94 Sermon Illustrations on Devotions

In 30 years of working with men, no pain men face seems to hurt as much as “child pain.” On the other hand, if your children are doing well, all of your other problems will fit into a thimble.

Now that I have two grown, happily married children who are walking with the Lord, I can look back and see what set the stage for their spiritual walks. One VERY important activity was to set aside a time for a brief family devotion at the beginning of most days during the school year. It was not so much the activity itself as the “message” about how important Patsy and I deemed devotions, the discussions that it got our family into, and the spirit of prayer it fostered both then and now.

I wrote up how we did our family devotions for the book, Devotions For Couples, (Zondervan). Here is an edited version of that chapter....

As my personal ministry I teach a large Bible study on Friday mornings. No small commitment, I usually spend fifteen hours a week on this ministry, most of which is preparing the message.

One day it fell on me like a heavy boulder. You are giving your very best thinking to these men, most of whom will not be in your life more than a few years. Meanwhile, you are doing nothing for your very own children -- the ones you love the most and who most need you.

I reasoned that if I was going to share biblical truths with others that I should also share them with my family. So we began holding a fifteen minute family devotion just before the kids left for school.

We did not even begin to attempt this every day. I have a standing Friday morning commitment, and the kids from time to time needed to leave early or were running especially late (I say “especially” because they were always at least a little late!). So we usually made it three or four mornings a week.

We only did devotions during the school year. During the summer we took a break. It’s good for kids (and dads) to have a break. Besides, they got up at different times during summers.

How did we do it? On a typical morning, we would start at 7:00 a.m. and end at 7:15 a.m. Do I need to mention that many times the kids were not ready at 7:00? It didn’t matter. Instead of delaying the devotion, we had them stop what they were doing for 15 minutes. We put the dog in her bed and didn’t answer the phone (yes, it would ring from time to time).

From the start I tried to set an upbeat, enthusiastic tone, although sometimes I didn’t feel that way myself. I tried to hook them with a story, quote, or question that related to their world and interests. Some were better than others. Next, I related the point of the opening hook to the Bible. Next, I pointed out the spiritual principle and how it could apply to us that day. Finally, I closed off with a question or asked if they have a comment. I allowed about ten minutes for all of this. It would have been just as effective to simply read from a youth devotional like “Youth Walk” (check with a Christian book store).

After the Bible portion of the devotion we closed in prayer. In the early days it became clear that the prayers were shallow and self-centered: “Lord, let us have a good day and bless our family.” So we changed formats and began to pray for one needy or hurting person each day in addition to personal and family needs. This request could be suggested by any of us — the kids, Patsy, or me. They could be a youth, an adult, or a family. The problems were usually related to health, finance, or broken relationships. It was not necessary that everyone in the family knew the person we prayed for personally.

We got off to a rocky start. I didn’t pay close enough attention to the time, and made them run late on several occasions (they received detentions if they were late for school). Several sessions ended with a stormy conclusion! Finally, my wife had the idea for me to keep a travel clock in the top drawer of the end table next to where I would sit. I would watch the time and, just before we prayed, I would tell the kids exactly what time it was so they could relax. This was a small, but very practical consideration.

From time to time our daughter, who is older, would read something that touched her and ask if she could do the devotion. Usually that was at the last minute after I had already prepared something, but I always eagerly said yes to her initiative. (We could always do mine the next day!)

Patsy and I had a desire to disciple our children so that they can disciple others. Letting them lead helped train them. When I was away on a trip I had one of the kids take over for me. This was helpful. Today, both of our grown children lead Bible studies.

Most mornings they didn’t start out looking very interested. This was hard to get used to. If the hook was moving or especially relevant they got into it, but not always. Many mornings their eyes look glazed over and I wondered if it was worth all the effort.

My daughter attended a small discipleship group of teenaged girls led by a woman in our church. She told my wife one day, “I don’t know what you do in those family devotions, but often when I ask a question, Jen says, `Well, my dad says this,’ or `My dad says that.’ She makes great contributions to our group. That must be a special time!”

After hearing that, I stopped wondering if it was worth the effort! Why not give it a try! “Routinize” daily devotions into your family life. Set realistic expectations. If you have a couple of false starts, don’t abandon the idea. Is it too bold to suggest that the spiritual health of your children may be at stake?

Establish them in this habit when they are young, and they will mostly likely stick with it when they grow up. The Bible puts it this way: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

If not this method, then find something else you can do to “routinize” daily devotions into the lives of your children. If you do, all of your other problems will fit into a thimble.

AN ACTION PLAN

STEP 1: Read and discuss this article with your wife and decide what you want to do.

STEP 2: Ask your children for their input about how to make this idea work for them.

STEP 3: Set your first daily devotion. Consider 15 minutes as a guideline.

STEP 4: Follow or adapt this format....

• START ON TIME: it sends a good message for all of life.

• TONE: upbeat, positive attitude.

• HOOK: a story, quote, or question related to their world and interests.

• BOOK: relate the hook to a Bible verse.

• PRINCIPLE: relate the biblical principle back to their world.

(take about 8 to 10 minutes on this point)

• QUESTION OR COMMENT: involve them with a question, or by inviting a

comment.

• PRAYER: involve your children in praying for the fate of the world and

specific people in the world.

• END ON TIME: to keep them from getting flustered.

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”The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend”(Exodus 33:11). How did Moses earn the privilege of knowing the Lord as a friend, speaking to Him face to face? That’s where we want to be, to be able to know God so well that we speak to Him as with a friend. Abraham also was know as a God’s friend: “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend”(James 2:23).

This week, we are considering the sacrifices Moses made to be a friend of God, so that we too can make such sacrifices to know God more.

To draw close to God does require sacrificial living. Moses made at least five sacrifices in order to draw close to the Lord: Time, energy, reputation, personal ambition and an independent spirit. Yesterday we looked at the independent spirit. Today, let’s consider energy, sacrificing our energy to the Lord.

We all reach a place where we are tired, exhausted and plum tuckered out. Some people work so hard during the day, that all they can do is crash onto the couch when they get home. They spent all their energy at work and have no energy left for the family, and certainly no energy left for the Lord.

How often have you said, “Well, I want to read my Bible and pray, but I am just too tired. I’ll do it in the morning”? If we aren’t careful we give all our energy to everything and everyone else but God.

To draw closer to the Lord, we must give Him our very best, especially when it comes to our energy. It’s not only physical labor that wears us out, but emotional stress and stain drains us of our energy. Sometimes, I can’t do things simply because I don’t have the emotional energy it takes. If we live our lives constantly under the stress of dealing with people and their problems, our emotional energy is zapped and we simply cannot focus on the wonders and glory of God.

Oh, we’ll get a good night sleep before the big fishing trip or take a nap before the big event that night. but when have we purposely rested prior to meeting with God. Usually we dart into the presence of God tired, sleepy, exhausted, bushed, worn-out and drained. This does not honor the Lord. If we are to know God more, we must approach Him with greater energy.

Without emotional energy, our dreams remain only dreams and often wear off as we wear down. How many times have you felt God tugging at your heart to accomplish a new vision or a new purpose in life, but you just didn’t have the energy to move forward in greater faith. You had the faith, but you simply couldn’t muster up the Spiritual energy it took to move forward.

Like everything we give to God, He increases. However, God is wanting us to approach Him with some energy, some enthusiasm about our faith! Some Christians have been called the frozen chosen.

Most of our energy is zapped when we are overwhelmed. Let’s face it, today’s pace has picked up far beyond what our great-great-grandparents would have ever imagined. I love computers and technology, but it really hasn’t helped relieve our lives from stress. Most of us have days when we want to hit our computers with a sledge hammer. Most people spend more time looking for the remote control than it would have taken to get up and turn the channel. Plus, we pack much more into our days for some reason. By the end of the day we’re shot!

We weren’t created to go through life at this pace. We no longer have time to visit, to care or just to walk through the woods and enjoy God’s creation. As a result, stress overwhelms us and steals away our best energy we could be using to honor the Lord.

We know about giving our offering to the Lord weekly. Let’s consider giving God our energy, the very best of who we are as well.

Let me share a few areas where we can approach the Lord with greater energy so that we might honor God more completely with an energetic heart.

First, throw out the anchor. To assess your life, you’ve got to stop for a minute and consider what you can do to re-arrange your life to have more energy for the Lord. If you have vacation time coming, take a few days off just to seek the Lord, to consider ways in which you can down-size your life so that you aren’t so swamped. During this time, prayerfully consider what must go in order for you to have more energy for God.

Secondly, prioritize what’s best for you spiritually, not financially. Today, so many people are trying so hard to make a living that they can’t enjoy living. Sometimes it costs too much money to make money. What I mean is, the sacrifice to make some extra money takes it toll in other areas that are too expensive, especially when it comes to our relationship with the Lord.

Next, we all are wired differently. Some have more energy when they first wake up. Others have more energy at 11 p.m. Find out when you have more energy, physically and emotional energy and then spend time with the Lord during these energy peaks. These are the times you should read and study the Bible, pray and seek the Lord’s vision for your life.

Finally, find that special place where you can walk with God in solitude without any distractions. When I enter my place of solitude, sometimes it takes an hour or more for me to relax in the presence of the Lord. Rather than trying to cram some time with God into your day, relax in His presence for 30 minutes to an hour before you even pray or read the Bible. Your energy level will be higher and you’ll be more able to receive from the Lord.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Give God your very best. Approach the Lord when you are your best! Don’t just tip God or give Him your leftover energy.

Two people who love each other are intentional about spending meaningful time together. To do this, both discipline and love must work together. Taking time requires deliberate planning.

A similar focus is necessary to cultivate meaningful time with God. Often we begin the day fully intent on having devotions at a set time. But as the day goes on, we are bombarded by one urgent item after another. Soon devotions are postponed until tomorrow.

But when a quiet time is the priority, centering ourselves in God puts things in perspective. And this relational connection requires discipline.

In 1 Corinthians 9, the apostle Paul used the imagery of athletic games to illustrate the need for spiritual discipline. The term used for “temperate” really means “the power of self-control; to practice abstinence.”

When athletes say “yes” to the Olympics, they say “no” to other distractions. Rigorous control of diet and exercise are the only way to win in their chosen competitive sport.

Similarly, by setting up a daily devotional discipline and making it the priority, a host of other positive habits can follow.

Here are some ways to set up a quiet time before you actually begin:

• Reserve A Daily Time To Reconnect. Whether we need a highly disciplined schedule or prefer a more relaxed one, we all need a plan. If you are using a daily planner, computer software, or some other calendar, you might want to set aside a time when you will meet with God daily.

