(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)

God’s Word can change the heart of a person, enhance the health of a church group, and furthermore, it sets the foundation that enables a person to “Love God and Love People”. Leveraging a decent Bible-based culture at CBCWLA, I plan to write and share devotionals with you, which I hope, will encourage all brothers and sisters to not only read God’s Word together but also store God’s Word in our hearts more effectively. As we roll out the plan for this daily devotional ministry, I wish that brothers and sisters will start developing a habit of regular Bible reading and daily devotionals and that our whole CBCWLA family will deepen our relationship with the Lord and grow our desires to know the Word of God.

Following are some recommendations for how to plan for your individual devotional time. This list of recommendations can be used as a future reference to examine and adjust individual spiritual life from time to time as necessary. As you begin this daily devotional plan, consider recording the actual devotional time spent in the first few days, which will help you learn how to set aside time and prepare yourself to get closer to God daily in the future.

Planning for Personal Devotional Time

[Worship] By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you. (e.g., Worship videos produced by the CBCWLA Choir)

[Thanksgiving] Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)

[Scripture Reading] Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!

[Meditation] Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.

[Devotional] Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.)

[Memory Verse] Choose a verse from the selected Scriptures and reflect on that verse constantly throughout that day.

[Pray] Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what/where are you going to lead me to today?”)

Fellowship Bonding Time by Devotionals

[Sharing] Share with your family, your prayer partner, or the brothers and sisters in your fellowship, through which passages of the scriptures help you get a deeper understanding of God and what your responses may be. And do pray for each other as well.

[Grow] By reviewing and remembering God’s Word more systematically through Sunday school, you will be surprised that there are many details in the Scriptures you have not noticed or forgotten!