(re)Introducing the Sojourn Devotional 2.0, by Michael Morgan

sojourn devo

Do you wish you had the discipline to follow a daily Bible reading and devotional plan? Let me tell you about something that just might help. Consider this a field guide to Sojourn’s daily bible reading guide/devotional.

The weekly devotional began way back in the Romans series and was originally designed to lead readers deeper into the passage for the week, link that passage to other places in the Bible to give it some context and offer some thoughts on the back cover from super smart theologians for some deeper reflection. Then, along came the Old Testament series and the challenge to read the entire Old Testament in one year.

That new challenge brought about a few changes in the ol’ devo. It now follows the Old Testament reading plan, which means rather than a few verses a day, readers go through a few chapters a day. Needless to say, the average human being cannot think deeply about a hundred verses of the Bible a day. So, the devo has evolved. Folks now read the daily passages and then the devotional passage highlights just a snapshot, one or a few verses and offers thoughts on what the verses say about God, his grace and his coming Son as well as how a reader can apply some basic biblical principles to their lives.

Another change: the weekly prayer. Back in the day, the prayer would be pulled from another book, or sometimes from the devotional writer’s own brain. But since this year is all about immersing yourself in the Bible, the devotional is all about immersing your prayer life in the Bible as well. The words of Scripture are a fantastic guide for shaping how we pray and what we pray for. It’s easy to fall into the ‘prayer as holy grocery list’ trap, and have your time with God be consumed by your perceived needs and wants. And while asking the Father for blessing and protection are definitely modeled in Scripture, they are modeled within the framework of a prayer rich with praise for God’s character, beauty, majesty and faithfulness. So the weekly devo prayer is a re-working of various passages in the Old Testament, often from the Psalms, into a first-person prayer so the reader can pray using the language of the Bible. That seems like a good idea, right?

So, do you wish you had the discipline to follow a daily Bible reading and devotional plan? Well, some of the brainiacs around Sojourn have hooked you up. You can get Sojourn’s daily devotional sent directly to your email or an RSS reader (if you’re wondering what an RSS reader is, so am I, but I hear people use them and Bryce Butler and Bobby Gilles pay me a nickel every time I mention it. So, I’ve check-marked that little box. I think I’ll buy a juicebox.) Just head over to devo.sojournchurch.com and check it out. You can also catch up on past readings and learn more about the artwork and the artists behind it. So, the moral of this story is you should definitely check out the devo online.

Any questions?