Those that seek me early shall find me. (Proverbs 8:17)
Early in my Christian experience, I attended a missionary training program run by an organization called Youth with a Mission (YWAM). It was known as DTS, meaning Discipleship Training Program- it was five months in a tight-knit Christian community.
We lived a large house- eating our meals together, working together, praying together and attended daily Bible teachings together. When the program started, we were given a daily schedule- for example what time meals were served, what work duties or chores were expected of us, and what times we’d attend Bible teaching. The school’s director also recommended we take at least 30 minutes every morning to have our own personal devotions. He recommended we devote the time to reading our Bible, meditating on what we read and praying. He also suggested we listen to hear what God might be saying to us.
So every morning, we were awakened, and shortly thereafter started our devotional time. Since we lived in close quarters, we had to be somewhat creative to find a secluded place. We found various places on the property. My spot was the backyard, near the garden.
To be totally honest, at first I didn’t enjoy this part of our daily schedule. It felt awkward to read my Bible and pray all alone, especially being outside away from other students. But when fellow students later shared what God revealed to them in their “quiet time”, it sparked a godly jealousy (if there is such a thing). Basically I wanted to know the Lord like they did. I decided to earnestly pursue this idea of having early morning devotions.
As I soon discovered, spending time with God was the absolute highlight of my day. Instead of seeing daily devotions as something performed out of duty, I realized this was a blessed opportunity to spend time with God, to hear His voice, and to know Him better.
Over the years I’ve found 30 minutes isn’t enough. The time has grown in length. And my body clock has adjusted accordingly. I normally take 15 to 30 minutes to wake-up, then another 60 minutes for my devotions. Only then do I start getting ready for work. Sixty minutes might sound a bit extreme, but it works well for me. And to tell you the truth, now I can’t even imagine starting my day without a quiet time as my first priority.
Even Jesus was known to wake early, so He could spend time with His Heavenly Father.
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16)
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)
You might think getting up early isn’t doable, that you need more sleep than most people. That might be true, but you could at least try to give the Lord more time in the mornings. Try setting your alarm 15 minutes earlier, then once you get used to that, try setting it back another 15 minutes. And if that’s not working, you might try going to bed earlier.
Almost everyone has some extra time in their day. Meeting with God (having regular devotions) is an essential part of the Christian life. For me, meeting with God in the early morning hours is equally as essential. Just think of early morning devotions this way..
Do you want to give God what little time is left over in your busy day? Or do you want to give Him the first fruits? How would you feel if your spouse only spent time with you when they didn’t have anything else better to do? What if they spent all their time playing games, listening to music or watching television, and very rarely spent time talking to you? Would you feel slighted? Most people would feel, not only slighted, but very hurt.
Unfortunately there are literally thousands of Christians treating God the same way. They might spend 5 minutes reading their Bible. They offer a quick prayer to bless their family as they’re driving to work. They may even think God is happy with them for doing so.
In reality, God is calling out to them, longing to have fellowship with them. He wants to share His heart with them, to share rich treasures from His Word.. But sadly, His children are usually too busy. They’re like I was, far too busy to listen for that “still small voice”.
If you’re not currently giving God very much quality time, please consider changing your habits. I say that in the most loving terms. It’s an encouragement to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Come to the Quiet
Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
As you probably know, most people do not like quiet. Just look at how most people live. They usually have something on - television, radio or music. For years I was no different. I wasn’t used to being quiet, listening for God’s voice. My mind wanted entertainment. With so much noise cluttering my senses, it was no wonder I found it difficult to listen.
Sadly, most people wander through life, constantly filling their minds with useless noise, distracting them from having blessed communion with our God. Of course, He can speak to us, even in the midst of utter chaos, but for me it’s just much easier in a quiet setting.
It’s really a matter of who has your undivided attention. For example, when someone you love comes in the room and wants to talk about something that’s important to them, do you continue watching television, never looking away from the screen, not really listening to what’s being said? Or do you turn the volume down, look at them and give them your undivided attention? Hopefully you will do the later and give a listening ear. You should care about God in the same way. That may mean turning down the volume.
Consider what happened to Elijah..
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
(1 Kings 19:11-13)
Elijah was told to go stand on the mountain and that God would appear and speak to him. He saw very strong wind, earthquake and fire. But God wasn’t found in any of those. Where was He? Of course, He was found in that still small voice. For me personally, it’s the same way. God’s voice usually isn’t like loud thunder, but more like a gentle whisper.
He’s lovingly calling us into fellowship with Him. Giving God our undivided attention means quieting our souls, getting rid of useless thoughts that pollute our minds and seeking His face.
