I am currently discipling two guys in my youth group and the experience has been a  blessing for all of us! The one guy is just starting a relationship and wanted to know when the best time to start doing devotionals together was. He was unsure if doing devotionals would be too much to handle at the start of a relationship. There is one simple answer to this question:

You should start doing devotionals together as soon as you begin dating.

I have seen people shy away from doing devotionals at the beginning because they are afraid they won’t have anything to talk about. They think that they are “too different” in their walk with Christ that it will make the beginning stages of dating awkward instead of exciting. I somewhat agree with this statement in that some topics (i.e. sex) should not be talked about until later in the relationship. Talking about these tough topics at an early stage could lead to temptation or even breaking up! Even with this said, it is so important to get in God’s Word from Day 1 and have Him at the center of your relationship!

One of the questions that this guy asked was: “How do I even approach the topic?” This is a valid question especially if you have never talked about God with your boyfriend/girlfriend. A good way to start devotionals is telling each other your testimony. Chances are you don’t know how they came to Christ, so start with this and you’ll be amazed at the conversations that arise from this topic! If you’re like me and knew how your boyfriend/girlfriend came to Christ, I’d still encourage you to learn more about how they came to know Christ.

After you learn about their testimony, you can start by looking through devotionals. There are a lot of good devotionals out there that are suited just for couples who are dating.

If you are looking for devotional guides, I have put together a recommended books page. Simple go to this page, click on “recommended books” and you’ll be brought to a wide variety of books to choose from.

I know that it may be awkward at first to do devotionals together, but getting a solid foundation for your relationship can do HUGE things for the two of you. As always, make sure you have Christ at the center of your relationship and continue to walk with Him!