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The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

“Then Samuel said speak for your servant is listening” (1Samuel 3:10).

Have you taken time today to do just that with God’s Word?

Or let me back up a bit and ask the first question that comes to mind.

As you meet with the Lord, do you pray and ask Him to speak to you through His Word, to teach you, to reveal to you what it is He wants you to understand?

Do you come with an open heart and listening ears?

You see, we often come bounding into our devotional time with the text or chapters at hand and read through them, check off that we’ve completed our “to do” list, and we’re done with our scripture reading and “quiet time” for the day.  Then we continue on our merry way without benefit of having that Word, that truth, poured into our beings.

So, may I offer these suggestions?

Open the Word and your journal.  Read a portion of scripture, perchance it will be only a verse or two.  My greatest times of understanding have come in chewing over tiny morsels of God’s truth in my thinking time. Take some time to be still as you consider the Word, ponder its truth, mull over its meaning and reflect on its application in your life.  Ask God to reveal to you all He would have you understand. Use one of these as a heading to your journal:

God, what to you want me to know today?

What are You saying today?

What are You speaking to me?

What things have I learned?

Lord, what do you want to reveal to me today?

In what way should I apply this to my life today?

Then, write out the verses in your journal as you continue to inquire of God His help in your comprehension.

Consider, ponder, mull over, reflect….write back to Him what He shares with you.

May the gems of God’s truth shine in your hearts and reflect who the Lord is as you bring them to mind and apply them to your lives.

Lord, unstop our ears to hear You. Open our eyes to see You more clearly today.  Help our mind be keen and clear to drink in the Truth of who You are and what You would have us know and understand.  We give you our hearts today, open willing vessels to take in what You teach and use it for Your glory.

Questions: How do you generally spend your quiet time? Do you come with an open heart and listening ears?

About the Author Nancy O’Bosky

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, A Passion to Know Him, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Feeling pressure to be perfect? Take this study.

“Then Samuel said speak for your servant is listening” (1Samuel 3:10).

Have you taken time today to do just that with God’s Word?

Or let me back up a bit and ask the first question that comes to mind.

As you meet with the Lord, do you pray and ask Him to speak to you through His Word, to teach you, to reveal to you what it is He wants you to understand?
Do you come with an open heart and listening ears?

You see, we often come bounding into our devotional time with the text or chapters at hand and read through them, check off that we’ve completed our “to do” list, and we’re done with our scripture reading and “quiet time” for the day.  Then we continue on our merry way without benefit of having that Word, that truth, poured into our beings.

So, may I offer these suggestions?

Open the Word and your journal. Read a portion of scripture, perchance it will be only a verse or two.  My greatest times of understanding have come in chewing over tiny morsels of God’s truth in my thinking time. Take some time to be still as you consider the Word, ponder its truth, mull over its meaning and reflect on its application in your life.  Ask God to reveal to you all He would have you understand. Use one of these as a heading to your journal:

God, what to you want me to know today?

What are You saying today?

What are You speaking to me?

What things have I learned?

Lord, what do you want to reveal to me today?

In what way should I apply this to my life today?

Then, write out the verses in your journal as you continue to inquire of God His help in your comprehension.

Consider, ponder, mull over, reflect….write back to Him what He shares with you.

May the gems of God’s truth shine in your hearts and reflect who the Lord is as you bring them to mind and apply them to your lives.

Lord, unstop our ears to hear You. Open our eyes to see You more clearly today.  Help our mind be keen and clear to drink in the Truth of who You are and what You would have us know and understand.  We give you our hearts today, open willing vessels to take in what You teach and use it for Your glory.

Questions: Tell us about how you spend your time with the Lord. What is a pre requisite for a successful quiet time?

About the Author Nancy O’Bosky

“You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing” (Isaiah 42:20, NIV).

Have you heard the old saying, no two ways about it?  Well, I beg to differ if you’ll allow me.

A few weeks ago, my five year old grandson and I were down at our little brook enjoying a beautiful early summer afternoon.  All at once, he shrieked, “Ants!  I hate ants!” And he turned and began stomping up the hill.

“Wait, a minute,” this old grandma called to him.  “Sit here with me and let’s just watch them for a minute.  Look how they work together, how they form a trail and take food back to their whole family. They work and don’t tire. They are always so busy and eager!”  As my grandson took time to listen to me and consider my words and turn his attention to my way of thinking, he began to see the ants with new eyes — eyes of wonder instead of eyes of hate and disgust.

Aren’t we a lot like that? Don’t we often see situations with just our own eyes and our own selfish motivations and beliefs? We need new eyes to really see all of God’s truth for us.  We need an understanding of God’s purpose to grasp how to look at a situation without panic, disgust or even fear.  In every circumstance, in every thought and feeling where we deem that there is only one way — our way — there are always two ways about it.  There is our way and there is God’s way.

In each circumstance I find myself in, I am learning to practice seeing it with “God’s eyes and hands” instead of only my own.  When I determine to do that, I am choosing God’s way and putting Him first.  This is one way that I can love the Lord with all my heart, by putting His way, His will and His law first in my life.

You might be wondering, “How do I begin to place God’s way first in my life?”  Do you remember my grandson and his disgust of ants?  What did he have to do to begin to look at them in a different way?

First he had to listen. Are you listening to God’s Word?  Then he had to believe what his grandma told him.  Do you believe the truths that God is sharing in His Word with you?  And lastly, he had to give up his way of thinking and be willing to see ants from his grandma’s perspective.  Have you begun to look at every situation with God’s eyes and heart and His will and way?

Today, choose to listen, to believe, to apply a willing heart to God’s perspective. Take time today and open your eyes, pay attention, be willing to hear and to change your way to God’s way.

Yep, two ways about it — your way or God’s way.

Lord, I lay down myself and yield all of me to You, Your hand, Your truths and Your will and way in my life.  Thank You that Your power is great enough to do miraculous work in my life.  Your love is of greater measure than I can hope or dream or imagine.  Help me Lord to begin to see with new eyes more of who You are.  Give me greater understanding of Your way.  Help me to walk in Your truth this day with a whole heart and new eyes of perspective.

Questions: What area do you need to work on in order to put God’s way first in your life? (listening, believing, change perspectives)  How are you putting God first in your life?

About the Author Nancy O’Bosky

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Thin Air-ogance, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog