the busier our schedules become, the quicker we lose track of the things of lasting importance. in the mix and madness that is our lives we often forget what having a significant relationship with someone looks like.
jobs. hobbies. everyday run-of-the-mill errands. worries. kids activities. going to the gym. and many more that could be listed are some of the things that fill our calendars.
the majority of these aren't bad in themselves but when we do all of them all the time we begin to lose ourselves in our "to do" list. i'm all in favor of being organized, but it came to a point in my life where my list was running my day.
most of christianity today has embraced the concept of a "quiet time". this is a crucial time for anyone desiring a more intimate communion with Jesus. we spend it at our kitchen table, at a coffee house, in our car, in our bedroom, on the back porch, and we strive to read and pray. this time is meant to be shared with God, immersed in His Word, reading, praying, journaling, or whatever it is you do that best connects you with Him.
to be honest the normal "quiet time" set up never worked for me. with accoustic coffee house guitar playinging in the background, i used to beat myself up when i felt like God wasn't revealing anything during my time in the word. the more it didn't feel "good" or "moving" the less i did it.
i eventually stopped having a quiet time in the mornings because i never felt like God was with me. but what i discovered was that God was with me eventhough i couldn't hear him amid the music and noise of the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
many of us struggle with finding time to commune with God. we can't get up early enough or we can't stay awake late enough. our lunch breaks are too short or filled with a business agenda. our mind is clouded; noisely cluttered with the "to do" list of our lives.
aren't we all guilty of being able to rise at the crack of dawn to get into work earlier so that we can do this or that, or so we can finish this project or work for a promotion, but we don't think to rise early for time of prayer, and meditation.
well, some of us do think about rising earlier, but it's just not very practical - is it?
one of the things in the Gospel books that i've been amazed by is that Jesus intentionally sought out a time of solitude with His Father. it was as if He knew that seeking out time with God away from the noise of the crowds and questions from his disciples was not a good idea, but a necessity.
the stories seem to convey to me that he lived with a different mindset than we do today.
when we first hear that Jesus made time to escape from his hectic life to commune with God, some of us might think, "He lived in a different time. a different world." --this seems to be the most popular argument for many teachings of scripture that we would like to avoid or discount as "non-applicable to today's world". -- don't fool yourself into thinking such a thought.
Jesus didn't have kids or soccer games to attend. He had swarms of people constantly pleading for a miracle. Pharisees with an endless list of questions. disciples who were young and said things that teenagers say and argued about things teenagers do. religious leaders that actively and publicly despised his exsistence. He had to walk miles upon miles just to find shelter to lay His head; no car, no plane, no bicycle, just hand-made sandals and the power of his legs.
in the midst of His restless life, He saw importance in solitude.
why would there be importance in solitude?
in Matthew 14 we find Jesus seeking solitude. He sends the disciples ahead of Him in a boat to cross the sea and He sends the multitudes away. He then "went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary." notice in the next verse that time had passed. the author makes it a point to tell us that "in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea."
He made time away from the masses and even from those who were closest to Him an essential part of His Faith.
i wonder, would Jesus have known that the disciples needed Him if he wouldn't have gone up to the mountain to pray in solitude? i'm not trying to discount the all-knowing nature of Christ.
i simply wonder if we don't hear who God is calling us to rescue because we never find time for solitude. we can never seem to commune with God without having 20 items waiting to be executed.
making time for solitude with God isn't a "good idea" it's a Biblical principle we can't miss.
we find time for our favorite TV shows, but struggle to find time to go deeper with God through absolute focus on Him.
we find ample time to teach our kids to throw a baseball and go to their games, but our time with God is one of the first to be trimmed to fit our schedule. it should be our Joy as parents to spend more time teaching our children about Jesus than how to throw a baseball.
solitude brings us into a state of mind in which we can concentrate on God and what He is whispering in our ear that we need to shout from the rooftops. i truly believe that if we made time for solitude with God everyday, our lives would look remarkably different.
our families would benefit.
our friends would benefit.
our community would benefit.
our country would benefit.
the world would benefit.
our goals would no longer be our own; it would look like us seeking God's will for our life.
the focus of our priorities would shift from "me" to "others".
our speech would sound more like scripture rather than the world.
our ability to meet the needs of the oppressed would increase while our need for more stuff would decrease.
getting away from all that occupies every minute of every day is essential. i PRAY that you make time to commune with God more purposefully, with the intent of completely focusing on His voice. when you do, He will begin to change your heart to look, love, act, worship, and pray more like that of Christ.
do you want to allow Jesus in your life fully?
may we delight in time alone with our Father.
may our hearts want nothing more than to hear His voice every morning when we rise.
may his Love, Peace, and Joy remind us that He wants to spend time with His us.
may our time with God pull us closer to Him, becoming more in tune with the Spirit with every breath we take.
jobs. hobbies. everyday run-of-the-mill errands. worries. kids activities. going to the gym. and many more that could be listed are some of the things that fill our calendars.
