For the last few years I have regularly journaled as part of my devotions. I have really come to enjoy the practice of writing out prayers to God, recording what I feel God saying to me and reflecting on what I have just read in the Bible. I would occasionally go back and re-read past journal entries but not often, and usually for no greater reason than simple curiosity.
I have been challenged lately to be more intentional in my spiritual growth. I know I don't make it happen, but I am responsible to put into practice what God speaks. And with a new passage of scripture each day, a sermon each week, and various books, blogs and videos that I can receive from, it is too easy to simply move from one message to the next without really putting into practice what God has challenged me with. I don't know about you but I can't work on 15 aspects of my personal faith and character in one week and be ready for something more the next week.
So what I have begun to do is a weekly review of my journal entries. I will take some time and not just re-read the past week of entries but recap them all on a single page. This allows me to easily see the single thread (sometimes two, and never 15) that God is speaking to me about. I can then reaffirm my focus on this area of my growth and invite God once again to shape and refine this aspect of my life.
I don't ever want to confuse Bible knowledge with spiritual maturity. I don't want to have so many great pearls of wisdom rolling around in my head that I overlook, or can't see, the specific ways that God wants to walk with me in becoming more like Jesus.
Comments