Mobile Daily Devotional

Do you include bible memorization as part of your spiritual disciplines? If you do, you will probably write down your memory verses on small index cards, carry those cards in your wallet or purse, and take them out regularly to review.

Instead of using index cards, you can also have your memory verses in your mobile phone. If you’re memorizing passages from the KJV Bible, you can get the Go Bible KJV version from the Go Bible website. But if you want to memorize verses in the NIV, NLT, NKJV or some newer version, well, the Go Bible only comes in KJV.

However, you can create a Mobile Booklet of your Bible memory verses in NIV, NLT, NKJV or any other versions, for reading on your mobile phone. It’s quite simple really. Here’s how you can create your own Mobile Booklet of Bible verses.

1. List out all the Bible passages that you want in your Mobile Booklet.
2. Sign up for a user account in Mobile Booklet, if you haven’t got an account.
3. Create a new Mobile Booklet. Enter your Booklet title, let’s say “My Bible Memory Verses” and a description, “Memory Verses for 2009”.
4. Create a booklet article for each Bible passage in your list. Enter the passage reference as the title, and the Bible verses as the description. To save time, cut and paste the Bible verses from BibleGateway, eBible or YouVersion.
5. Repeat the above for each Bible Passage in your list.
6. Optional: You can upload a nice image for your Mobile Booklet cover.
7. Click on the Create jar file link to create the Mobile Booklet.
8. Download the jar file by clicking the Download jar file link.

Now you can have any Bible passage from the NIV, NLT, NKJV, NASB, ESV, TNIV or any other version in your mobile phone as a Mobile Booklet for your own personal use.

I’ve just created a collection of some of my favorite Bible passages in the NET version today at MobileBooklet.com. You can check it out at Mobile Booklet: My Favorite Bible Verses. The NET Bible is available online at http://net.bible.org.

Bible With Cross Shadow photo is from Flickr.com.

The focus of Global Prayer Digest for March 2009 is on the War-Weary Muslims of Russian. Keith Carey, Managing Editor of GPD writes in this month’s prayer digest’s editorial:

Dear Praying Friends

I am writing this the day after our 2008 elections here in the United States. My state, California, had recently adopted same-sex marriage, because four justices considered it to be constitutional. Then Proposition 8 appeared on the November election ballot that would force the state constitution to define marriage as being “between one man and one woman.” Voters in this state have a “live and let live” attitude towards social issues, and there was a lot more money spent to defeat the proposition than to uphold it. Public opinion polls indicated that it would be defeated. In the natural realm, it would surely have failed.

But something happened that even won the attention of the highly secular Los Angeles Times. A group of intercessors, led by Pastor Lou Engel, spent months praying and fasting for Proposition 8 to pass. Apparently there were 3,000 churches involved with this prayer effort. Against any human reasoning, it did pass! Oh me with my little faith! I really didn’t expect that to happen!

Likewise, it is very hard to imagine small people groups in Russia that have been Muslim for centuries putting their faith in Christ. To a large degree, members of the Russian Orthodox Church provide a poor example of how Christians should live. But for this month at least, can we all imagine these Muslims giving their hearts to the Savior? Will we have faith as big as a mustard seed, and pray accordingly?

In Christ,
Keith Carey
Managing Editor GPD

Download Global Prayer Digest March 2009 for your cell phone .

Get your mobile devotional for March 2009 from the links below. These files are for installation on your java enabled mobile phone. They won’t work on your PC. For more info on how to install these jar files, go to How to Install Java Apps on Your Cell Phone, Mobile Phone or Handphone.

• Daily in Christ – Devotions on growing in your identity as a child of God. Written by Dr. Neil T. Anderson.
• Streams in the Desert – Encouragement and inspiration from a classic devotional by Lettie B. Cowman.
• Prayer, Praise and Promises – Growing in your prayer and praise life through the Psalms. Written by Warren Wiersbe.
• Today God Is First – Devotions on following God’s way and leading in the marketplace by Os Hillman.
• GEMA – Bahasa Indonesia – Daily devotional by Gereja Kristus Yesus for Indonesian speaking believers.
• Global Prayer Digest – The prayer digest for March 2009 focuses on “Russia’s War-Weary Muslims”.

Using your cell phone’s web browser, you can download the mobile devotional directly from http://fourteenfloor.com/mobile.

If you’re interested to create mobile booklets with your own content, check out Mobile Booklet.

Mobile phone Zombies by Edward B. taken from Flickr.com.

