“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Luke 10:28-30

I don’t know how it happened. I don’t remember anyone in particular ever telling me that if I used a study guide or read a book on a Biblical topic that I wasn’t really having devotions, but somehow this corrupted notion got into my head. The concept was that you have the Holy Spirit and you need no other human teacher. This is very true. In fact, I continually attempt to teach this truth to new believers at Southern Hills. For prayer, guidance, for understanding of Scripture, the Holy Spirit is there to bridge the gap for us.

So in the early years, I tried to do just that; I read the Bible and the Bible alone. Sure, I attempted to read a few Christian books and complete a few studies on the side, but wasn’t able to devote a lot of time to them because I had to “do my devotions.” I had to read just Scripture for my allotted number of minutes, and if I had extra time somewhere in the crazy, I could open the Word with a commentary or devotional guide of some sort. However, those “extra time” moments did not arise very often.

I remember days where I needed that Word from the Lord. I needed His touch or to hear His voice above the noise, but all too often during those long weeks of motherhood and church planting the King’s English in the books of the law were just too far beyond my tired mind’s focus. In those moments, I found that I was so tired that in my exhaustion and the undue guilt I had placed upon using a study, I was more likely to neglect God’s Word entirely. What wasted days!

I’ll never forget the first time that I was so dry and desperate inside that I quietly, and with a good deal of shame, purchased a man-authored study in James. Wow! It was just like the windows were thrown open and the fresh breeze of insight and cross-references blew that thick layer of drudgery right off my soul. I began to learn how to really study God’s Word for myself like never before. The challenges for prayer and Scripture memory presented to me inside the pages of this book by this fine teacher provoked me to learn that epistle with such great fervor that you’d think I thought it were going to be snatched right out of my hands soon.

I’ve always loved reading the Scripture and letting it seep deep into the recesses of my soul, but I’ve found that opening a book that directed me to a passage, engaged me and asked me questions, and possibly even gave me some hints to the answers kept me getting something. I believe that this kind of plunging in and hungering desire is the very essence of devotion to God’s Word just the same as sitting and meditating on a Psalm or some other passage.

“Merely reading the Bible is no use at all without we study it thoroughly, and hunt it through, as it were, for some great truth.” Dwight L. Moody

When I do read a Christian book or use a study, I’ve found that the most amazing thing happens: the Holy Spirit will use Scriptures in those pages to lead me to truths that the author is not even addressing! Go figure, God is big enough to even be able to speak directly to us through a Bible study or good Christian book!

I have also found that, as a mature believer, it is helpful to listen to a variety of different teachers. We live in an age where you can find many wonderful resources for free online. And of course, we should always read or listen with discretion no matter who is speaking. (Acts 17:11; I Thess. 5:21) Even when I listen to my husband preach, I will sometimes cross-reference or look up the verse in Strong’s Concordance to verify something. (Hey, pastor-husbands are only human, too!) So why would we do any less with some other author or teacher? Hearing from believers with different gifts and various callings can help me see different perspectives, even ones I may disagree with, and get a more complete glimpse of the Kingdom. More often than not, their zeal in an area or differing thoughts on a subject, though I still do not agree with them, do shed light on areas of my spiritual life that have grown stagnant and that need to see growth.

Now it’s my delight to know Him better every day- whether through His Word alone or with another believer through the pages of a book. I’m hooked- completely addicted. There is so much I am still discovering about Who He is. I can hardly wait to learn the next beautiful nuance of His character. There’s such a difference in living a good, religious life and walking with God.

So, my sister, don’t feel trapped to check off your list and clock in your minutes for your God and me time. Go ahead, and find some free audio teachers to listen to online. Check out the library or Amazon for a great Christian book on a new topic. Do that study- at your own pace- enjoy it! Savor it. Ask God to work through it. But don’t miss out because you mistakenly think as I did for years that other forms of Bible study don’t count as “real devotional” time. After all, His call to your heart doesn’t come in a list of minutes or rules; it’s simply, “come and learn of me.”

Your Friend and Sister in Christ,

What about you? Have you ever felt that you had to clock in your devotional time? Have you ever felt guilt for not performing or following a set of Bible study standards?