Blog 1 – May 2026
Seeking First the Kingdom: My Experience with the Daily Guide
Why the Daily Practices Matter to Me
The daily practices of The Fellowship of The Way are designed to help busy believers intentionally make space to seek God, follow the teachings of Jesus, and walk daily by the Holy Spirit.
Not everyone is naturally drawn to structured rhythms or guidelines. Some may feel that set practices are too rigid or even legalistic. But the purpose of these practices is not to create burdens or rules to follow mechanically. Rather, they are gentle guides—drawn from the teachings and practices of Jesus and the early church—to help believers cultivate a deeper and more intentional walk with God.
Different personalities naturally approach life in different ways.
For example, writers often speak about pantsers and plotters. A pantser prefers spontaneity and freedom, while a plotter enjoys structure and planning. In the same way, some people thrive with daily rhythms and routines, while others prefer a more flexible approach to spiritual life.
Personally, I find myself somewhere in between.
I have discovered that having the daily practices in front of me each morning helps me remain focused and intentional. Like many people, I can become distracted very easily. If I do not intentionally set aside time for prayer, Scripture, worship, and reflection, I often find myself pushing these things to the end of the day—or missing them altogether.
For me, that simply isn’t acceptable, because my deepest desire is to follow Jesus wholeheartedly and to live the life He has called me to live.
Jesus said:
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”
That verse has become deeply personal to me. Seeking first the Kingdom means giving God the first part of my day—offering Him my attention, my devotion, and my time before the distractions and responsibilities of life begin to crowd in. – and then seeking Him again at the end of my day.
That is why I love the daily guides, the weekly and monthly guides in the form of bookmarks. They help keep me centred and prevent me from drifting into distraction. Even though I know the practices well now, I still find myself checking them off as I go—not out of obligation, but because they help me remain intentional in my walk with Christ.
I have also found that some of my most powerful and meaningful experiences with God have come through spending dedicated time in prayer, worship, waiting quietly before Him, and reading/studying the Scriptures.
A daily rhythm of seeking the Lord is one of the ways we truly come to know Him more deeply.
These practices are inspired by the example of Jesus and the early disciples. And over time, they begin to move from being “disciplines” into becoming life-giving habits—simple rhythms that draw us into closer fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
This has been my experience.
And my hope is that these practices may help you discover a deeper, steadier relationship and daily walk with Christ along the ancient paths.
Much blessing,
Lynda
(a member of The Fellowship of The Way and participant of an online weekly Bible study group)
The Bookmarks can be found on the ‘Resources’ page. You can print them out for yourself, cut, fold and laminate them to make two double-sided bookmark guides, which you can keep in your Bible for daily reference.
Blog 2 – June 2026
Putting Jesus First in a Season That’s Overwhelming.
Do you have a desire to live in closer relationship with Jesus and put him first in your life, yet you just can’t seem to fit him in? Perhaps you wake up and are immediately swept up into the morning rush: getting the kids ready, packing lunches, doing the school drop-off, and heading straight into a long workday. Maybe you have three assignments due, exams around the corner, and a University placement pending. Or perhaps you are facing back-to-back meetings for the third day in a row, wondering how you will get through everything on your list.
Life often moves in seasons, and each one seems to carry its own kind of busyness. There is a season of study or entering the workforce. The season of marriage and raising a family. The season of working hard to support your children, build a home, and prepare for the future. The season of edging closer to retirement after decades of responsibility, only to find yourself still helping others, perhaps even caring for your grandchildren, while your adult children build their careers.
Each season brings its own pressures, responsibilities, and stresses. Before we know it, our days can feel completely consumed. Yet, whatever burdens sit high on your priority list, and whatever makes your day feel as though it does not have enough hours, our need for Jesus remains the same. If we desire to have oil in our lamps, to call Jesus our friend, to walk the narrow path that leads to life, and to receive the blessings the Lord pours out on those who love Him, then we need to be in relationship with Him. That relationship is nurtured through time in His Word, prayer, and worship.
Sometimes we overcomplicate what it means to put Jesus first. We imagine that we need hours of uninterrupted quiet time, a perfect routine, or a peaceful house before we can begin. But it usually starts much smaller than that. They say that it takes as little as 21 days to form a new habit. I have found that even setting aside just five minutes at the start of the day to read God’s Word and say a simple prayer can make a meaningful difference. Before long, it becomes the way to begin your day. And as that habit grows, you begin to notice God working in your life.
Sometimes this may mean getting up a little earlier. Sometimes it may mean listening to an audio devotional on your way to work, praying while you drive, or opening your Bible before you open your phone. But when we make time with the Lord our first priority, we often find that the time was there. It simply needed to be given to Him first.
And when you put God first in your life, watch how He begins to bless your day. And when you put God first in your life, watch how He begins to bless your day.
I am reminded of the well-known quote attributed to Martin Luther, the great Reformation figure whose teachings helped shape Protestant Christianity:
“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first 3 hours in prayer.” – Martin Luther (1483 – 1546)
What a challenging thought. In our human thinking, busyness often takes over so much that we find we are praying less. But faith reminds us that the more we have to carry, the more we need to begin each day with God.
No matter how busy our lives are or how much pressure we are under, when we seek God first, we are dedicating the day to Him. We are inviting Him into our
responsibilities, our conversations, our decisions, our worries, and our work. We are asking Him to place His blessing, wisdom, guidance, and protection over all that lies ahead.
Ultimately, as Christians, our relationship with Jesus is not an optional extra to squeeze in when life slows down. It is the very foundation of our faith. Jesus is the way to the Father, and through spending time in His Word and being led by the Holy Spirit, we learn to know His voice.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the
Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay my life down for the sheep.”
John 10:14-15 NIV
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me.”
Revelation 3:20 NIV
Jesus is not asking for the leftovers of our lives. He is inviting us into a relationship with Him. He is standing at the door knocking, even in the middle of the rush, the noise, the deadlines, the responsibilities, and the overwhelm. The question is not whether we have a perfectly quiet life in which to meet Him. The question is whether we will open the door and make room for Him right where we are.
Start small. Start honestly. Start with five minutes if that is all you have. But start. Because when Jesus becomes the first part of your day, He begins to shape every other part of it too.
If you would like a simple resource to help you put daily routines in place, try the Quick Daily Guide bookmark, available at the bottom of the ‘Resources’ page. It has been created for busy people to give them some basic practices to draw near to the Lord. The question we all need to ask ourselves is whether we will open the door and make room for Him right where we are.
Much blessing,
Terri