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. Richard Blaylock if he would share his thoughts with us.
1. How do you spend your devotional time with the Lord?
My personal devotional time is spent reading Scripture and praying in response to Scripture. In terms of how I choose which biblical texts to read, I simply read through the Scriptures in sequence with the aim of reading through the whole Bible each year. I do not typically use devotionals for my personal time with the Lord, though I will occasionally use them for family worship (especially during advent). During my devotional time, I try not to get bogged down by textual, interpretive, or theological difficulties. Occasionally, I will pull out a commentary or two to wrestle with an issue, but I try to keep that to a minimum. My focus in reading the Scripture is to discern (1) the original intent of the passage, (2) how the text contributes to my understanding of salvation history, (3) any typological patterns developed in the text, (4) how the text uses Scripture or is used by Scripture, (5) how the text reveals God and Christ, and (6) how the text calls me to live. My reading is interspersed with prayers of praise, petition, thanksgiving, and confession, as I seek to respond appropriately to what I am reading. And after I finish my reading, I close by reflecting on what I have read and praying once more in response.
In addition to my personal devotional time, I lead my family through family worship every weekday. We spend that time memorizing Scripture, reading a children’s Bible or other Christian literature for kids, and praying. In our prayer time, we respond to the passages we have just considered and we pray for our needs and the needs of those we love. In addition, we have a different prayer focus each day of the week so that we regularly pray for the government, churches in the Philippines (which is where I am from), our local church, the salvation of our friends and family, and world missions.
2. How do you practically seek to deepen your love for Christ?
I seek to deepen my love for Christ by devoting myself to the regular means of grace. I apply myself to know God in Christ through the careful and reverent reading of His word. I seek to know more of God’s love in Christ through prayer. I offer the Triune God my praise through corporate worship every Sunday. I regularly hear Christ’s excellencies proclaimed through the preaching of God’s word. I am reminded of Christ’s death for me and of his future return through partaking of the Lord’s supper, and I am reminded that I have been united to Christ in his death and resurrection when I see believers baptized in my local church. I learn to become more like Jesus as I fellowship with members of my church and see Christ reflected in their lives. Through these and other means of grace, God has continued to sustain and grow my love for Christ and my faith in the gospel.
Richard Blaylock is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Western Seminary and is director of the Center for Evangelical Biblical Theology. He has written two volumes on divine rebrobation in the Old and New Testaments. You can find him on Twitter here.
Thank you, Dr. Blaylock!
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
- J. Keith McKinley
- 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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