Going through seminary, students are taught to study the Bible and uphold its doctrines about God while also being encouraged not to neglect their devotional times with God. Yet during my own devotional time I, and probably many others, often asked myself, “Is this the best way to grow spiritually, or is there a better way? What could I do differently? Should I incorporate my studies with my devotions?”
In this series I ask a different scholar two questions about how he or she spends time with the Lord and continues to love him with all their mind, strength, and heart. While no one method or style is “the only way,” we can draw on one another’s experiences.
This week I have asked Dr. J. Keith McKinley if he would share his thoughts with us.
1. How do you spend your devotional time with the Lord?
When Gail and I awaken, we say good morning, grab a cup of coffee, and begin our day with time in God’s word. We read through the Bible every year, following different patterns, often based on M’Chyene’s reading plan. I like to mark my Bible as I read. I use colored pencils, good art-quality pencils that mark well. I use different colors to mark themes important to me. For example, I mark missions texts with red, spiritual warfare texts in blue, leadership texts in purple, church planting in green, and yellow for other passages I want to highlight. In this way, I make a kind of thematic study of doctrines important to my teaching. Sometimes, I pray while reading, responding to the text and my thoughts about it, or asking the Lord about what I’ve read. Many days, I think and pray about the reading all day long and even bring the text into my teaching or into casual time with students. We plan on moving to a slower, two-year plan next year. The slower plan will give us a deeper read that we both long for.
2. How do you practically seek to deepen your love for Christ?
Abide in Christ. Abiding in his word, through prayer, and in obediently following his will.
J. Keith McKinley is Associate Professor of Christian Missions and is Director of the Bevin Center for Missions Mobilization at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). Find him on Twitter here.
Thank you, Dr. McKinley!
Other Scholars’ Devotions
- Andrew Abernethy
- Holly Beers
- Michael Bird
- Craig Blomberg
- Darrell Bock
- Gerry Breshears
- Denny Burk
- Mitch Chase
- Andrew Das
- Stephen Dempster
- Jason DeRouchie
- Kyle Dunham
- James Edwards
- Rebekah Eklund
- Matthew Emerson
- David Firth
- Stephen Fowl
- Norman Geisler
- Benjamin Gladd
- Michael Gorman
- Joel Green
- Sigurd Grindheim
- Robert Gundry
- Nijay Gupta
- Jim Hamilton
- Matthew Harmon
- Michael Haykin
- Charles Lee Irons
- Dru Johnson
- Dru Johnson (Extended Edition)
- Kenneth Keathley
- Craig Keener
- Edward (Mickey) Klink
- Melissa Kruger
- Darian Lockett
- Tremper Longman
- Ernest Lucas
- Ken Magnuson
- Scot McKnight
- David Moffitt
- Jonathan Moo
- Jeffrey Niehaus
- B. J. Oropeza
- Amy Peeler
- Nicholas Perrin
- Madison Pierce
- Patrick Schreiner
- Tom Schreiner
- Brandon Smith
- Aida Besancon Spencer
- Douglas Stuart
- Frank Thielman
- Robert Wall
- Bruce Ware
- Rikk Watts
- Trevin Wax
- Greg Welty
- Cynthia Long Westfall
- Ben Witherington
- Kevin Youngblood
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