By Rebecca William Gernon

What is a Christian writer? Do we only right religious material? A Christian writer seeks guidance from God before, during and after they have written a piece, and a Christian writer writes stories and articles that please to God. This means gratuitous sex, violence and profanity are not part of our writing. We write fiction, nonfiction, plays, devotions, poetry, and religious material.

If you are having trouble getting published, consider writing a devotional. These short pieces, usually  250-500 words, are used in many publications. Some times you receive a token payment, but don’t be disappointed if you are not paid. Being published gives you a publishing credit on your resume and that is priceless.

The best devotionals are written from the heart, one of your life experiences that relates to a scripture. Make your devotional personal. For example: for the past few days I have been playing “rag” with Spot the Wonder Dog, our rescued mutt.  We’ve bought Spot several stuffed toys during the past year, but they can be destroyed in as little as 15 minutes, so I now give her my husband’s old socks.

Spot is a determine dog, does everything full-bore. That includes destroying her toys, playing, and taking us for walks. Catch/fetch is her favorite game. She enjoys shaking a toy, or I should say whip lashing it back and forth. I pity the poor hapless squirrels she chases, as I know this will be their fate when she catches one.

Yesterday she presented me with a soggy, filthy sock to throw. Yuck! Despite my refusal to throw the sock, she kept bringing it to me. First at my feet, then on the couch, and finally she used her nose to push it into my hand. A filthy rag, her gift to me. What I wanted was her to sit by me, let me pet her, spend time with me, but she would have none of that. I thought of a verse the prophet Isaiah wrote thousands of years ago. Isaiah  64:6, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”  In other words, even our best efforts are so far beneath what God expects that they are like filthy rags.

How often do we push our filthy rags toward God? We keep doing “good” hoping that our efforts will please God when what God wants is for us to sit and talk to him in prayer or read his word.

I am not suggesting that we stop doing good, being generous, and helping others. But, remember, these acts are not what God wants. He wants a relationship with you. He wants to love and bless you and for you to know Him.

A simple incident, playing catch with Spot, gave me an idea for a devotion. Your life has many incidents like that, too. If you are familiar with the Bible, a verse will often come to mind when an event occurs in your life. Use that to write a devotion.