Your Meetings with God in 2018

Meeting with God is not a law, it’s a gift. 

When I was younger I heard an older man describing his plan for meeting with God. It struck me that he had a plan. I make plans for plenty of other things, but meeting with God? He described how he had a Bible reading plan. For real? And how he’d carve out time each day to meet with God uninterrupted. Is that actually possible?

Meeting with God produces strong days. It was evident in that man and I’ve seen the fruit of regular meetings with God in the lives of many people. When you buckle down on this and set up a strong routine, you will be “like a tree planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3).

So where do you start? Here’s a list of seven… don’t get overwhelmed. It’s simpler than you think.

1. Nearby Bible. I like the thin line ESV or get an ESV Study Bible.
2. Reading plan. Download The Bible App (youversion) and choose a plan based on how much you want to read each day and what you want to read. You can search based on subject like “forgiveness” or “salvation” or you can search “New Testament” or “Mark”. Once selected, click on the Bible app when you are beginning your meeting with God each day and it will take the guessing out of the question, “Where do I start?”
3. A time. When is the best time of day for you? When is your mind the sharpest and when will you be least distracted? How many minutes will you commit. It’s okay to start small. Just get started.
4. A place. Are you an at-the-kitchen-table person or a reading chair or couch person?
5. A journal. I’m astounded at the power of journaling. My mind is nearly always racing so writing helps my mind slow so that God’s Word can sink into my heart and so prayers don’t start and restart because I lost my train of thought. I follow Jesus’ outline from The Lord’s prayer. I write a heading phrase from the Lord’s prayer then follow that with something that corresponds from what I’m reading in God’s Word or what is going on in life. The headings are: His Name Praised, His Purposes Advanced, My Needs Met, My Sins Forgiven, My Paths Protected. Here is a sermon series I preached on this outline.
6. A pen. I have a favorite pen? You? Use your pen to underline and circle and make notes in your Bible. Use your pen to journal.
7. A beverage. Coffee? Tea? Dew?

Make your plan now so that on January 1st (or 3rd – God’s grace is abundant!), you can get started.