• Determine How Much Time To Spend. When I was taking classical guitar lessons, the instructor told me, “It’s better to practice 15 minutes a day every day, and then to practice for several hours on only a few days.” He was right, especially when it comes to establishing new habits. But new habits are sometimes hard to form.

It’s not by accident that the author of Hebrews wrote that we are not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some” (Heb. 10:25). He understood that church attendance, like any other activity, is a habit that needs to be cultivated.

This principle clearly applies to our devotional time. It’s better to block out 15 minutes and seek to remain faithful to honoring that time than it is to let our daily discipline be eaten away by daily distractions. After praying about how much time to spend, enter that time block into your calendar.

• Find A Quiet Place. We all concentrate or are distracted in different ways. C. S. Lewis brings up a surprising suggestion in his book Letters To Malcolm. His admonition on the “quiet time” is to make sure we have “just the right amount of distraction” to help us concentrate. Lewis tells the story of a man who would have his devotional time in a railway compartment because complete silence left him open to inner distractions. Ironically, his focus was enhanced when it was challenged just slightly.

The point is that we’re not always going to find a place that is as quiet as an undiscovered cave. Invariably, minor distractions are likely to occur. But we need to look for a place where we believe it is sufficiently quiet to help us concentrate.

Now jot down in your calendar the place for reconnecting with the Lord.

Set Up Realistic Expectations. I knew a student a number of years ago who was an excellent writer. The problem was that he always turned in his papers late. Why?

“If I can’t do it right, I won’t do it!” was his response. His commitment to perfectionism led him down a path of inconsistency. This is a common problem in maintaining a quiet time. It is a “throwing the baby out with the bath water” mentality. It is the “all or nothing” approach to a devotional life.

But in a realistic sense, daily devotions are about progress more than perfection. It’s better for us to have a shorter and even less meaningful devotional time on a given day than it is to skip it in the name of high standards. When we wait for the perfect circumstances to have “quality time” with the Lord, they rarely occur. Manageable bite-size devotional times can lead to greater consistency.

But what happens when the time and place are reserved and you actually show up for your quiet time, but you’re not in the mood to have one?

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“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew [exchange] their strength” (Isa. 40:31).

Isaiah believed that waiting on the Lord was anything but a passive process. This idea of “staying power” required a radical exchange of human for divine strength. The Hebrew word for renew means “to substitute, to exchange, to show newness, to sprout.” The Christian is not supposed to stir up his or her willpower, but instead to exchange human energy for divine energy.

When I was a sophomore in college, I had a discipline problem when it came to studying. I found all kinds of other activities with my friends that competed with getting assignments in on time and being fully prepared for exams.

One night after class, I discussed my problem with one of my professors. After talking to him, I felt compelled to single out my devotional time as the top priority of the day. It would be the one project I planned on getting done first thing every morning.

The next day as I began my new commitment to prioritize my quiet time, I found a sudden sagging in my resolve. I just didn’t feel like it. I wasn’t in the mood.

Claiming Isaiah 40:31, I decided to become transparent with the Lord and “exchange my strength” for His. I told Him my heart was cold and that I felt little motivation to spend time with Him. I confessed my apathy as sin, and then I thanked Him for His forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9).

Then I chose to surrender my mood to God and asked Him to change it. I began to depend on Him to replace my stagnation with His vitality. I read through the biblical passage again that I was scheduled to read. I recommitted myself to pray for transformation.

After about 20 minutes of this, I began to pray over other projects that needed my attention later in the day. I told God about assignments I didn’t want to do and asked Him for the strength necessary to deal with them.

By the time my feet hit the asphalt on my way to class, I began to feel an energy, a focus, and most important, a discipline that I had previously lacked. My grades went up that semester. I had found a way of exchanging my strength for that of the living God.

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Have you ever written a letter to someone in which you really opened your heart? You probably felt vulnerable as you waited for a response. How would you feel if the written response to your letter ignored everything you had said but talked only about issues that concerned the other person?

This could be the view of heaven as many a quiet time goes on day in and day out. The Bible is a love letter from our heavenly Father. Yet too often our prayers do not reflect the actual portion of Scripture we have read. Instead, the content of the love letter is ignored as our many pressing needs are petitioned upward.

What needs to happen, however, is spiritual two-way communication.

God Speaks To Us Through His Word. First Samuel 3:21 says that “the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel … by the word of the Lord.” The Hebrew word for reveal means “to show or uncover.” The Creator discloses His thoughts, character, and will through His Word. In biblical history, God either spoke directly or inspired His meanings into the sacred text. Today, He illuminates the Bible so we can have our understanding enlightened by the Holy Spirit as we read it.

In approaching a portion of Scripture, there is a time-honored process that can help make examining the Word of God fruitful.

• First of all, we need to ask, “What does the passage say?” We answer this by looking at the actual words of the text as they are used in context. Allow the Bible passage to speak for itself in its original historical and cultural setting. For example, let the Bible character wear his robe and sandals instead of expecting him to wear a business suit.

• The second step is to ask, “What does it mean?” Within the Bible passage is an eternal spiritual truth that is meaningful in all ages. Often the main idea is not time-bound to an era hundreds of years ago but can be seen in our own time’s contemporary clothing.

