Friday, September 5, 2025
…for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8
God wants a personal relationship with all of us and, through that relationship with Him, He changes us. In order to have a relationship with anyone, we must spend time with them. In order to have a relationship with God, we must spend time with Him and follow His leading. If we commit to having a relationship with God and follow through, our lives will be transformed. For most of us, making the commitment is not an issue, it’s the follow through.
Personal Discipleship creates a growing relationship with God that transforms us into what He made us and wants us to be in relation to Him and His world while strengthening and empowering our daily life. This cannot be found sitting in a Bible study. This cannot be found volunteering for hours and hours. This cannot be found by teaching a Sunday School class. These are all physical manifestations of our personal commitment to God but they do not perpetuate personal growth in Christ unless partnered with personal time with God every day, reading the Bible and praying. God wants us to be HIS more than GOOD. He wants our undivided attention. He is jealous for us. He desires our heart more than He wants us to “do” many things.
In Matthew 6:6 Jesus said But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
- Find a place that is quiet and comfortable, your own private sanctuary.
- Find a place where you can focus on God without distractions.
- Find a place where you can commune with god.
- Find a place that gives you release, enables you to reflect, and to be refreshed.
- Make this a relentless habit in your life
Proper Use of God’s Word
We don’t read the Bible only to learn facts but to expose ourselves to God, with a willingness to be changed.
- Study God’s word to develop the mind with understanding. Seek to really understand the Bible and apply it to your life.
- Memorize the Word of God to develop your soul with precepts. Precepts are principles or foundational truth. They are commandments or rules for personal conduct. They help us see things by rule of order and not emotional desire.
- Meditate on the Word of God, developing the spirit with relationship. Remember the aim of Bible study is not primarily to build up a reservoir of knowledge but to conform the reader to the image of God’s son.
God desires to create something very special out of each of us. He longs to change us into the image of His Son that we might know the abundant life Jesus promised. That abundant life only comes when we have a personal relationship with Him, involving being in the Word and communicating with Him on a daily basis. Don’t put it off any longer. Don’t let the distractions win. Give Him the place in your life that He deserves and live the abundant life He came for all to have.
