The Bridge Church
Rhythms - Devotion
January 7, 2023
Locations & Times
Englewood SKY Academy
871 S River Rd, Englewood, FL 34223, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
Your ability to grow spiritually is connected to the spiritual rhythms you develop daily.
Americans check their phones an average of 144 times a day.
They spend an average of 4 hours and 25 minutes each day on their phones.
They spend an average of 4 hours and 25 minutes each day on their phones.
How to Develop Devotional Rhythms:
1. Devote intentional time to God
1. Devote intentional time to God
Establish a time, place, and plan.
Time + Place + Plan = Rhythm
2. Devote your heart to God in prayer
The motivation of your devotion matters to God
3. Devote your life to following God's Word
Keys to engage with God's Word:
1. Observation: What does it say?
2. Interpretation: What does it mean?
3. Application: What do I do?
1. Observation: What does it say?
2. Interpretation: What does it mean?
3. Application: What do I do?
Living for Jesus flows from my relationship with Him
MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS:
I need to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior for the first time.
https://thebridgevenice.churchcenter.com/people/forms/500390
I need to be baptized.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/baptism
I need to attend Starting Point.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/starting-point
I need to join a serve team.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/serve
I need to join a small group.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/bridge-groups
I need to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior for the first time.
https://thebridgevenice.churchcenter.com/people/forms/500390
I need to be baptized.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/baptism
I need to attend Starting Point.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/starting-point
I need to join a serve team.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/serve
I need to join a small group.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/bridge-groups
Dig Deeper:
1. Happy New Year! Does a new year fill you with excitement? If so, why? If not, why not?
2. What draws your attention daily? What would you say is the busiest area of your life?
3. Of the items listed that draw your attention from question two, would you categorize them as distractions or necessary? What is your number one distraction in life?
4. Your ability to grow spiritually is connected to the spiritual rhythms you develop daily. What is a spiritual rhythm?
5. Spiritual growth isn’t automatic. Why is that?
6. Read Mark 1:35 and Matthew 14:23. What appointments do you regularly have on your calendar? Why is it important to establish a time, place, and plan for a daily appointment with God?
7. Time + Place + Plan = Rhythm. How is a rhythm different than a checklist item…or being perfect? How does our relationship with God factor into our rhythm with Him?
8. Read Luke 11:1 and Matthew 6:5-7. Have you ever viewed praying as a technique or a performance? How is praying described differently by Jesus?
9. How is the prayer of the “hypocrites” and “gentiles” described in Matthew 6:5-7 different? How are they similar? What does this teach you about how God values inner attitude and heart motivation?
10. What might it look like to pray like a “hypocrite” or “gentile” in our current day?
11. Read Matthew 6:8. If God knows what we need, then why is it important to pray? How does prayer align our heart with God’s heart?
12. Read Matthew 6:9-13. How would you describe the different components of Jesus’ prayer in these verses? When spending time with God, what should we spend time talking about?
13. How would you describe your prayer life? What do your prayers typically consist of? How do you want your prayer life to change?
14. How have you experienced a deepened relationship with God through prayer?
15. Read Acts 17:11. Discuss how those being described in this passage interacted with God’s Word. Why is that helpful to us?
16. Read Matthew 7:24-27. What is the difference between the people described in this passage? How is that relevant to our daily lives?
17. What spiritual rhythms would you like to develop in 2024?
Live It Out:
Living for Jesus flows from a relationship with Him. It’s not about ritualistic checklists. It’s about aligning our hearts with His. In 2024, and beyond, consider:
1. Devoting intentional time with God. Time + Place + Plan = Rhythm. Regardless of your life stage, live intentionally and prioritize time with Him. Don’t feel pressure to fit into a mold. Whether it is early or late, the key is that we connect with our heavenly Father.
2. Devoting your heart to God in prayer. Praying is aligning your heart with God’s heart. It’s our declaration of dependence on God. Free yourself from the things of this world so that you can spending time with your Father. Invite Him into your circumstances, your hopes, your fears, your dreams, and your pain.
3. Devoting your life to following God’s Word. Use the following to help you engage with God’s Word.
Observation – What does it say? Learn from the scripture and discover what it mean to the original reader when it was originally written.
