Quiet Time

OK, it has been a while since I posted, I know. Anyway, I chose to have a quiet time today after a long hiatus of them. And I just have to post something about it because it was funny- ironic.

I have not really been craving a QT lately. I talk to God throughout the day all the time, but I am talking about a set aside time for just us. Where I study His word or seek to hear from Him in some other way, or sit and worship Him for a while. I mean to be honest, most of the time I feel it is a waste of time and I don't get anything out of it and that it doesn't really matter. There is nothing that draws me into desiring to have it when I feel it will be boring or repetitive, etc. Now, I "know" that what we get out of the QT is not what is important, it should not be the reason for having one. The reason for having one is to show God we love Him and honor Him and desire to obey Him. To respect Him and bring Him joy.

Well, today when I thought about it, I really thought about it. Do I really love God? Do I really desire to please Him and honor Him? To I want to be obedient to what He calls me too? If so, then I should be spending that time with Him no matter what. The whole intention of me coming before Him should be for His glory and honor above all else. If God never does anything else for me, I still have reason to glorify Him and praise Him and honor Him! It is good for my mind, body, heart, and soul to daily humble myself before Him and give Him praise and adoration and show Him that above all else, He is important to me. If anything else comes from that time with Him, then that is just bonus and it is to be used for His glory in some form somehow anyway. It is all about Him and not about me.

So that is the attitude I had when I decided to pick up my bible study tonight. Then, I sat down and prayed, "God, if nothing else comes from this time tonight, may you feel joy and honor. I just want to make you smile! Know that I love you" Then, I proceeded to do the study. The funniest thing... the next study in my book that I left off on months ago was titled this "What is getting my Attention?" And then the first thing it asked was if some of our thoughts when going to church are "Am I going to be encouraged?" "Am I going to like the music?" "Am I going to be taught anything?" etc. Where everything was me focused. We focus too much on what we still want to have instead of focusing on what we have already been given. It is all in your perspective. We can choose where we focus our attention!

We shouldn't WORRY about what we still want to have or get from God. He PROMISES to finish the work He started in us (Phil 1:6). If we have faith in what He says then we should just be able to be at peace and rest in His love and grace and give Him thanks for where He has brought us thus far. What has God done for you? Share it with someone. In Philemon in says that we should be ACTIVE in sharing our faith so that we can fully understand what we have been given as believers. I read that and thought it was really cool. Because for me, the proof is in the pudding a lot of the time. If I don't see it lived out and working, then I have trouble having faith in it. So, I look to others, I look for proof. I will wait to see others being active in faith so I can then have the faith. Sometimes I need to be the one who jumps out and shares the faith I do possess. And when I do, my purpose should not be me focused or worldly focused. I should be doing all things as if unto the Lord. And then because of my love and desire and obedience to God, others might be blessed as well as my life be blessed and increase in faith.

God does not desire us to sit around being stagnet Christians. He wants us all to be on a journey with Him. He wants us to grow. He wants us to seek more of Him of course, yet He also wants us to be content with what we have and who we are and what He has done with us already. We don't hide our faith, sit on our faith, or be grudgy over not having enough of it... we live it out, we walk in it, we share it, we praise God for it! Are you being active in your faith and thankful for it? Make your faith come alive and life will come to you. Just keep your focus on loving God and giving Him praise and Honor. With that as your purpose, you can not be let down!