• Finally, we need to ask, “How does it apply?” The indwelling Holy Spirit will change our thoughts, speech, and behavior when we allow Him to use the spiritual principles we find in God’s Word. A key question to ask is, “In what measurable ways should my life change as a result of studying this passage?”

Now let’s look at our conversational response to God.

We Respond To God In Prayer. Daniel 6:10 says that Daniel “prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” A group of the king’s advisers knew about Daniel’s prayer habit and plotted to use it against him. They were angry and jealous that the king was considering giving Daniel political power. So they influenced the king to pass an edict that would put to death anyone who prayed to any god or man other than the king himself. Yet, despite the danger, Daniel kept his appointment with God at an open window as he had always done.

During this established time of prayer, Daniel undoubtedly petitioned God about his own personal needs and interceded on behalf of the needs of others.

As Daniel was making his requests known to God, a spirit of thanksgiving permeated his prayer-time. The whole idea of giving thanks carries with it the idea of gratefully responding to God for gifts already given. It is part of the dialogue that expresses appreciation. Immersion in the Word has a way of serving as a springboard of praise to God for who He is and what He has done for us.

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“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16).

A delicious meal is not very appealing if you experience indigestion afterward. Slowing the intake of the Word through careful reflection is also essential.

When encountering the pages of the Bible, it is so easy to skim over a given passage without seeing its significance. But the prophet Jeremiah, with his deep love for the Word of God, made it his first priority. The Hebrew word translated “were found” means both “to acquire and secure” and “to encounter and meet.” When looking at a passage, we should slow down and acquaint ourselves with the text until it becomes secured in our soul.

The passage then refers to one of the most enjoyable aspects of the culinary experience — actually eating the food. The word eat can mean “devouring, consuming food” as well as “burning fuel like a fire.” When we begin to “chew” on a passage we begin to taste the wonderful spiritual flavors it contains.

Have you ever been hungry and found yourself sitting down to a wide range of entrees with distinctive flavors? As your stomach begins to fill with protein, fat, and carbohydrates, you actually begin to feel a lifting of your mood emotionally. Jeremiah felt a rush of “joy and rejoicing” as he ingested God’s Word into his heart. The word the prophet used for “heart” means “the inner man, thinking, reflection at the seat of appetites.” The Word of God nourishes our thoughts and emotions, and brings joy.

The foundation for delighting in feeding on God’s Word can be seen in the concluding section of this small but meaningful verse: “I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.” To Jeremiah, meaningful time in God’s Word is always tied to our relationship with Him. In our devotional time, we become aware once again that we are called by the eternally existing Lord of heaven and earth. And this realization transforms our spiritual dryness into a dynamic encounter with the One who created us for fellowship with Him.

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Without getting buried in paperwork, there are some advantages to writing down your personal time with the Lord.

Our thoughts and feelings are a constant revolving door of varied life experiences. If we have a written record of what is covered in our quiet time, various trends in our walk of faith will be revealed.

In addition to this, we will see progress that has been made in different areas of our lives that would go unnoticed if it were not written down.

The guide given below could be copied down in a notebook and kept as a concise record of your daily quiet time.

DEVOTIONAL GUIDE

Date:____________________

Passage Read Today: _________________________

Version:__________________

Highlight (chapter & verse): _________________________

Insights:_________________________________________________

Application:_______________________________________________

Prayer-time:_______________________________________________

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Recently I was at a local Christian bookstore doing some browsing. I asked the woman behind the counter about books to help with daily devotions. She took me over to a whole section of different helps for a personal quiet time.

There was a popular day-by-day devotional. Not far from it was My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers, a devotional classic adapted for a daily quiet time. Farther down the aisle was another selection of readings for going through the Bible in one year.

In most of these books, a relevant inspirational excerpt or story draws a lesson from a suggested Bible reading. One reason for the popularity of this kind of devotional guide is that it has a short, memorable lesson that is both inspiring and applicable to daily life.

One caution in using this kind of guide, however, is the temptation to just read the story and skip the Bible reading for the day. Once this becomes a habit, the believer can find his life built on inspirational thoughts instead of the Word of God-a spiritual life that is built on very shaky ground.

If you use one of these devotional guides, be sure to read the Bible passage along with the stories that illustrate the biblical truth. If we build our lives on anecdotes and excerpts rather than on the Word of God, we can develop an improper view of the Christian life and may be setting ourselves up for a fall. God has promised to bless His Word, not our illustrations about it (2 Tim. 3:15-16).

In addition to the wonderful resources for daily devotions that you can find in any Christian bookstore, there are Web sites where additional help can be found (see www.gospelcom.net).

There is such a variety of different methods for effective devotional times and Bible study, that there’s bound to be a suitable approach for you.

In our drive to make our method work, it’s important to remind ourselves about our motivation. Spending time with God to experience His presence, comfort, and guidance should be our goal-not to be more “spiritual” or to alleviate guilt for our own shortcomings.

Consider the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was perfect and never sinned, yet He looked for undistracted time with His Father. Why? Because Jesus functioned on earth as every human being was intended to function-in total dependence on the Father. Let’s take a look at how He sought out time to commune with His heavenly Father.

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In Mark 1:35-39 we see the priority that Jesus put on prayer. After an exhausting time of healing sick and demon-possessed people late into the night, Jesus woke early in the morning, went to a solitary place, and prayed. I believe that Jesus used this time for regaining His spiritual center. Peter interrupted Jesus’ devotional time to express the further demands of the needy crowd. Rather than responding to the immediate need, the Lord reaffirmed a commitment to greater outreach in other cities.

