I began a devotional journal a few months ago as a form of bible study. I bought a devotional book from Barnes and Noble called "The Beautiful Word: Bringing the Goodness of Scripture to Life in Your Heart" by Zondervan. It was only about $16, and it was worth every penny. I love it because it's a 365-day devotional, so for each day, it provides a verse or two along with a very short passage that explains the meaning and application of the verse. It is so quick and easy to read each day, especially during the school year when I'm overwhelmed with the stress of homework and studying.
However, I wanted to do more than just read a short passage. I wanted to go more in depth with my worship and bible study time, so that's why I began a devotional journal with a cute little notebook from Wal-Mart. So a few nights I would sit in my room and read the day's devotional from the book, but I would also write my own passage in my journal to go along with it.
I found a bible study strategy that I really like from a Pinterest post: the SOAP method. S is for Scripture, O is for Observation, A is for Application, and P is for Prayer. I write a paragraph for each part. I find myself spending thirty minutes to over an hour on my journal each night, but I benefit tremendously from it. I feel like I get so much more out of really submerging myself in the Word than I do from just quickly reading a few short paragraphs in two minutes. I'm actually spending time with God, strengthening my faith and relationship with Him, and learning so much about Him and even myself.
I love the way I feel after completing them, and I want to share them with others, so I decided I would start an Odyssey page and use it as my "new" devotional journal. (My boyfriend is actually the one who told me I should publish them, so thank you for your encouragement and support as always!)
So I will type out my passage and post it as an Odyssey article the way I write them in my journal, but I'll add some extra details to help with fully understanding and submerging into the article. My goal is to provide a quick but thorough passage so y'all can have a more in-depth devotional to read to hopefully make your days better the way it does mine. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! :)
