Dr. Ligon Duncan shares practical advice for deepening your devotional time in the Word of God. Setting aside intentional time to study Scripture, whether through a structured reading plan or focused study, is crucial in our busy world.
The following is a transcript of the video above.
How do I grow in my devotional life?
Sometimes, I’m asked for practical suggestions about deepening our devotional time in the Word of God. And there are a lot of good ways to answer that question. I think one thing we have to reckon with is that if we do not plan, we will not consistently study the word. So there needs to be not only a reading plan for the word but also a planned time for when we’re going to do this. We live in a day and time where we have more time-saving devices than ever before, and it seems like we have less time than we’ve ever had before. And so discipline is hugely important. Setting the time that you’re going to study the Word of God and then being realistic about how much time you have to devote to this particular study. I have often followed Bible reading plans that help me be more disciplined. I’ve used the Robert Murray McShane reading plan many times in my life or the reading plans that are offered by wonderful places like the Ligonier Ministries or the Gospel Coalition. Sometimes, I’ve taken study Bibles, and I’ve deliberately read the study notes in the study Bibles through particular Bible books, but I feel like I don’t know this Bible book as much as I want to know this Bible book. So I’m going to read the Scripture, but I’m also going to read the study notes in the study Bible. But the main thing we have to do is want to read the Scripture and plan to read the Scripture. Set aside the time to read the Scripture and then have a reading program in mind. Because if you don’t have a goal, you won’t hit it. So, a lot of it boils down to discipline and desire.