A closer look at the text will show the inner workings of our Lord’s own devotional life.

SEEKING ISOLATION AND COMMUNION

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mk. 1:35).

Have you ever thought about why Jesus Christ even needed a quiet time? We are all aware of our own weaknesses and sins. The need for cleansing and renewal is often the felt need of the committed believer. But the Bible teaches the sinlessness of our Lord-He “who knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). So why did Jesus go out to a solitary place while the disciples slept in?

During His ministry on earth, the Lord Jesus chose to limit the exercise of His divine attributes. He was fully God, but He chose to depend on the Father and the indwelling Spirit working through Him. He did this to show us how we are to depend on God. That dependence can be seen in the way Jesus sought time alone with His Father. The term translated “solitary place” means “a desert, wasteland, uninhabited region.” After such dynamic emotional interactions as healing many crippled and sick from the night before, Christ needed solitude to make communion with the Father most effective.

The walk of faith requires coming repeatedly to God for His unique guidance. The result of Jesus’ time alone with God redirected His vision from local needs to greater outreach.

LISTENING TO GOD’S DIRECTION AMID DISTRACTION

“Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for You.’ But He said to them, ‘Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth’ “ (Mk. 1:36-38).

The word found in verse 37 is better translated “hunted down.” Can you imagine a more annoying scenario? Peter thought he knew best how Christ should spend His day. And he was even willing to interrupt the Lord’s prayer-time to offer his advice. The need Simon Peter was expressing was clearly an urgent one: “Everyone is looking for You.”

No one active in ministry (either fulltime or as a volunteer) has escaped the pressure of certain ministry “interest groups.” Their needs are often valid and they sometimes have representatives who plead for immediate attention. Yet look at what Jesus did. He was not worried about being perceived as someone who wasn’t responsive to immediate needs. Having only a limited amount of time and energy, He had received direction from His Father to go elsewhere.

You would think Jesus’ quiet time would have made Him more sensitive to the people right there with Him. But to meet only the needs directly in front of us is to ignore God’s ever-expanding concern for those who are lost. Time alone with His Father brought Jesus back to the purpose for which He came into the world: “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10).

CARRYING OUT APPLICATION

“He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons” (Mk. 1:39).

It’s so easy to skip over the significance of the last verse of this section. It’s not just a review of what was said in the previous verse. Not by a long shot! Verse 39 is the payoff to the whole passage. Jesus actually did what He said He was going to do. He went to the synagogues and preached.

The word preaching would be used over and over again within the pages of the New Testament as the apostles duplicated the Lord’s pattern for spreading the good news in expanding circles of outreach. Jesus’ target area for ministry was expanded to include “all Galilee.” Later, as His disciples followed in His steps, it would extend “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

It’s important to apply what comes out of our prayer-time. Meaningful fellowship with Christ comes when we follow His example (1 Pet. 2:21) and we apply His Word in the power of the Spirit.

Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (Jn. 14:21). If we see our quiet time only as a spiritual oasis once a day, we may fall into the trap of compartmentalizing our spiritual life. From the Garden of Eden until now, God has desired to walk with His people in life’s journey (Gen. 3:8). So it’s essential that we take what we learn in our quiet time with us throughout the entire day.

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Our Lord’s encounter in Luke 24:13-32 with the two men walking on the Emmaus Road is filled with insights about how to keep the divine dialogue with God going throughout the day.

ENCOUNTERING JESUS IN REAL-LIFE PROBLEMS

Have you ever poured a lot of spiritual attention into your quiet time and then left it behind to face the problems of the day in your own strength? This is called compartmentalization or confining your spiritual life to an exclusive part of the day. But Jesus never intended for us to go it alone. He is eager to help us solve life’s problems. Let’s take a look at how He did this on the road to Emmaus.

“Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” (Lk. 24:13-16).

Little is known about the two who walked the well-worn path from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. But the Bible indicates that they were troubled. They had an internal conflict, an emotional struggle that was based on a disappointing experience. And this problem was being discussed by these two friends. Human beings are problem solvers by nature, and they usually don’t do it alone.

It was in this context of human need that Jesus approached the two men as they walked. “Jesus Himself drew near and went with them” (v.15). What wonderful words! The risen Christ really does want to invade our human circumstances and carry on a dialogue with us. Life is a journey and Christ wants to be our companion on it, not just someone we talked to at the last rest stop.

TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF GOD’S WAYS

One of the great challenges of the Christian life is trying to make sense of the apparent contradictions and setbacks we all face. Much of our perplexity comes from having only part of the whole picture, which distorts our perspective. The two men on the road to Emmaus illustrate this inadequacy and how the Lord Jesus helped them correct it.

[Jesus] said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see” (Lk. 24:17-24).

In response to Christ’s question, the two went into detail about what was troubling them. Their summary is a concise review of the hope that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah who would redeem the nation Israel. Instead, He had been put to death in the most cruel form of execution-crucifixion. And to make their thoughts even more agitated, there had been reports of His tomb being empty and the appearance of angelic messengers.

The two who walked next to the Lord were troubled by soaring hopes followed by shattered dreams. Their experience is similar to what many of us have experienced. To be human is to look at life’s events through a keyhole. Each of us is finite and can take in only part of the picture of any circumstance.

