“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Mark 1:35
Our challenge is to come to Christ every morning, receive a full day’s measure of God’s selfless love, and give every drop of it away freely by the end of day. Are you up to the Love Devotion challenge? Let’s go!
Step 1. Come to Christ every morning in prayer (talking and listening with God) and mediation (thinking about God). To be specific, ask God the Father, based on Christ’s promise and authority, to give you the Holy Spirit today. (Christ is in charge of it, and he promised we could have it if we asked.) Choose the least distracting time of day, usually early morning is best for most people.
Step 2. You need a clear vision of Christ, clear and strong enough to last the day. That’s what the Holy Spirit is for. The Spirit will enlighten your mind through the Scriptures to hold a particular vision or understanding of Christ. Stay in prayer, meditation, and study long enough to receive a full day’s measure. This takes time. Begin with a few minutes a day, 5-10 minutes to start as your attention can, and increase the time. A common length of time for personal devotion is 20-30 minutes, some aim for an hour or more. You want to stay in devotion long enough so your vision of Christ is clear and strong and you can hold it and all day.
Step 3. Throughout the day, bring this view of Christ to mind as you work and interact with people. This vision becomes the guide of your thoughts, feelings, choices, words, and actions today. The Spirit will help you recall the morning meditations, hold it through the day, and use it in your decisions and interactions. You may write promises on index cards or post its to review as you have a break to keep the vision strong. Or create a playlist of songs you can lis that remind you
Step 4. Do steps 1-3 every day for 21 days in a row. Give yourself some grace to get started. It may take you some time to get the kinks worked out before you get consistent and can officially start counting. If you miss a day, don’t worry. Keep going. Just don’t quit. After 21 days in a row, notice what has changed for you. Share that change with someone.
Ooohhh, Father! Thank you for the challenge! Thank you for the opportunity to receive your love in a new way. I confess I’ve been taking your love for granted, and been slow and reluctant to take it seriously. But now, Lord, I’m ready for the challenge. Help me to be consistent, not only in the challenge, but beyond it. And help me to choose to receive and give more and more love every day. Bless the people around me. Bless me, then bless them through me. Amen.
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