I wonder how many people have started or at least tried out SOAP Journaling after reading my post about SOAP Journaling? Most Christians are taught the importance of daily bible reading and prayer when they first believed in Jesus. However, most will find it difficult to do so daily. Many give up trying after a while. Did this happen to you?

How do we break out of this problem? I believe there are two things crucial to having a daily devotional life. The first thing is to realize the importance of spending time with Jesus everyday. Jesus said that spending time with him is the one thing worth being concerned about. Read what happened in Luke 10:38-42 (NLT):

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

The second thing is to have some practical means to help us spend our devotional time meaningfully. The SOAP Journaling method gives us very practical steps to journal our observations, applications and prayers as we read the Bible. Reading and writing down what we are receiving from the Bible makes us more focused and intentional in our devotional time compared to just reading alone.

I came across this video message by Wayne Cordeiro on the importance of receiving God’s wisdom for our lives daily during our devotional time. Wayne Cordeiro in his message, Make Us Wise gives us a crystal clear picture of why it’s so crucial to have a daily time with the Lord to receive God’s wisdom for our lives. He also provides very practical steps on how to do SOAP journaling. Wayne is the author of The Divine Mentor, a book on Growing Your Faith as You Sit at the Feet of the Savior.

You can get his video and audio message from http://theaterchurch.com/media/message/make-us-wise/.

Photo Spiritual Growth by marymae;).

Do you have a habit of keeping a daily devotional time? As a Christian, you probably have tried and failed to keep a consistent daily practice of bible reading and prayer. I know I have tried and failed many times. There were more seasons in my life where I didn’t have a devotional life compared to times where I had one.

Some of you may be asking isn’t reading the mobile devotional considered as having a devotional time? Well, for me, just reading a mobile devotional article on my phone is like having a spiritual snack. It is not my idea of a daily devotion. Reading a bible passage followed by some time to reflect, apply and pray that message into my life is what I consider having a daily devotion.

I started journaling as part of daily devotional time sometime last month, and everyone in my home group is also starting to journal in the beginning of this month. We are using a simple journal called My SOAP Journal produced by my church to encourage the members to read the bible daily and journal what God speaks to them during their devotions. My home group members have already started sharing their testimonies about how God has spoken to them during their daily devotions.

I have uploaded a scanned copy of the My SOAP Journal for anyone interested to download a copy. Download My SOAP Journal. If you want a soft copy of the original document, send me an email at victorgoh(at)fourteenfloor.com.

Oh yeah, and SOAP stands for (S)cripture, (O)bservation, (A)pplication and (P)rayer. You can get more information about SOAP Journaling from:

• How to Journal
• Frequently Asked Questions about Journaling
• Pastor’s Devotions

What you need to start journaling:

1. A bible. (I prefer the NLT.)
2. A journal. (I’m using the journal from my church, but a plain notebook will do fine.)
3. A bible reading plan. (Google will find you plenty of bible reading plans.)
4. A pen or pencil.

Leave a comment if you started journaling after reading this.

Rick Warren, author of the bestseller ‘Purpose Driven Life’ has an excellent article on First Steps to Spiritual Growth – How to have meaningful time with God condensed from his book “Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word”.

This article contains excellent steps and pointers on how to improve the quality of your personal devotional time. Reading a short daily devotional article on your mobile phone is nice, but nothing compares to having a daily practice of reading the bible and praying. In the article, he gives four essential elements of a good quiet time:

• Start with the proper attitudes
• Select a specific time
• Choose a special place
• Follow a simple plan

Read the full article online at http://docs.purposedriven.org:8088/docs/sr/ft_meaningfultime.pdf or download to read on your mobile phone from Mobile Booklet: First Steps to Spiritual Growth.

The mobile booklet version of the Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis is now available at Mobile Booklet: The Imitation of Christ Book 1.

This mobile booklet contains book one (Thoughts Helpful in the Life of the Soul) from the Imitation of Christ. Book two (The Interior Life), book three (Internal Consolation) and book four (An Invitation to Holy Communion) will be made available shortly.

Some additional information about The Imitation of Christ:

Author: Thomas a Kempis (c. 1380-1471)
Description:
For five hundred years, this gentle book, filled with the spirit of the love of God, has brought understanding and comfort to millions of readers in over fifty languages, and provided them with a source of heart-felt personal prayer. These meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus, written in times even more troubled and dangerous than our own, have become second only to the Bible as a guide and inspiration.

It is now available in a MODERN TRANSLATION that retains the flavor of the original English translation. (taken from http://www.ccel.org)