So often what we believe the Bible teaches doesn’t make sense in our limited perspective of an apparent tragedy. Whether it’s our expectations of how God should answer a prayer or how we view life’s apparent misfortunes, we are limited in our understanding.

But Jesus wants us to tell Him our concerns. He has a listening ear and is concerned about all the details of our lives. Our unique relationship with Christ allows us to communicate with Him through prayer in any of life’s experiences.

LETTING JESUS EXPLAIN HIMSELF

It must have been devastating for Jesus’ followers to have their hopes and dreams crushed right in front of their eyes. But when Christ was allowed to illuminate their understanding of the Word of God in their experience, they began to get a fresh outlook on their circumstances.

Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Lk. 24:25-27).

Our Lord’s response sounds abrupt. Yet in reality, this situation is a case study in education. Look at the wording. “Foolish ones” is a compound word that literally means “without knowledge.” The disciples on the Emmaus Road were handicapped by having only part of the information.

“Slow of heart to believe” is a rebuke of their slowness in trusting God for what He had promised.

Jesus then provided the only remedy for spiritual ignorance-more information. The Teacher focused their attention on key passages of the Old Testament that explained that the Messiah must suffer before being glorified.

The lesson for us today is that though we may sometimes struggle with disappointment, we often lack all the information to make sense of it at the time. The Lord may eventually provide the people or the necessary information to bring closure to our problem. In some cases, we won’t get the answer until we meet Christ face-to-face in eternity. But because life on earth is a spiritual bootcamp of sorts, it’s essential to be teachable and in regular contact with our Teacher. Then our faith and knowledge can grow.

LEARNING TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING

Meaningful connection with the risen Christ makes us want to linger in His presence. When the two travelers reached their final destination, they felt a strong need to stay in close proximity to the Savior.

Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them (Lk. 24:28-29).

The disciples had several miles to hear what this “mysterious stranger” had to say, and they wanted to hear more. “Abide with us,” was their response. They wanted to show hospitality to the One who had given such insight into messianic prophecy.

We all have times when our circumstances either nurture or hinder our spiritual development. We need to be sensitive to those times when we begin to lose contact with the Lord. Then we need to find ways of adapting to those circumstances so that we can reestablish our closeness to Him.

RESPONDING TO GLIMPSES OF DIVINE ACTIVITY

The stranger who had walked with the two on their journey joined them for their evening meal. And because of who their guest was, this meal would be accented with the supernatural. To include the Lord in our daily routine often results in seeing His divine activity at work.

Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (vv.30-32).

At dinner that night, after Jesus broke the bread and blessed it, the disciples’ eyes were opened and they recognized Him. Earlier, their eyes “were restrained, so that they did not know Him” (v.16). But now their eyes were opened.

It’s interesting that the word for “opened” has the same root as the word for “foolish and ignorant.” An addition to this root word gives the word opened in verse 31 the meaning “to penetrate the mind.” And once their minds understood who Jesus was, they recognized Him from previous encounters.

Surprisingly, the supernatural disappearance of our Lord didn’t inspire any recorded comment between the two. Instead, they reflected on what it was like to be on the road talking with Jesus about the Scriptures.

Their hearts were aflame with supernatural insight as Jesus Himself explained the Old Testament along the way. The same Greek word used for opening their eyes to recognize Him (v.31) is used to explain how He “opened the Scriptures” to them (v.32). He penetrated their minds with understanding.

Recognizing Christ in the Scriptures and in our life experiences should occur throughout the day rather than being limited to a once-a-day event.

So what can we learn from this incident with the resurrected Lord about extending our quiet time into the day?

• Learn how to pray while “on the go.”

• Let God into your daily problem-solving activities.

• Acknowledge to others your need of divine help.

• Expect God to act outside your own limited perspective.

• Keep reflecting on a biblical theme for the day.

• Be encouraged by the fact that Jesus has promised to stay with us in all of life’s circumstances.

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How do we know if we’re making progress in our personal time with the Lord? One major characteristic will be an increase in appreciation for who and what God is. Our personal quiet time should cause us to praise Him.

The apostle Paul taught about and practiced the dynamic relationship between God’s Word and a lifestyle of praise:

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Col. 3:16).

When we personalize and internalize the Word of Christ, we make a place in our heart where He can feel at home. As this becomes a daily reality, we are moved to teach and admonish and learn from others about the wonders of God’s character and His works. This results in instruction and encouragement, stimulating other people to praise God as well.

A healthy and meaningful devotional time spills over into three types of praise. “Psalms” are “Scripture songs” that have been lifted out of the pages of the Bible and set to music. “Hymns” are those melodies and lyrics that express an individual’s personal relationship with God. And “spiritual songs” refer to a variety of worship lyrics and styles of music. What they all have in common is genuine spiritual content that reflects upon God’s greatness.

The final portion of verse 16 underscores one of the unique distinctives of the Christian life-the realization of God’s grace. Our quiet time should be forever linked to gratitude for the grace of God. It is a recognition that God has saved us from the penalty of sin and now provides the power to walk in obedience to Him.

An amazing characteristic of being in love is wanting to please the one you love. Our ongoing daily time with the Lord will help to increase our love for Him and enable us to please Him in all that we do.

When God spent personal time with the newly created Adam, walking with him in the Garden, it must have been a wonderful time of love, joy, and peace. Today, we too can have a moment-by-moment revitalizing exchange with God.

