Devo for 01/05/2025 service- Message by Pastor Clint and Pastor Mary Sprague
What a start to 2025! Cold and snowy! It is very rare that we ever cancel in-person services, but the conditions were just too dangerous. Pastors Clint and Mary did venture out along with enough staff to turn on the lights, provide worship, and push out the message to the interwebs!
Their message proved to be timely and encouraging. It was also an excellent invitation to start the year off right by committing to getting into the Bible and studying His Word! Some of you may already do this, and others may do one or the other. But I would like to invite everyone to join me in committing to these two things this year:
Studying the Word
Journaling
As men of God and men of LifeMission Church, if we commit to these things routinely, we will grow as leaders in our homes and in our Church. It will also bring us closer to the Lord and give us the joy and peace only He can provide!
I thought I would share some tips I have learned about each of these that may make it easier to follow through.
Journaling: Journaling offers another way to communicate with the Father. Writing down our thoughts allows us to let God guide us and speak to us and remember what He said. Here are some tips and ideas for journaling:
Pray first-Ask Holy Spirit for inspiration
Don’t think, just write what comes to your heart
Take notes while listening to teachings or sermons
Write TO God, let Him know your thoughts
Copy down scripture then simply write down your thoughts.
Be consistent in journaling
Routinely go back and read what you have written
Studying the Word- We all know that studying the Word is good for us! But sometimes it is hard to know what to study, and how. Here are some tips and ideas:
Pray first-Ask Holy Spirit for inspiration
Use a real Bible- Harder to be distracted
Personalize what you are reading-Apply it to your life
Choose a word/topic, and research in commentaries and the Word.
Get to know a character of the Bible
Study with others
Use a bible study plan- YouVersion
Use the Soap Method (Developed by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro)
Scripture-Copy it down
Observation-What stands out to you?
Application-How does it apply to me
Prayer- Pray from your spirit about the scripture.
Pastor Mary also challenged us to memorize verses that Pastor Clint read. (These verses are at the end of this devotional) Most people I know struggle with memorization, I do as well. But all of us have something we can memorize: stats for a football player, account numbers or passwords, songs etc. We can memorize them because they mean something to us. The same can apply to scripture, so here are some tips for memorizing scripture:
Personalize the verse, Understand why the verse is important to you
Read the verse out loud
Write it down multiple times
Pray the text back to God
Sing the scripture
Post it on the mirror or refrigerator
Buddy system- Find a partner and speak the verse to each other.
Use a System - 1 John 4:19 –“We love because he first loved us”-- 1 John 4:19
So, I am officially requesting everyone join me in 2025 and be consistent in Journaling- Studying the Word and Memorizing Verses!
Don’t forget to invite God into your day!
Topic for Study -
Scripture
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Romans 15:4
Isaiah 55:11
January Memory Verses:
Psalm 25:1, 4-5
1 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust, 4 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.