@CindyDevoted

Let me be clear. There are a hundred different ways to write a devotion. Some are meant for the shorter devotions while others are meant for the longer ones, but regardless of the length, a devotion must have a couple of particular elements to make it a devotion and not just an inspirational thought.

An application of scripture: A devotion is your opportunity to teach a scripture. It doesn’t help the reader if we are unable to apply the scripture we are teaching to the thought we’ve used in our devotion. Application doesn’t mean that you repeat the scripture, or even that you draw a giant word picture. It simply means that you show the reader how the scripture works in your life or how it can work in theirs. Sometimes this is simply a sentence. It doesn’t require great explanation if you take time to use your imagination and stretch your writing muscles. Especially if you are writing a 250 word devotion. Tie your thought to the scripture. Help the reader see how your story, however long or short it is, ties into the scripture.

A take away: A devotion offers the reader a scripture, a short thought or story to show an application, and then an opportunity to challenge their life – a take away. Decide what you want your reader to take away from the devotion and then offer them the opportunity or a challenge to accept or make a change. Many writers do this in the form of a question, but I love to challenge myself to turn that question into a statement. For example: “Would you accept Jesus into your heart “ verses “Accept Jesus into your heart.” A statement is much stronger and if your reader is teetering on making a decision, they don’t have an open-ended question as a way out. They must either accept or not.

Questions: The school of thought runs wild on this one. But let me offer you something to think about. Many times I get devotions where the entire first paragraph is filled with questions. “Will you consider….Have you ever…etc.” And those questions are the very first line of the devotion. We, as writers, want our readers to ponder, but we don’t want them miss the point of our devotion.

This is what happens. A rhetorical question is a question the mind doesn’t have to physically answer. The mind reads it, understands, then moves on. When you ask a question the mind has to seriously answer, the brain stops at the question mark and begins to churn. It begins to sift through memories and thoughts in search of the answer. Here’s the clincher. The eyes keep reading, but the brain is still churning on the first question you asked. You’ve just lost your reader. They may finish reading the devotion, but they have not absorbed the thoughts or study you have placed there. It only makes sense. If you feel you need to ask a question (and there is always an exception to every rule), then 1) make it rhetorical or 2) place it closer to the end so your reader has the opportunity to absorb the devotion. To reiterate, there are tons of ways to write a devotion, but there are tips that can make so your devotion more effective.

Devotion vs Devotional: Finally, it’s important to know the difference in a devotion and a devotional. A devotion is singular (one devotion). When you submit a devotion to a website, you are sending a single devotion. A devotional is a book or collection of devotions. It may seem picky, but when you are pitching to an editor or publisher, it’s something where one needs to be clear.

These are just a few common sense tips to help you make your devotion/al writing more successful. Remember, a devotion teaches. Take the opportunity to teach your reader so they receive the Word of God clearly.

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. She is the cofounder of ChristianDevotions.us and the executive editor of ChristianDevotions.us and InspireaFire.com. Cindy is the managing editor for Straight Street Books and SonRise Devotionals, both imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is an award-winning and best-selling author and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.  @cindydevoted