“Christians from the beginning have encouraged one another to offer their first words, their first thoughts, the first moments… each day to the Lord of all creation.” – Eugene Peterson
Introduction from Michael Cassidy
“I can never be thankful enough that soon after my conversion in 1955 as an undergraduate at university, I was introduced to the notion of having a daily devotional or quiet-time. Whatever name we use it speaks of coming daily to God in prayer and learning to bring all our needs, as well as the needs of others, to Him. It speaks also of taking time daily to praise God, worship Him, read His Word, thank Him for His goodness and many mercies and confess our sins and where we have messed up. I would say that apart from regular church attendance to hear God’s Word and receive the Sacraments, the habit of an ordered and disciplined devotional life was the single most important and useful habit I ever developed in my whole Christian life. A deep devotional life is an anchor in those turbulent times of life.
“Of course it did not all happen overnight, it took time and effort to find my way into this kind of daily devotional experience. Because many folk ask about how to get into this sort of routine, and how to structure it, I thought there would be value in setting forth some of what I have found helpful (see links below). This may or may not be helpful to you. Each of us has to work out what is best for us personally.
“Don’t be discouraged in this journey. My wife, Carol, always says she’s learnt discipline through failure. But we must resolve to make progress. Remember, it is better to have modest, or even very modest goals in your prayer and devotional life, and achieve them, rather than being over-ambitious and constantly failing. The Lord bless each one of you and help you to deepen in your own prayer life and in your relationship with Him. And may these resources be a blessing to you.”
Read: Establishing an Ordered and Disciplined Devotional Life, Michael Cassidy
Light on the Way, Robert Murray M’Cheyne