Summary: This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot discuss another listener’s question. Michael wants to know how much time is enough when it comes to personal devotional time. He shares some of the things he regularly does and the approximate amount of time he spends doing them. But then shares that he sometimes feels overwhelmed by this commitment and at other times guilty, for not doing it all. He asks if this amount of time is too much, not enough or just right?<br> Dr. Caldwell says in all honesty, he doesn’t think he can answer the question as asked, whether it’s too much, not enough or just right. He explains that this is an individual issue, each one of us having to weigh this according to our life circumstances, time available, etc. He further explains what’s important to remember is what these times of devotion are for. They are for your own personal worship, study, and growth, but also so that you will go out into the world and live it out. Individual time with the Lord is only one aspect of our Christian life. Serving Christ will look similar yet different for each individual based on where you are in life and the responsibilities you have at that time. There are all sorts of things that are addressed in the Scriptures as it relates to serving and living out our lives. The time spent during our devotional time ought to move us toward living well. The aim is to know God and to have that knowing reflected in our living. This is a way we can actually weigh our devotional time. It’s not just about tasting and receiving the knowledge, but it’s taking what we have learned and applying those truths as we go about life daily.<br> Dr. Caldwell says he cannot definitively answer the question of how much time is right for individual devotion. However, he does say you want to think about how you spend that time, what you include in that time, and how it’s impacting your life. He believes that personal devotion time should include prayer, reading the Scriptures, thinking about the Scriptures, studying Scripture, and having a heart that is committed to living out what you’ve studied. Then as you walk throughout your day you will want to be meditating upon what you’ve read or studied. He reminds us that the Word of God is meant to be the pathway for our feet, so we don’t leave it behind when we are finished with our devotional time. We can go on worshipping and serving God wherever we are and in whatever we do because all of life is worship. Worship is acknowledging the worth of God, and He has provided a variety of ways for us to do that. Getting the daily intake of the Word of God into our lives is vital, how we do it and how long we do it will vary from person to person, and on the season of life, we are in.
