Devotions
Savvy Saturdays - 2/29/20
Devotions
Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin!
I've been getting a lot of feedback from people who have gotten my newsletter, and it's been very helpful! It's revealed how each of us are made so unique in how we consume content very differently.
For some, it is not a problem to read long-form content, but I never knew that for others, it's easy to glaze over when there are too many words.
As this newsletter is still in its infancy stage, I'm open to getting feedback from people on how to approach improving updates and content.
Please feel free to reach out to me and way I can change or improve my sharing :) This newsletter is constantly iterating and improving, and I'd love to invite y'all into the process of making this a great newsletter.
That aside... back to the regular content.
This week has been hectic:
overseeing and directing a party with some friends
going to ministry meetups + commitments
celebrating a friend's birthday
editing a bible study several hours before it was due
traveling to Dallas for a 6-month followup from heart surgery - conclusion: I'm all gucci and healthy
meeting up with fellow pastor friends
traveling back to Austin after a 1-hour delay because the megabus broke down...
and the list goes on and on.
As much as I enjoy all these things, I find it hard to fight to be present with others and need to be more vigilant with getting rest.
Working adult life is difficult as it definitely requires a balance with ministry, taking care of personal tasks, and keeping up with my work, but I believe this is part of the maturing process of life.
In particular, I find myself needing to guard my devotional times with God. These are times where I go to the Bible, read what He has to speak and reveal to me, and then respond in praise, repentance, and prayer.
It fascinates me at times that for the longest time, this was the hardest thing for me to be consistent with.
Subscribing to devotional plans, committing to 1-year bible readings, and pairing up with other brothers and sisters in the church, I thought these systems of structure would allow for the greatest probability of success in reading God’s word daily.
But alas, all those plans failed for me.
One day, though, I started to read a chapter of the Bible a day.
Being strategic, I focused on Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, because I wanted to grow in worship, gain wisdom, and understand the patterns of life pursuits that were not fulfilling.
As I gleaned from those three books out of curiosity to learn and grow rather than out of obligation and with no clear direction, I found myself hungering to spend mornings and evenings pressing into God’s Word and truth.
And through reading the Bible daily, I could see the truths slowly producing fruit — not only ministering to my heart internally but also providing me wisdom to speak love and truth to others externally.
I eventually decided to commit to reading through the whole New Testament chapter by chapter, and I should be able to complete it by the end of summer, if not earlier.
But it’s hard. It is so easy to wake up in the morning and let the lethargy of life be an excuse to not sit down with God’s Word, or to schedule my time with Him for later during lunch or in the evening.
Daily devotions, if not placed at a priority, can become deprioritized and forgotten.
I think I realized that I couldn’t do devotions without making the choice to block off time. To make that commitment.
With that, I'd like to ask y'all:
What things do y'all feel like you need to make a commitment to do?
What is one small step you can take in order to make that commitment a reality?
I hope y'all are able to keep to y'alls commitments, as I am continuing to keep to my devotions. It's not easy, and there's a lot of times I go to God to ask for grace and forgiveness especially when I fail, but I'm glad to know such a gracious Father.
Anyways, thanks for tuning in. If y'all have any feedback, feel free to let me know. Hope y'all keep on fighting that fight and running that race, and I'll see y'all in the next update!
Weekly Collections
Faith
Above Reproach: The First Requirement for Christian Leaders - Desiring God
How Much Victory Can I Expect over Sinful Desires? - Ask Pastor John
Entrepreneurship
Productivity
How To Take Smart Notes: 10 Principles to Revolutionize Your Note-Taking and Writing
Principle #1: Writing is not the outcome of thinking; it is the medium in which thinking takes place
Principle #2: Do your work as if writing is the only thing that matters
Principle #3: Nobody ever starts from scratch
Principle #4: Our tools and techniques are only as valuable as the workflow
Principle #5: Standardization enables creativity
Principle #6: Our work only gets better when exposed to high-quality feedback
Principle #7: Work on multiple, simultaneous projects
Principle #8: Organize your notes by context, not by topic
Principle #9: Always follow the most interesting path
Principle #10: Save contradictory ideas
I wanted to lay out all the principles, as there is a lot to take away from gleaning it and trying to apply it into personal life! I think I live out #4 and #9.
Be the Most Persuasive Person In the Room: 9 Things Highly Influential People Always Do
1. Always share positives and negatives.
2. Always draw positive conclusions.
3. Always take bold stands.
4. Always adjust your rate of speech.
5. Always start with small "wins."
6. Always (OK, not always, but at least occasionally) swear.
7. Always know the way your audience prefers to process information.
8. Always choose the right medium.
9. Always make sure you're right.
Verse of the Week
"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
- Proverbs 22:1
Challenging Quote
“The greatness of a man’s power is in the measure of his surrender.”
- William Booth