the majority of these aren't bad in themselves but when we do all of them all the time we begin to lose ourselves in our "to do" list. i'm all in favor of being organized, but it came to a point in my life where my list was running my day.
most of christianity today has embraced the concept of a "quiet time". this is a crucial time for anyone desiring a more intimate communion with Jesus. we spend it at our kitchen table, at a coffee house, in our car, in our bedroom, on the back porch, and we strive to read and pray. this time is meant to be shared with God, immersed in His Word, reading, praying, journaling, or whatever it is you do that best connects you with Him.
to be honest the normal "quiet time" set up never worked for me. with accoustic coffee house guitar playinging in the background, i used to beat myself up when i felt like God wasn't revealing anything during my time in the word. the more it didn't feel "good" or "moving" the less i did it.
i eventually stopped having a quiet time in the mornings because i never felt like God was with me. but what i discovered was that God was with me eventhough i couldn't hear him amid the music and noise of the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
many of us struggle with finding time to commune with God. we can't get up early enough or we can't stay awake late enough. our lunch breaks are too short or filled with a business agenda. our mind is clouded; noisely cluttered with the "to do" list of our lives.
aren't we all guilty of being able to rise at the crack of dawn to get into work earlier so that we can do this or that, or so we can finish this project or work for a promotion, but we don't think to rise early for time of prayer, and meditation.
well, some of us do think about rising earlier, but it's just not very practical - is it?
one of the things in the Gospel books that i've been amazed by is that Jesus intentionally sought out a time of solitude with His Father. it was as if He knew that seeking out time with God away from the noise of the crowds and questions from his disciples was not a good idea, but a necessity.
the stories seem to convey to me that he lived with a different mindset than we do today.
when we first hear that Jesus made time to escape from his hectic life to commune with God, some of us might think, "He lived in a different time. a different world." --this seems to be the most popular argument for many teachings of scripture that we would like to avoid or discount as "non-applicable to today's world". -- don't fool yourself into thinking such a thought.
Jesus didn't have kids or soccer games to attend. He had swarms of people constantly pleading for a miracle. Pharisees with an endless list of questions. disciples who were young and said things that teenagers say and argued about things teenagers do. religious leaders that actively and publicly despised his exsistence. He had to walk miles upon miles just to find shelter to lay His head; no car, no plane, no bicycle, just hand-made sandals and the power of his legs.
in the midst of His restless life, He saw importance in solitude.
why would there be importance in solitude?
in Matthew 14 we find Jesus seeking solitude. He sends the disciples ahead of Him in a boat to cross the sea and He sends the multitudes away. He then "went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary." notice in the next verse that time had passed. the author makes it a point to tell us that "in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea."
He made time away from the masses and even from those who were closest to Him an essential part of His Faith.
i wonder, would Jesus have known that the disciples needed Him if he wouldn't have gone up to the mountain to pray in solitude? i'm not trying to discount the all-knowing nature of Christ.
i simply wonder if we don't hear who God is calling us to rescue because we never find time for solitude. we can never seem to commune with God without having 20 items waiting to be executed.
making time for solitude with God isn't a "good idea" it's a Biblical principle we can't miss.
we find time for our favorite TV shows, but struggle to find time to go deeper with God through absolute focus on Him.
we find ample time to teach our kids to throw a baseball and go to their games, but our time with God is one of the first to be trimmed to fit our schedule. it should be our Joy as parents to spend more time teaching our children about Jesus than how to throw a baseball.
solitude brings us into a state of mind in which we can concentrate on God and what He is whispering in our ear that we need to shout from the rooftops. i truly believe that if we made time for solitude with God everyday, our lives would look remarkably different.
our families would benefit.
our friends would benefit.
our community would benefit.
our country would benefit.
the world would benefit.
our goals would no longer be our own; it would look like us seeking God's will for our life.
the focus of our priorities would shift from "me" to "others".
our speech would sound more like scripture rather than the world.
our ability to meet the needs of the oppressed would increase while our need for more stuff would decrease.
getting away from all that occupies every minute of every day is essential. i PRAY that you make time to commune with God more purposefully, with the intent of completely focusing on His voice. when you do, He will begin to change your heart to look, love, act, worship, and pray more like that of Christ.
do you want to allow Jesus in your life fully?
may we delight in time alone with our Father.
may our hearts want nothing more than to hear His voice every morning when we rise.
may his Love, Peace, and Joy remind us that He wants to spend time with His us.
may our time with God pull us closer to Him, becoming more in tune with the Spirit with every breath we take.
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1 comment:
Hey Rustin,
LOVE this post!! As I have spent the last 2 hours shopping for dinner TOMORROW night, preparing what I can tonight for TOMORROW's dinner, getting Kate's things ready for tomorrow, getting Michael's things ready for tomorrow, downloading work computer...preparing to receive TONS of work emails!, looking at my calendar for the week, wondering if I'm going to get to work out, return stuff to Target over a lunch break or even get a lunch break...on and on...
THANK YOU for this post!! I need to be setting aside some time with GOD!!!! He does for ME, why can't I??? All this "other" will fall into place when I do just that! Again, THANK YOU!
ah
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