As you probably know, most people do not like quiet. Just look at how most people live. They usually have something on - television, radio or music. For years I was no different. I wasn’t used to being quiet, listening for God’s voice. My mind wanted entertainment. With so much noise cluttering my senses, it was no wonder I found it difficult to listen.
Sadly, most people wander through life, constantly filling their minds with useless noise, distracting them from having blessed communion with our God. Of course, He can speak to us, even in the midst of utter chaos, but for me it’s just much easier in a quiet setting.
It’s really a matter of who has your undivided attention. For example, when someone you love comes in the room and wants to talk about something that’s important to them, do you continue watching television, never looking away from the screen, not really listening to what’s being said? Or do you turn the volume down, look at them and give them your undivided attention? Hopefully you will do the later and give a listening ear. You should care about God in the same way. That may mean turning down the volume.
Consider what happened to Elijah..
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
(1 Kings 19:11-13)
Elijah was told to go stand on the mountain and that God would appear and speak to him. He saw very strong wind, earthquake and fire. But God wasn’t found in any of those. Where was He? Of course, He was found in that still small voice. For me personally, it’s the same way. God’s voice usually isn’t like loud thunder, but more like a gentle whisper.
He’s lovingly calling us into fellowship with Him. Giving God our undivided attention means quieting our souls, getting rid of useless thoughts that pollute our minds and seeking His face.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
He Stands at the Door
Jesus says He stands at the door and knocks.. What if you went over to your friend’s house, knocked on the door and waited? You hear him inside. Through the front window, you see him sitting in his chair watching television. You think maybe he doesn’t hear you knocking, so you knock a little louder. But still, he keeps sitting there. He glances over and notices you standing there, but he goes right back to watching his show. You now realize, he’s too involved being entertained to even stop and answer the door.. Let me ask you this, how would you feel? Would you consider them a true friend for ignoring you?
Now let’s contrast that story. You go over to your friend’s house, and before you even have a chance to knock, he throws open the door. With a huge smile on his face, he comes out, embraces you and welcomes you into his home. He offers you food, something to drink and a seat in his favorite chair. Now how would you feel? Do you see my point? Instead of ignoring God, we should treat Him as a most trusted, valued friend.
The reality is- we make time for the things we value. If we like football, we make time to watch it on television or we might even buy tickets and attend a game in person. And if we dislike football, we immediately change the channel. The point being- everyone finds time to do the things they enjoy. And we rarely make time to do those things we dislike.
We not only make time for the things we value, we often find ourselves thinking about them during the day, like a movie playing inside our minds. And the reverse is true- we typically don’t think about things we dislike, but instead tend to block out those thoughts. So what’s the point?
Let me ask, what do you value most in your life? What do you think about most often? What are you seeking most? Is Jesus knocking outside? Or is He living in your heart as a close friend?
Now let’s contrast that story. You go over to your friend’s house, and before you even have a chance to knock, he throws open the door. With a huge smile on his face, he comes out, embraces you and welcomes you into his home. He offers you food, something to drink and a seat in his favorite chair. Now how would you feel? Do you see my point? Instead of ignoring God, we should treat Him as a most trusted, valued friend.
The reality is- we make time for the things we value. If we like football, we make time to watch it on television or we might even buy tickets and attend a game in person. And if we dislike football, we immediately change the channel. The point being- everyone finds time to do the things they enjoy. And we rarely make time to do those things we dislike.
We not only make time for the things we value, we often find ourselves thinking about them during the day, like a movie playing inside our minds. And the reverse is true- we typically don’t think about things we dislike, but instead tend to block out those thoughts. So what’s the point?
Let me ask, what do you value most in your life? What do you think about most often? What are you seeking most? Is Jesus knocking outside? Or is He living in your heart as a close friend?
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Knowing His Ways
Think of someone you know really well, maybe your spouse, or a close family member. Have you ever sensed something was wrong? You ask “What’s the matter?” But they say “Oh nothing”. But still, you know better. You don’t believe them because you know them well enough to sense when things aren’t going well. In other words, you know their ways. So how did you get to “know their ways”? That happened by spending time with them.
You can probably think of other examples, like knowing someone so well you know what they’re going to say before they say it- like being able finish a sentence they’ve started. At any rate, we can see from those examples, knowing someone’s ways is a good thing.
What about people you don’t know so well? What about your boss or your co-workers? Can you tell what they’re feeling by simply being in the room with them? Can you, without any doubts, vouch for their character? Know what they’ll say before they say it? The answer to that, in most cases, is likely no. They’re simply people you know “about”. You may know their hobbies or some things they’ve done, but you don’t “know” them.
Which one do you think is better, knowing someone ways or only knowing about them?
