Many Christians have a
habit of daily time spent in reading the Scriptures and in prayer. If you don’t
have a habit of doing so, I certainly recommend it. While there is no explicit
command for such a “daily devotional,” the Bible is replete with statements
about the daily practice of prayer and meditation on God’s word (Psa. 1:2; 5:3;
55:17; 119:97).
Some Christians find daily
devotional books helpful which contain brief readings on spiritual themes. Such
resources can be useful, but many of the most popular ones are full of
unbiblical teaching and man-centered theology. We should be careful not to too
quickly adopt or embrace books or resources based on their popularity. Being on
the best-seller’s list at Lifeway or CBD is not necessarily an indicator of a
book’s orthodoxy (and may actually suggest it isn’t).
Often overlooked as a
devotional resource are the classic and historic confessions of faith written
by godly men to train the church in sound doctrine through the ages.
Particularly valuable are the robust Westminster Confession of Faith, WestminsterLarger Catechism, and Heidelberg Catechism which have served the church well
for about 400 years. These documents are full of biblical doctrine and solid theology
presented in a well-organized, systematic form. Each section can be read in
just a few minutes and contains extensive Scripture references to show the
biblical basis for its claims. Moreover these documents are freely available
online or on a mobile device. They are in the public domain and so may be downloaded
and printed if one prefers a hard copy. Our elders enjoy reading and studying
from a small hardback edition that contains full proof-texts of the Bible
verses and which only costs $12. You can also purchase very nice, inexpensive
copies on Amazon and CBD.
The historic confessions
can be helpful additions to a daily time spent in the Scriptures. Their
introduction to basic theology and concise summaries of Bible words and
doctrines will challenge, inform, and bless any Christian who spends time
reading and reflecting on them. If you have not read these three historic
documents, let me encourage you to do so. I trust you will be helped,
encouraged, and comforted by them. –JME
