Write A Devotional

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Romans 11:36—We were made for God, to serve Him and to glorify Him. What does it mean, though, to glorify? I think one aspect of the much larger concept of glorifying something is to praise that very thing. Ok, so what is praise? “Express warm approval or admiration of.” Another definition I heard and quite like is that praise is the overflowing of our heart.

I really enjoy the video game Halo. I watch videos about the gameplay, about the developers creating it, about quirks and bugs in the game, about players who play it extremely well. I also play the game with friends and talk about it. I think this is praise. C.S. Lewis put it this way “Praise is the completion of the act of enjoyment.” Praise is not just taking in the thing I really like, love, appreciate, or desire to become. Praise is tied to sharing that thing and my fascination or admiration for it with family, friends, and the world. It extends not only inwards but also outwards. It is like a muscle. Think maybe of our lungs. Only taking air in will never strengthen them (or keep us alive, for that matter), they need to also expel it. And all the better if this process is practiced in an increasing manner, while jogging for example. Your lungs will grow and become strong.

Let’s try another, and I think more applicable analogy, friendship. If I strike a friendship with John and only ever express this friendship when I am with John, that friendship will remain as it is, in isolation. But if I admire things in John and I bring them up when with other people, they will start to experience John as well. They can push back on things he says, agree with things he does, admire his character, and best case scenario, desire to get to know John as well. When they do eventually meet him, they already can enjoy the things they heard about John from me right away. They will become friends, interact with each other, and refine each other, so that the sum of friendship, the community of people, is larger than it ever was before when each was only their own. But that is not all. My friend- and relationship with John is growing as a result as well. C.S. Lewis observed this phenomenon in his book The Four Loves when talking about 3 friends A, B, and C. When B dies, A and C suddenly have less of one another because there was something B brought out in each of them that they are unable to access on their own.

So, what was my role in this scenario? I praised John. If I had never talked about John to anybody and only would have talked to John, that friendship would have remained as it was; a private one only between us two people. It would probably not have grown much without any other outside input. But by praising him, I ultimately allowed other people to get to know him through me, to appreciate him before they’ve had the chance to ever meet him, to then become friends that challenge and encourage each other; friends that grow together, just like John’s and my friendship with each other grows as a result as well.

Ok, so what does this have to do with writing a devotional? I only recently started writing down things that come to mind when reading the Bible. And while writing things down has been good, expressing these thoughts and ideas to others (this was a D-Group) has been the step that made it especially fruitful. And I’ve come to realize that this process is working so well because it involves praise. I’m not just trying to write a college essay or a short story for a random anthology. Instead, I am focusing on God’s word, how I understand it, and on how I see what I read in the Bible in the world. I put my relationship with God into words and share it with the people around me; just like I share my relationship with my friend John or my love for Halo with other people. As a result of this writing and discussing, my relationship with God grows, and I humbly hope that the people I talk to do as well.

When I challenged myself to write a devotional, it became a cathartic experience. I don’t like writing, I never have. I find it especially hard to force myself to do it. But when something comes to mind, and this thing is something I enjoy greatly, I find writing flows easily. My last devotional on the beauty of God is an example, I didn’t know what to write, but had an idea that got stuck in my head earlier in the week, I kept thinking about it, discussing it with Jenny and then finally it hit me; I should write a devotional about this idea. I sat down and wrote the majority of it in 15 minutes. And the more I do it, the easier it gets. The muscle of praise is repeatedly being exercised. I’m not saying praise is solely this, or that praise is impossible without writing and sharing, but I am saying it is a very good exercise of praise!

I would love to hear the things you are learning about God, the things He does in your life, the things the Holy Spirit has shown you, the new, exciting, or fascinating things you have learned when looking at Jesus and the Gospel. “It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.” 1 Peter 1:12

Go back home.