In Psalm 103, there’s a very interesting verse which, unfortunately, is often overlooked..
He made known his ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. (Psalm 103:7)
So God revealed Himself to Moses on a more personal level, but to the Israelites He only revealed His actions. Have you ever wondered about that? Let’s look at a few verses that show how the Israelites, and how Moses, related to God.. First we’ll look at the Israelites.
After the ten commandments, the sons of Israel come to Moses and said these words..
If we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer, then we shall die. Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it. (Deut 5:25,27)
First of all, that statement is not true. Hearing God’s voice might have been unfamiliar to them, but it would not have killed them. They were simply afraid and didn’t want to hear. They were the ones who stated how they wanted to interact with God. They wanted Moses to tell them what God said. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of Christians? Attending church so they can hear what God’s telling the pastor, instead of hearing God themselves.
Let me ask your opinion. Does that type of relationship with God really work in the end? Did the sons of Israel obey what God said through Moses? Most of the time, they didn’t. Do Christians usually live their lives according to what their pastor teaches? Usually not.
Typically, when someone we don’t know tells us something, we’re much more likely to disregard what we’re told. But if someone we know and love tells us the same thing, then out of respect for their wishes, we have more incentive to listen to them. Reason for that, there’s simply no major incentive to follow the advice of someone we don’t know well.
What kind of relationship do we seek? Do we want to be like the sons of Israel, knowing about God? Or know God on a more intimate level like Moses? Hopefully we want to be like Moses.
You can probably think of other examples, like knowing someone so well you know what they’re going to say before they say it- like being able finish a sentence they’ve started. At any rate, we can see from those examples, knowing someone’s ways is a good thing.
What about people you don’t know so well? What about your boss or your co-workers? Can you tell what they’re feeling by simply being in the room with them? Can you, without any doubts, vouch for their character? Know what they’ll say before they say it? The answer to that, in most cases, is likely no. They’re simply people you know “about”. You may know their hobbies or some things they’ve done, but you don’t “know” them.
Which one do you think is better, knowing someone ways or only knowing about them?
In Psalm 103, there’s a very interesting verse which, unfortunately, is often overlooked..
He made known his ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. (Psalm 103:7)
So God revealed Himself to Moses on a more personal level, but to the Israelites He only revealed His actions. Have you ever wondered about that? Let’s look at a few verses that show how the Israelites, and how Moses, related to God.. First we’ll look at the Israelites.
After the ten commandments, the sons of Israel come to Moses and said these words..
If we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer, then we shall die. Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it. (Deut 5:25,27)
First of all, that statement is not true. Hearing God’s voice might have been unfamiliar to them, but it would not have killed them. They were simply afraid and didn’t want to hear. They were the ones who stated how they wanted to interact with God. They wanted Moses to tell them what God said. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of Christians? Attending church so they can hear what God’s telling the pastor, instead of hearing God themselves.
Let me ask your opinion. Does that type of relationship with God really work in the end? Did the sons of Israel obey what God said through Moses? Most of the time, they didn’t. Do Christians usually live their lives according to what their pastor teaches? Usually not.
Typically, when someone we don’t know tells us something, we’re much more likely to disregard what we’re told. But if someone we know and love tells us the same thing, then out of respect for their wishes, we have more incentive to listen to them. Reason for that, there’s simply no major incentive to follow the advice of someone we don’t know well.
What kind of relationship do we seek? Do we want to be like the sons of Israel, knowing about God? Or know God on a more intimate level like Moses? Hopefully we want to be like Moses.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Twenty-third Psalm
A psalm I've rewritten in rhyme..
The Lord's my shepherd;
He meets all my needs.
By the still waters He gently leads..
He leads me to rest
in pastures of green,
restoring my soul, washing me clean..
The brightest of paths
He leads me to take,
out of great kindness, for His name's sake..
As I'm wading though
the darkest despair,
I'll still have a peace, knowing He's there..
His rod and His staff
bring comfort to me,
comfort in front of my enemy.
My cup runs over,
His goodness abounds,
His grace and mercy always surrounds..
The Lord's my Shepherd,
and shall always be..
I'll dwell in His house for eternity..
The Lord's my shepherd;
He meets all my needs.
By the still waters He gently leads..
He leads me to rest
in pastures of green,
restoring my soul, washing me clean..
The brightest of paths
He leads me to take,
out of great kindness, for His name's sake..
As I'm wading though
the darkest despair,
I'll still have a peace, knowing He's there..
His rod and His staff
bring comfort to me,
comfort in front of my enemy.
My cup runs over,
His goodness abounds,
His grace and mercy always surrounds..
The Lord's my Shepherd,
and shall always be..
I'll dwell in His house for eternity..
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