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Our purpose in these pages has been to encourage a thoughtful, daily, heart-to-heart relationship with God. We’ve written primarily to those who already know God personally but want to know Him better.

But some of you may not yet know God in a personal way through His Son. You may think of yourself as a Christian only because you were taken to church as a child. Or you may take comfort from the fact that you were baptized as an infant and confirmed.

Family and church connections are an important part of religious life. But these experiences don’t make a person a Christian.

Centuries ago, a religious leader named Nicodemus approached Jesus to find answers to his own spiritual questions. Nicodemus said, “We know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (Jn. 3:2).

Jesus’ response seems surprisingly unrelated to Nicodemus’ comments: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v.3).

Their conversation underscored the contrast between physical life and spiritual life. In the Garden of Eden, when God began to fellowship with Adam in the cool of the day, Adam had not yet disobeyed God. He was in a state of complete innocence. But after Adam disobeyed God by eating of the forbidden fruit, a fundamental change took place. A great barrier to fellowship between God and man damaged their relationship. When God made Himself available for fellowship with Adam as He had done in the past, Adam expressed his awareness of his disobedience by hiding from God (Gen. 3:8-10).

Sin had created an insurmountable chasm where once there had been an intimate union between God and man. The same alienation has persisted since that fateful day. All of us were made for fellowship with our Creator, but we have chosen to go our own way. The Bible says that “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isa. 53:6).

The tragic result of this rebellion against God is spiritual death. Adam was told that on the day he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would surely die (Gen. 2:16-17). Adam ate of the forbidden fruit and at that moment he died spiritually. Although he lived on physically for many years, his ability to fellowship with God had been damaged by the consequences of sin.

That’s why Jesus’ words to Nicodemus were such good news. Jesus told him that each of us can be made alive again on the inside. God’s Holy Spirit can come inside us and restore our fellowship with God. But how does this happen?

Pascal, the great mathematician, said that inside every human heart is a God-shaped vacuum that can only be filled with the person of Jesus Christ. The Lord is eager to forgive your sin, restore your fellowship with God, and give you the gift of eternal life. But there are some biblical requirements.

• First, we must admit that we are sinners and cannot save ourselves. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

• Second, we need to recognize the seriousness of our sin. Our human tendency is to rationalize and grade on a curve by comparing ourselves to others. But God sets a standard of perfection in which no one can please Him based on self-effort. The Bible says that “our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). The good news is that Christ suffered the consequences of our sin, making it possible for us to have eternal fellowship with Him. The apostle Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). This means that Jesus Christ, who never did anything wrong, gave His own life on the cross so that the penalty of sin could be paid and His righteousness applied to us (2 Cor. 5:21).

• Third, it’s not enough just to know that Christ died for us. We need to act on this by receiving Him as Savior and Lord. The Bible says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (Jn. 1:12).

Are you ready to make that decision? If you are, you can go to Jesus in prayer and share with Him your desire to receive forgiveness for sin and the start of an eternal relationship with Him.

Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. Thank You for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin. I now receive You as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life and make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen.

Did you pray that prayer? If you did, you can have the assurance that Christ is in your life. The apostle John wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn. 5:13).

The devotional time that this booklet has talked about will now take on new meaning. Jesus Christ looks forward to spending time with you, and you will want to spend time with Him.

In these days, which are full of incredible “hassles,” everyone needs a regular time alone from others to go to a quiet place and pray. Scripture records many instances of Jesus taking time alone with His Father to refresh Himself and know God’s will for His life:

“...He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray....” (Matthew 14:23).

Luke, describing this habit of Jesus, records: “He went out to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed ... and He knelt down and prayed....” (Luke 22:39-41).

Jesus would often send the multitudes away: “...and He departed to the mountain to pray ...” (Mark 6:46).

There was a Divine necessity in the life of Jesus to get alone in a solitary place and pray. The press of the multitudes and even the demands on Him to teach and instruct the disciples daily put a strain on Jesus. Therefore, for several reasons He would send both the people and the disciples away while He went up on a mountain to pray (see Mark 6:44-46).

First, He needed to be alone and undistracted while spending time with His Heavenly Father. The will of God was too important to Jesus for Him to be turned aside from it for any reason.

Second, He needed quiet, rest and solitude for His own renewal and focus. People are often very demanding with their needs. One must “take in” to effectively and constantly “give out”.

Third, to take time away from the demands of the people would enable Him to keep His larger perspective and purpose clear. This is clearly seen early in His ministry. After a full, tiring and successful day full of teaching, preaching and healing, the Scripture usually records that early the next morning “...He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed...” (Mark 1:35). The disciples then found Him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!” This was to be expected from transformed lives! But Jesus by now had been renewed and refocused from His time with the Father. He replied, “let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth!”

Every believer MUST take regular moments away from all others in a solitary place and pray. We must pray for the same reasons that Jesus had to. This is especially crucial as we face many hassles in our workplace. There are directions being given, people sharing their needs and giving suggestions, pressures of decisions and deadlines -– all demanding our attention. Each of us MUST get alone and away from people to pray.

Are you taking time alone with the Lord in prayer? If not, you need to make a crucial adjustment in your life.

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Sermon in Church Covenant series, #4 2 Timothy 1:5-7

WILL YOUR CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN?

