The modern age brings with it many new ways to feed our souls with Scripture. Podcasts, Christian radio ministries, mp3 recordings, Bible apps, Bible reading plans, magazines, books, websites and many translations of the Bible have made access to Scripture easier than ever before. Yet in the wake of these benefits, we face a dilemma: how do we follow Christ together? Surely something special happens when the local church community reads and meditates on the same Scriptures and themes at the same time.
While it is all too easy for our attentions to grow scattered and disconnected from each other, we pray that this devotional can serve as a guide to encourage our church family to start the year reading Scripture together.
We have written this devotional with three main goals in view:
- Practical Application. We pray that you draw near individually to God in faith, hope, and love. These devotionals were written with practical application in mind. Specifically, each Monday entry serves as an opportunity to reflect upon and apply what was heard the day before.
- Weekly Preparation. We pray that you will be better prepared to receive God’s Word with your church family on Sunday mornings. The daily devotionals Tuesday through Friday focus our attention upon the Scriptures and topics that we will cover the coming Sunday.
- Spiritual Conversations. We pray that these devotionals will stimulate spiritual conversations with others in your church family who are meditating on the same Gospel truths. We pray that friends will read these with friends, husbands will read these with wives, and parents will read these with children. God intends for us to read His Word in community.
We are thankful for all those who contributed to this devotional guide. Beginning Tuesday, January 1, 2019, we will publish a devotion including a Scripture reading, a brief devotion, and either a prayer or application questions. These posts can be read on this website or the Bethany app as they are published each day, you can download the complete booklet as a PDF, or you can request a printed copy in the church office.
However you choose to engage with this material, we pray that God would be glorified as these Scriptures and devotionals stir us up to love and good deeds!