Interpretation – What does it mean? What does it mean for my life today?
Application – What should I do? Spiritual growth happens when we apply God’s Word to our life.
1. Happy New Year! Does a new year fill you with excitement? If so, why? If not, why not?
2. What draws your attention daily? What would you say is the busiest area of your life?
3. Of the items listed that draw your attention from question two, would you categorize them as distractions or necessary? What is your number one distraction in life?
4. Your ability to grow spiritually is connected to the spiritual rhythms you develop daily. What is a spiritual rhythm?
5. Spiritual growth isn’t automatic. Why is that?
6. Read Mark 1:35 and Matthew 14:23. What appointments do you regularly have on your calendar? Why is it important to establish a time, place, and plan for a daily appointment with God?
7. Time + Place + Plan = Rhythm. How is a rhythm different than a checklist item…or being perfect? How does our relationship with God factor into our rhythm with Him?
8. Read Luke 11:1 and Matthew 6:5-7. Have you ever viewed praying as a technique or a performance? How is praying described differently by Jesus?
9. How is the prayer of the “hypocrites” and “gentiles” described in Matthew 6:5-7 different? How are they similar? What does this teach you about how God values inner attitude and heart motivation?
10. What might it look like to pray like a “hypocrite” or “gentile” in our current day?
11. Read Matthew 6:8. If God knows what we need, then why is it important to pray? How does prayer align our heart with God’s heart?
12. Read Matthew 6:9-13. How would you describe the different components of Jesus’ prayer in these verses? When spending time with God, what should we spend time talking about?
13. How would you describe your prayer life? What do your prayers typically consist of? How do you want your prayer life to change?
14. How have you experienced a deepened relationship with God through prayer?
15. Read Acts 17:11. Discuss how those being described in this passage interacted with God’s Word. Why is that helpful to us?
16. Read Matthew 7:24-27. What is the difference between the people described in this passage? How is that relevant to our daily lives?
17. What spiritual rhythms would you like to develop in 2024?
Live It Out:
Living for Jesus flows from a relationship with Him. It’s not about ritualistic checklists. It’s about aligning our hearts with His. In 2024, and beyond, consider:
1. Devoting intentional time with God. Time + Place + Plan = Rhythm. Regardless of your life stage, live intentionally and prioritize time with Him. Don’t feel pressure to fit into a mold. Whether it is early or late, the key is that we connect with our heavenly Father.
2. Devoting your heart to God in prayer. Praying is aligning your heart with God’s heart. It’s our declaration of dependence on God. Free yourself from the things of this world so that you can spending time with your Father. Invite Him into your circumstances, your hopes, your fears, your dreams, and your pain.
3. Devoting your life to following God’s Word. Use the following to help you engage with God’s Word.
Observation – What does it say? Learn from the scripture and discover what it mean to the original reader when it was originally written.
Interpretation – What does it mean? What does it mean for my life today?
Application – What should I do? Spiritual growth happens when we apply God’s Word to our life.
Reading Plan:
Monday: Mark 1:29-38
Tuesday: Matthew 14:22-32
Wednesday: Luke 11:1-12
Thursday: Matthew 6:1-15
Friday: Matthew 7:1-12
Saturday: Matthew 7:13-29
Monday: Mark 1:29-38
Tuesday: Matthew 14:22-32
Wednesday: Luke 11:1-12
Thursday: Matthew 6:1-15
Friday: Matthew 7:1-12
Saturday: Matthew 7:13-29
Additional Resources:
Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive, by Jordan Raynor
Habits for Our Holiness, by Philip Nation
The Money Challenge, by Art Rainer
Foundations: 12 Biblical Truths to Shape a Family, by Ruth Chou Simons, Troy Simons
Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms, by Justin Whitmel Earley, Justin Earley
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, by John Mark Comer
Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive, by Jordan Raynor
Habits for Our Holiness, by Philip Nation
The Money Challenge, by Art Rainer
Foundations: 12 Biblical Truths to Shape a Family, by Ruth Chou Simons, Troy Simons
Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms, by Justin Whitmel Earley, Justin Earley
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, by John Mark Comer