Key Bible Verse: The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray (Mark 1:35). Bonus Reading: Luke 4:16-21

While I was growing up, every morning, before anyone was up, my dad would brew a pot of coffee and sit in the black leather chair in the corner of the family room to meet with his Father. His well-marked brown Bible was in one hand, a cup of French roast coffee in the other. A stack of commentaries he was studying were within reach. Before showering or shaving or letting the dog out, my dad spent large chunks of time with the Lord, pouring out his heart in audible prayer.

He still does. Every August when our family visits my aging parents, I bounce out of bed early to get some exercise, but not early enough to be the first up. The coffee's made, and there's my dad getting his daily direction from the Director of his soul.

That image of my father in his bathrobe seated in the corner chair with his open Bible is tattooed on my brain. It has enabled me to share, to a certain degree, the disciples' experience as they watched Jesus maintain His commitment to be spiritually connected to His Father. This was His means to be clearly directed in what He did, what He said, where He went, and with whom He spent time.

My Response: Does my family know where I get my direction for the day?

Thought to Apply: One who uses the Bible as his guide never loses his sense of direction.—Source Unknown