookmark the verse as a favorite. Think especially how you can respond in some way.
5. Pray and ask God to use it in your life.
These are like training wheels to help you meet with God as you read the Scriptures. Later you can be much less structured and try different patterns.
For Reflection:
- How important is it to daily commune with God.
- What is the best time of day to make it happen?
Make Life Count:
- Start the Seven Minutes with God in one of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. (Feel free to read elsewhere, but this is a good starting point if you are looking for a suggestion.)
- What has worked or not in your devotional life and reading the Scriptures? Have you ever helped someone else with their devotions?
Hungry for More?
- Try the YouVersion Bible App. It has some great short devotionals.
Together in our devotional time,
