“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
God made each of us unique with different talents and tastes. And I’m very thankful for the plethora of ways we can spend time with God. But from my reading of the scriptures I believe there are aspects that we need to focus on during our regular quiet time with God. It’s not that we never do anything different; it’s just that we focus on, if you will, the “meatier” methods when spending time with God.
The first one is prayer. Pray is “tapping into a level of reality in which we have no right, but to which we have been graciously welcomed by the love of God in Christ” (David Mathis and Jonathan Parnell, How to Stay Christian in Seminary, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014, 47). God calls for us to be still and know that He is God (Ps 46:10). He longs to communicate with His children. And that means not only taking the time to talk to God, but also taking the time to listen and hear from Him.
The second important dynamic is worship. God inhabits the praises of His people and we enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Ps 22:3 and 100:4). Praise and thanksgiving are powerful tools for entering into the presence of the Almighty.
And finally, the last important dynamic is the Word. God’s Word is breath to our souls. It is living and active and more powerful than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). We are transformed by it into the likeness of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a lamp to our feet and without it, our path is going to be sadly dark.
I hope this encourages you today to go for some meat!
God bless!
Noree
Photo Credit: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/pig-1367786
Working with children can be exhausting, exhilarating, and everything in between! Our son is old enough to start sleeping in his crib. If he sleeps on mom or dad he wakes often, cannot get comfortable, and as a result gets very poor, interrupted sleep. I know he is not getting the rest he needs to grow and thrive. So after feeding him and changing him, I put him in his crib making sure he is comfortable. Then comes the difficult part: watching him learn. He cries, he struggles, he wails. Often he cries so hard I can go into his room and put his laundry away. He is so focused on his unhappiness he doesn’t even notice me.
God teaches us lessons every day. Today as I write this He is showing me that being prepared is not necessarily a prerequisite to act in faith. When we live from faith and act accordance to His will, there is no “winging it”. Every decision we make following the direction of the Holy Spirit is the step we are predestined to take.