Yesterday not only marked our marriage anniversary, it also marked the completion of a year’s worth of very valuable interaction with Tim Tebow’s Mission Possible One-Year Devotional. It has been a very helpful resource. Claire and I are regular donors to the Tim Tebow Foundation; we pray for them at least once a week; and we were blessed to participate in the “Night To Shine” ministry last year with plans to do so again this year and beyond. So, yes; we think a great deal of this young man, his family, and the multifaceted ministries he and his team lead. But spending time each morning with this devotional this last year has increased even more our admiration and gratitude for what the Lord is doing in Tim Tebow’s life and ministries. Thus, we recommend both the devotional and the Foundation’s work very highly.
However, beginning today we are trying a new method for our daily devotionals. It is one that involves 5 days a week of Scripture readings (the specific schedule of which I will organize as we go along) and a simple five step interaction with the text.
1) Read. Take your time and read carefully and prayerfully the scheduled text.
2) Reflect. Think about what you are reading with a specific attention to relevant applications. 3) Consider. Consider things from the day’s text that might prompt more study, what stimulates a specific action response, what things you might want to talk about with your spouse and others, etc. 4) Write. Write down items from Steps 2 and 3 plus perhaps other items to thank God for, to confess, to apply more wisely and diligently, to pray about, and so on. 5) Pray. Take a few minutes to talk to God about these matters.
By the way, why is it only a 5-day schedule? Well, it makes for a more do-able plan in that gives you a couple days grace to deal with other texts (like the Sunday sermon or a podcast that you’ve heard), to catch up in case you missed a day during the week, to use the time to pursue some of the questions arising from the week’s previous readings, and so on.
Anyhow, we’re going to give it a go. Lord Jesus, please bless this effort with success.
Our first schedule is listed below. Feel free to use it or to share here in the comments section a devotional approach that you have found successful. And, by all means, if you are looking for a devotional book, you would do very well indeed to select Tim Tebow’s Mission Possible Daily Devotional.
1) Ephesians 1: 1-10 (Take 2 days with this text.)
2) Stay with Ephesians 1: 1-10
3) Ephesians 1: 11-14
4) Ephesians 1: 15-23 (2 days)
5) Stay with Ephesians 1: 15-23
6) Ephesians 2: 1-7 (2 days)
7) Stay with Ephesians 2: 1-7
8) Ephesians 2: 8-10
9) Ephesians 2: 11-18
10) Ephesians 2: 19-22
11) Ephesians 3: 1-7
12) Ephesians 3: 8-13
13) Ephesians 3: 14-21 (2 days)
14) Stay with Ephesians 3:14-21
15) Ephesians 4: 1-6
16) Ephesians 4: 7-16
17) Ephesians 4: 17-24
18) Ephesians 4: 25-31 (2 days)
19) Stay with Ephesians 4: 25-31
20) Ephesians 5: 1-7
21) Ephesians 5: 8-14
22) Ephesians 5: 15-21
23) Ephesians 5: 22-33
24) Ephesians 6: 1-9
25) Ephesians 6: 10-20 (3 days)
26) Stay with Ephesians 6: 10-20
27) Stay with Ephesians 6: 10-20
28) Ephesians 6: 21-24