Are Devotions Just a Religious Exercise?
“I don’t need to do devotions, because I spend time with God throughout the day. I’m always talking to him.”
“The idea that we have to do devotions every day is religious. We don’t need to perform for God’s love.”
“My relationship with God is organic. Sometimes I have devotions in the morning, and sometimes I don’t. I don’t think he expects us to be so rigid.”
Many people question the value of devotions (or a scheduled daily time with God). They wonder, Is it just a religious exercise? Do we need to do it to be Christians? And I understand the questions. I’ve asked a few of them myself. We don’t want to do things because we “have to” or because it’s what we’ve always done. We don’t want to feel obligated, because obligation diminishes love. We want to live in God’s grace for us, not legalism. We want to understand the purpose of what we do so that we can do it wholeheartedly. And that’s good.
Thankfully, God’s not afraid of our questions. After all, the New Testament does not give us any specific guidelines for how much time to spend with God and when. God doesn’t give us a rule—but an invitation. He doesn’t tell us what we have to do, but what we get to do.
Yes, we can be Christians without regularly spending time with God, but why would we want to?
It feels a little like saying, “Can I be married without regularly spending time with my spouse?” The answer is the same. Yes—but why would you want to?
Somewhere along the way, many of us have believed the lie that something scheduled isn’t genuine. If we have to plan time with God, maybe we are just going through the motions. If we really love him, won’t we spontaneously spend time with him—and that’s enough? The truth is, all important parts of life require intentionality. Relationship with God is no different. Daily time with God is an essential part of our lives as believers, and here’s why:
1. Building our relationship with God: If Jesus needed regular time alone with his father, I’m pretty sure we do too (Matt. 14:23; Luke 5:16; 6:12; Mark 1:35). Spending time with God isn’t religious, but intentional. We wouldn’t criticize a married couple for planning regular date nights or for spending time talking and connecting on a daily basis. In fact, if they didn’t do those things, we might wonder how strong their relationship is. Depth in relationship takes time. The fact that we are united with Christ does not automatically mean we are walking in closeness with him. The core of our faith is relationship with God, but it doesn’t happen without effort. Intimacy is a daily choice and practice.
2. Personal transformation: We experience personal transformation through the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). It’s not instant, but progressive. When we receive Jesus, we participate by faith in his death and resurrection, which means our old, sinful selves die, and we receive new life and a new nature in Christ (Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:17). This part of our transformation is instant, yet the Bible tells us to also “put off your old self… [and] be made new in the attitude of your minds…” (Eph. 4:22–23 NIV). In other words, the new creation is a spiritual reality we step into when we receive Jesus. Yet we learn to walk in that reality through renewing our minds and allowing God to transform us into his image over time.
The more time we spend with God, the more our minds are renewed. We begin to think more and more like he does. As we behold the glory of the Lord (spend time with him), we are “transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor. 3:18 NIV). The most effective way to step into this transformation is by consistently spending time in God’s presence and reading the Bible.
3. Grace for every day, especially hard days: Just as we need food every day to have strength and nourishment for life, our souls and spirits need the food of spending time in God’s presence in order to thrive. In his presence, we receive God’s grace (divine empowerment) for our daily lives, and we also create a history with God that prepares us for difficult seasons. If our relationship with him is shallow, we will easily fall into doubt or despair in hard times. But if we’ve diligently built up our relationship with God during the good times, the depth of that relationship will sustain us during the hard times. Having already cultivated a habit of spending time with God in good times will make it easier for us to continue spending time with him in the hard seasons. And it is in those seasons when we need his presence the most. I know this firsthand. When our lives fell apart a few years ago, my personal devotional habit not only sustained me, but also enabled me to hear God’s declaration of hope over that season. (I tell the full story in my book.)
God does not require you to spend time with him at a certain frequency or for a certain length of time, but he longs to regularly connect with you. He gave everything for the joy of being with you. The call to cultivate a daily devotional habit is an invitation into the closest relationship you can ever have. It’s not that he’ll reject you or be disappointed with you if you don’t. You are already loved and accepted in Christ. But think what you can gain; think what joy and hope and peace are found with him.
The great heroes of the Bible and Christian history started their relationship with God just like the rest of us. They didn’t receive special privileges or advantages that we don’t have. They too were human. Like them, we have the potential to experience the depths of relationship with God that they reached—and perhaps even greater. It all starts with the simple decision to set aside time to be with him.
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