The Grand Canyon didn’t appear overnight. Centuries of persistent water and wind slowly carved away at the rock, revealing something vast, awe-inspiring, and beautiful. That’s the kind of shaping God does in our lives through consistent, intentional steps in our spiritual walk. Transformation rarely comes in a flash. More often, it’s the small, steady rhythms that quietly shape who we are.
Pastor David challenged us: “Without a consistent devotional life, you can’t really call yourself a disciple of Jesus.” Discipleship isn’t just agreeing with Jesus’ teachings; it’s apprenticing under Him. A disciple who doesn’t regularly sit with Jesus in Scripture and prayer isn’t rebellious—they’re simply distracted.
The real question is: how long can someone stay distracted and still call themselves a disciple? Eventually, distraction becomes a pattern, and patterns shape us more than intentions ever will. Like a river carving a canyon: it’s not about one splash, one flood, or one dramatic moment. It’s the steady, faithful presence over time that shapes the landscape—and the disciple.
Paul makes this clear when he tells Timothy, “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15, CSB). Practice. Commit. Progress. None of it happens by accident. Consistency matters. Repetition matters. Presence matters.
Our world is full of spiritual sound bites—podcasts, reels, quotes, sermons on demand. They can encourage us in the moment, but they don’t form us. Formation happens through rhythm. Through remaining in God’s Word. Through letting it sink in and gradually shape us, like centuries of water revealing the depth and beauty of a canyon.
Jesus said it this way: “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me” (John 15:4, CSB). Remaining doesn’t mean perfection. It means persistence. Staying connected even when it’s dry. Even when it’s quiet. Even when nothing feels dramatic.
One of the most freeing reminders is that there’s no single “right” way to have a devotional life. Morning or evening. Structured or simple. One chapter or one verse. What matters isn’t the method—it’s the intention. Five focused minutes with God will form you more than an hour you never actually do.
And yes, there will be seasons where reading Scripture feels alive and refreshing—and seasons where it feels hard, boring, or painfully quiet. That doesn’t mean God has left. Often, it means He’s sustaining you with what He’s already poured into you. The Word stored in faithful seasons carries us through the heavy ones.
Discipleship is choosing, again and again, to place ourselves where God can shape us, because there are no accidental disciples.
A Response for the Week:
Pick one small, realistic rhythm you can maintain this week—five minutes a day with Scripture and prayer. Let it be like a steady river slowly carving a canyon: consistent, intentional, shaping your heart in ways that last. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak through God’s Word, then show up faithfully. Don’t aim for impressive. Aim for intentional. Formation happens there.