I want to recommend for your reading the classic, The Inner Life, by Andrew Murray. In his opening Preface he makes the following observation:
“The daily need for a time of solitude and quiet to pray and read God’s Word is of utmost importance. This time is spent in fellowship with God will bring a blessing, strengthen our spiritual life, and prepare us to meet the world. Then, we will be equipped for service in God’s kingdom in soul-winning and intercession” [p.5].
Three results flow out of this quiet time, contributing to one main purpose. Time spent with God will bring a blessing. This is the first result. Actually, in my quiet time with God I seek four blessings for each new day: inner peace, joy, humility, and a constant sense of His abiding presence.
The second result is to strengthen our spiritual life. Plugging into the power of God and the Spirit is essential to daily living. Living an unplugged life for God is impossible. Human strength wanes. It has no sustaining power and cannot energize God’s people for God-sized ministries!
The third result is to prepare us to meet the world. None of us knows in the morning exactly what our day will be like. We are constantly surprised when we look back at the day’s activities how God intervened, guided, disciplined, and brought about His sovereign will. We can only be prepared to be a part of this process by waiting for the Lord in expectation.
These three results of quiet time with God equip us for service in God’s kingdom. God’s desire is to equip us and prepare us for the day’s activities for the kingdom. God wants us to be ready to meet the world in all of its brokenness, sinfulness, despair and pain. Without such preparation we are sucked into the world’s condition of hopelessness with nothing to offer. However, with intentional quiet time with God, He will provide and equip us to meet the world with wholeness, forgiveness, hope and healing.
All of this creates the context for sharing the Good News of Jesus and praying on behalf of others. I cannot imagine trying to live for God and others without this kind of preparation. Can you?
In Christian love, Curtis
2 comments:
wonderful thoughts curtis! i know i need this...i preach it...yet my own life is so undisciplined that i struggle to achieve it. i can't imagine how it is with folks in our congregations....the question i have is how do you come to the point of being so disciplined that you seek this out every day? i go to bed every night and realize that i didn't really fellowship with God...it is completely frustrating!
steve dobyns
Steve: I can really sympathize with your frustration. Perhaps you need to look at this from another perspective. The struggle itself is a spiritual discipline. Out of the intentional and painful struggle God will make a way for the two of you to spend more quiet time together. I sincerely believe that God honors the intentions of our hearts. In Chrisian love, Curtis
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