When we’re on the mountain top it is easy to turn to
God. We see an answer to prayer, we experience
a miracle, we can feel His love around us so we praise Him. We sing songs, we tell others about it, we’re
giddy and bubbly.
When we’re in the pit of despair it is easy to turn to
God. We’ve got nowhere else to go, we’re
at the end of ourselves, so we reach out to Him. Cry out for healing, for answers, for
comfort. We rely on Him to get us
through because that is what He does.
But what about the day to day? When things aren’t good and things aren’t
bad, things are just things and we’re slogging through this daily journey
called life. That’s when we get
complacent. We let busyness choke out
our quiet time. We get so caught up in
prioritizing work, family, ancillary activities that God gets overlooked. We don’t really need Him. For the moment,
our needs are met. We know He will
always be there and that He will provide. We know He will never
leave us or forsake us so He gets put on a back burner for when there’s
time. But then there’s never enough
time. I want my quiet time in the
morning before work, but have to get up at 5:00 to get in a workout (or at 3:30
to catch a flight) and I’m not willing to give up my sleep to get up earlier to
read my Bible cause I’m tired enough as it is.
So I say I’ll do it when I get home from work and the distractions from
the day are gone. But then I end up
working later than I thought and after I’ve completed my nightly tasks I’m
tired and unfocused and not in the right mindset to study the Bible so it is
put off until tomorrow. But then
tomorrow comes and goes and it is the same story over again. It saddens me that I can so easily get
distracted and forget God.
Being complacent
and indifferent not only doesn’t honor God, it angers Him.
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. ...
Apart from the gardener I cannot bear fruit. My ministry will suffer, my testimony will suffer,
I will suffer. I cannot live life to the
fullest. Whether it is readily apparent
to others or not my life is incomplete apart from Him. And I am not good for anything, but instead am wasted and useless.
John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he
will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
In order for a relationship to grow and mature, quality time
spent together is a must. If I want to
be like Jesus then I must spend time with Jesus. I must take the time to study the Bible and
get to know him. Studying the Bible is
different from reading the Bible. Words alone
are just words. We can choose to read
them for what they are, merely literature and not allow them to change our
lives. That won’t draw us into a closer
communion with God. We must take the
words, think on them, internalize them and let them transform us. It takes time and effort. Time in a quiet stillness meditating and
listening, not allowing the sounds of the world to encroach and drown out the
whispered uttering of the Holy Spirit.
Relationships cannot exist without communication. I email my boss, text my friends, call my
family. But, I don’t take time to sit
down and have an uninterrupted conversation with the one whose relationship
should be the most important top priority of my life.
Prayer should be more than “thank you Lord for this food” (and how often
I neglect even the simplicity of mealtime thankfulness for His abundant
provision but instead take it all for granted).
It is an open dialogue. A two way
give and take (I tend to take and take).
It should not be relegated to only asking for this or asking for
that. It should include worship and
honesty and seeking his ways.
But, the good news is, when I finally wake up from my slumber
God will still be there. Right where He
was and where He will always be. Waiting patiently for me to come back. Again. For the 101th time.
To make time for Him, worship Him, love Him. And when I do I will reap the benefits of a
life spent in Him. A fullness
unimaginable.
So, praise God in the good times, cry out to God in the hard
times, but don’t forget about God in your daily life.
Things that I’ve found help with daily devotional time:
1.
Accountability – while we all have to have our
own personal relationships with Christ, when it comes to reading the Bible, whether
it is a structured study or a good
friend, knowing someone is relying on you can be a good motivator. Both is even better. Especially when they allow for honest and
open dialogue and discussion. As iron
sharpens iron…
2.
Journaling – makes you really think about what
you’re saying and put thoughts behind your words. I can look back at the times where my journal
is full of feelings, prayers, and meditations and also see the times where it
is blank or only a regurgitation of the scriptures cause I was in a hurry and
didn’t want to take the time to put in the proper effort.
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