January/February 2020

How is your devotional life?

If you’re anything like me, you may think that’s an unkind introduction to this magazine! Many of us have a strong sense of guilt when we’re asked that question. We instinctively know that a robust devotional life is vital for our spiritual wellbeing, yet still many of us have the feeling that our devotions are too hurried, too infrequent and too shallow. We’d love to be prayer warriors but find ourselves being prayer wimps. Whenever we read something on a believer’s devotional life we end up asking ourselves the question, ‘What’s wrong with me?’

Nonetheless, I’ll ask again. How’s your devotional life?

If it’s not all it could be, or even not all it should be, please don’t despair. You are not alone, and this edition of the magazine has been put together to help you. The message of the authors is not that there’s something wrong with those who struggle devotionally. Their message is that there is something better to strive for. They want to lift Jesus up, not drag us down. They want to inspire you, not send you on a guilt trip. They want to show you what’s delightful, not merely tell you your duty.

So whether you find prayer a real struggle, or want to commit to praying for an hour a day, there’s an article for you. We’ve got suggestions of books and apps to help you with your daily devotions, and encouragements to help you disciple others – especially those who struggle to read. More importantly, perhaps, we’ve got articles that point you to Jesus and remind you of what he’s doing in our world.

Our prayer is that this issue of the magazine will help you grow in your love for Jesus and your devotion to him. Why not make that your prayer too – both for yourself and for other readers of the magazine.