On the QT: The 5 W’s – Who?

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This is the second post on the 5 W's of Quiet Time. For the first post, go to On the QT: The 5 W's


The first W: Who?
This should be a given - but is it?

It’s where we must start.

For a Christian, quiet time is spent with God.

In Conversation!

Me and Him. You and Him.

Time to talk to Him – to be thankful for blessings and to talk about problems.

Time to listen – To hear His voice as we pray. To open God’s Word and let Him speak to us about His love for us.

Time with God

It’s not quiet time if we sit blankly and stare at the wall – although I do that sometimes.

It’s not quiet time if we sit and make demands – I do that a lot.

So I ask myself, “Who am I really spending time with? Who am I really worshipping?”

Sometimes, I sit down and immediately tell God what I want Him to do.

And how I want Him to do it.

When it comes right down to it, I’m spending time with myself, worshiping my wants.

I’m using God as the vehicle for getting what I want.
 

Am I forgetting who's God and who's not?

We have the freedom to approach Almighty God, Lord of Lords, King of Kings and talk to Him as His child.

Because we are!

• He is the Name above all names - yet He know us by name.
• He is King of kings – yet He came to be a servant, to die on the cross for us.
• He is beyond understanding – yet He bends down to talk to us and teach us as we read His Word.
• He is Almighty God – yet He showers us with the love of a Father.

He calls us to visit with Him.

He waits for us, eager to share our day and to give us His wisdom

He loves you more than you can imagine.

Who?

Our Father and Savior.

What an honor and a precious privilege.

 

What does it mean to you that the God of the Universe wants to spend time with you?

On Tuesday: Why?

 

Photo credit: Reading with Jesus The Surprising God

How Does God Define Discipline?

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face,

as a man speaks with his friend. Exodus 33:11

His [Moses] face was radiant because he

had spoken with the LORD. Exodus 34:29

Some of you know that my focus for this year is the word Discipline.

These two verses caught my attention as the key to and result of being disciplined.

When I think of discipline, I think of commitment: committed to God's call to write, committed to a schedule. Committed to a minimum number of words per day. 

That's my definition.

But I wonder:

What's God's definition?

Exodus 33:11 answers that question.

Face to face - God wants us to be disciplined to spend time with Him, face to face.

Not literally, like Moses did, but focused on Him.
Talking to Him.
Listening to Him.
Learning of Him through His Word.

Friend - Spend time with Him as we would a friend.
Share our needs and wants with Him.
Share our dreams.
Share our emotions.
Happiness
               Anger
                       Excitement
                                        Sorrow


When we spend time with Him, what happens?
Exodus 34:29 describes the result.

Radiant - Without even realizing it, we radiate God's love.

We glow with peace and joy.

Others see faith shining on our faces during hard times.
They see a peaceful glow in times of sorrow.
They see love when they expect anger.

If we define discipline the way God does, we'll spend time with Him.
We'll share our lives with Him.
We'll learn from Him.

We'll find the strength to obey.


That, after all, is the true definition of discipline: the surrender to obedience.



If we work on that discipline, everything else will fall into place.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:13 
What is your definition of discipline?
What do you expect from yourself?

What does God desire for you?

Feed the Fire!

Ps 119:105 says God’s Word is a light for our paths. I made the mistake of assuming the light was something God provided—I just walked along, taking advantage of it.

I missed the “God’s Word” part.

God’s Word can’t light my path by osmosis. What happens to a campfire if no one adds a log or some twigs to it? What happens to your gas stove if the gas is shut off? What happens to God’s light in our lives if it’s never fed?



We have to read it, learn it, and apply it. Spend time in it.

That’s the problem, isn’t it? Time: We all run out of it. We all need more of it

I’ve always struggled to have a consistent time set aside for God. I’ve struggled having any time at all!

 My days are so random, how can I ever have a set time?

        I only managed to sit with God three times this week. Why can’t I do better?

Every year I say, “I’m going to read through the Bible this year.” So I start in Genesis—I’ve read Genesis so many times I can quote it. I get bogged down and bored and quit. Do I always have to start at the beginning?

         How can I get my mind to slow down and to be still so I can hear God’s small, still voice?

Over the years, I’ve learned lots of lessons about how to build the discipline of a quiet time. Most important, I’ve learned that this time is so much more than discipline. It’s building a friendship with my Father. It’s finding joy and resting in Him.

Over the next few posts, I’ll share some of the lessons God’s taught me along the way. I pray they will light a spark within you to get to know your Father.

But first, I need some input from you...

Do you desire to spend time with God? What obstacles stand in your way?

When you do spend time with Him, what blessings do you receive?

Sunrist...Sunset

Sunrise…Sunset

             Sunrise…Sunset

Wasn’t that a song? Oh. I remember. It was a song from Fiddler on the Roof. How many of you are too young to remember that movie?

 Sunrise: the start of a new day. Light floods the earth almost instantly. One minute, it’s diffuse and grey, the next it’s bright and the air’s charged with energy.

 

 Sunset: the end of the day. Light seems to slowly soften. The sky fills with purple and orange and silver. You can almost hear the world sigh as it winds down. 

I’m a sunrise kinda girl. When my feet hit the floor in the morning, my mind's already swirling with things I need to do. After the necessary pit-stop, I set to unloading the dishwasher, tidying up the house, starting laundry…

Jann, my sister and our famous Giggles author (check out the Giggles link above if you don’t know what I’m talking about), is just the opposite. She’s a night person. Sunrise comes and she groans. She’d rather bury under the covers. But, at sunset, she perks up and she’s ready to hit the day. About the time I’m collapsing, she’s charging up.

What about God? Well, He’s a sunrise to sunset, and all the hours in between, kinda God. Always awake, always alert. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, He’s on the go. Keeping the universe in order, maintaining the earth’s orbit, giving rain over here and sunshine over there, performing a miracle here and there, and answering a few billion prayers. No naps, no vacations.


But, back to me and Jann. We both want to spend time with God. We both like to start our days with Him. But there’s a little problem: I can’t sit still; she can’t stay awake.

My mind’s a-flittering—I’ll put my Bible down, it will only take a minute to water the plants, or feed the dog, or mail that bill. Then I'll come back.

Jann’s stifling a yawn and fluffing her pillow. She’ll just close her eyes for a minute and “pray.”

The truth is, whether we have time with our Father at sunrise, at sunset, or any time in between, our problem is discipline. We have God’s full attention, we struggle to give Him ours.

Does God care if we meet with Him at sunrise or at sunset? No, He’s always there. For us, it’s always hard, always a sacrifice.

Am I willing to set aside the busyness for a few minutes and focus on Him?
Is Jann willing to set aside her desire for a little more sleep and be alert to His voice?

What about you? Sunrise…Sunset. Whenever time it is, if we sacrifice our wants and chose to spend time with Him, He’ll flood our lives with His light—a light that doesn’t rise or set, it’s 24/7.

What are your struggles as you try to spend time with God?
Encourage us by letting us know how you are able to focus on Him.