NEWHOPE DAILIES

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith… For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:5a, 8

  • You may engage as you like with this devotional series. You may like to just read the Scriptures and then make a comment on your thoughts or you may choose to go a little deeper. If you are open to it I would like to suggest a devotional practice that could yield some fruitfulness with your time with God and in the Word. This is the basic framework and it will take you about 10 mins as part of your daily time with the Lord. Hope it is helpful as we make our way through the book of Ruth together.

    Finally, it would be good to finish with a prayer as you enter your day. Perhaps the below one could help as an example: 

    Lord, thank you for speaking to me to day. Give me courage to obey your word and yield to your Holy Spirit. I take seriously your leading today and seek to put your word into practice in my life through action today. Amen. 

    Remember Faith is done best in community. It would be great to hear from you and be able to encourage you in your walk with the Lord. Would you consider sharing with the rest of us what God has said to you so that we can be encouraged too and we could encourage you. 

    Praying this is helpful. Look forward to do the next month or so with you all. May God continue to dwell with you in very real ways and may your times with Him be fruitful in every way. 

  • Start with a moment to step out of your thoughts and life and into the presence of God. The idea of this moment is to not be distracted but to focus your attention on God.

    Example of a prayer to pray in starting your time with the Lord:

    Lord, as I enter your presence now I take a moment to pause and to be still….

    ….to breath slowly and to re-centre my scattered thoughts and senses upon You.

    …. Speak to me I pray, and fill me with your Holy Spirit afresh this day.

  • Take time to read through the passage of Scripture of the day. Then before moving on take time to reflect and be open to anything that the Lord might say to you today. Don’t rush it but be open to God speaking to you as you read.

    Some questions that could help guide your reflections could be:

    • What immediately caught my attention as I read this passage?

    • How does this passage make sense in what I already know about other scriptures or this book as a whole?

    • How would this passage relate to my life or the lives of those around me?

    • How could I use the passage to encourage someone else today?

    • If you have a moment it would be great to hear your thoughts in our group chat.

  • Prayerfully reflect how this passage applies to your life. Ask God to speak to you now. Again don’t rush it. Also, God might lay on your heart things to pray for others. Take time now to pray for others and the world around you.

    Take some time to pray for yourself. Then think about others or our world. What has the Lord put on your heart to pray for them?

  • Take a look at the passage again. Take time to see if there is a word or phrase that the Holy Spirit reveals to you as a focus for your day today. Yielding is about allowing the Lord to shape your heart. What does God want you to do with what He has said to you today. I would encourage you to reflect and make some action steps. Allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you now as you go out to your day and yield to the will of the Father.

    Some guiding questions with this that can be helpful are:

    • What has the Lord revealed to me today through His Word?

    • What actions is He asking me to do or habits He is asking me to form?

    • How can I allow the Holy Spirit to guide and lead me today?