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I. Having a championship families.

A. How the Super Bowl athletes cope with the pressure.

B. We must excel at what really is important.

II. Secret and family devotions.

A. Devotions or quiet time is our personal prayer and Bible study.

B. Encourage your kids to spend time with God.

C. Christians have a sanctifying effect on EVERY relationship.

III. To religiously educate our children.

A. The lazy approach.

B. Church and Sunday School should not be an afterthought.

C. Outward religion is not enough.

D. Godly grandparents have a special role. 2 Tim 1:5

IV. To seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances.

A. The Biblical ideal is family salvation. Acts 11:14

B. The Second Generation Syndrome.

C. Are your loved ones saved?

V. Will your circle be unbroken?

*

Light comes to Herb Crowther’s day long before dawn -- he gets up around 4:30 and starts praying shortly thereafter. By 8 o’clock, he and Mickey, his wife, have eaten their breakfast and are sitting together, looking over several prayer lists, trying to wear out their third copy of Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost for His Highest,” reading Scripture and praying. The couple, members of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Florida, has done this for decades.

Ask Herb in Mickey’s presence what drives him to such faithfulness in prayer, and she’ll interject, “His wife.”

Mickey was reared in a Christian home, a praying home.

“My mom prayed the most beautiful prayers I’ve ever heard,” Mickey said. “There never was a time when I didn’t know the name of Jesus.”

Prayer was and is a way of life for her. She prays for everything, just as she did as a youngster. She prayed for a husband long before she was old enough to be married “because I didn’t want to make a mistake. I wanted a long, happy marriage to one man.”

She also prayed early-on for two children, a boy and a girl. “God tickled my heart real good when He answered that prayer,” she said.

Mickey’s conversion to Christ was a result of prayer -– not unusual. But her conversion experience was. She was crawling into bed one night when she said a voice spoke to her, telling her to pray. She declined, for her bed was warm and cozy, and the floor would be cold on her knees. She said the voice spoke a second and a third time, but she silently and stubbornly resisted -- and waited for the voice again.

“When I didn’t hear that voice speak a fourth time, I jumped out of bed and prayed, ‘Dear Father, what do you want me to do? Guide me. I’ll wait.’”

The next day Mickey hurt her finger at work and said, “Dad-jimmit.” And the voice came back and said, “We don’t talk that way anymore.” That’s all it took for Mickey. “When I acknowledged Him as Lord, the Holy Spirit came in and took control.”

Herb also came to the Lord as a teenager, but confesses he was little more than a marginal Christian until God got hold of him at a revival meeting in the summer of ’56. He prayed, committing to do whatever God wanted. Two years later, Herb and his family were in Florida, and he was ministering in the men’s prayer breakfast at First Baptist.

That revival prayer of commitment eventually led Herb to a coffeehouse ministry in the late 60s with long-time FBC member Al Waters. The abandoned Carlton Hotel housed the ministry for those who’d tuned in, turned on, and dropped out of society, hitting rock bottom as a result of drug addiction.

“We served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on day-old bread, along with coffee and Kool-aid. That’s all many of those kids had to eat,” said Herb, who “didn’t think much of hippies and drug people” at first. He thought he’d go to the coffeehouse for only one evening and look for an excuse not to return. “But something happened to me,” he recalled. “I just couldn’t stay away from that place. I was staying there till 12 or 1 o’clock every night, and I still had to get up and be on time at my regular job the next morning.”

God used the coffeehouse ministry and “taught me to love people like Jesus did. When that happens, God will make you a soul-winner.” The Bread of Life was regular fare at the coffeehouse. Herb and Al saw many come to Christ. One fellow Herb won to the Lord still calls him every Christmas.

To this day, Herb remains involved in the men’s prayer breakfast. But he keeps on praying after it’s over. “I pray for the prostitutes on South Atlantic Avenue while I’m on my way home,” he said. “I guess you’d call that prayer driving instead of prayer walking.”

Never was prayer a more integral part of their lives than when Herb and Mickey’s children died, both young and tragically. “We’re still dependant upon God and prayer. He’s taken us through some tough times, and He’s never let us down. Without the Lord,” Herb said, “I wouldn’t be worth a plug nickel.”

He’s worth a whole lot more to a young woman who sat near him in church at First Baptist one Sunday. Herb noticed she was alone and looked lonely. Herb struck up a friendship and soon discovered she was praying that God would send her a husband. The familiarity of the prayer, and the young woman’s trust in prayer caused him to pray with her about the matter. Six months later, she was engaged.

And of another young girl who prayed for a husband and got Herb for a prayer partner, he says that, apart from his conversion to Christ, “Mickey is the best thing to ever happen to me.”

*

Cursed be the man … whose heart departeth from, the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert … Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord … For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters. — Jeremiah 17:5-8.

He who lives without prayer, he who lives with little prayer, he who seldom reads the Word, he who seldom looks up to Heaven for a fresh influence from on high he will be the man whose heart will become dry and barren. But he who calls in secret on his God, who spends much time in holy retirement, who delights to meditate on the words of the Most High, such a man must have an over-flowing heart; and as his heart is such will he be.

Then fill me, Jesus Saviour, with Thy love,

Lead, lead me to the living fount above.

Thither may I in simple faith draw nigh, A

nd never to another fountain fly,

But unto Thee. — Mary Shekleton.

I suppose there are always two dangers in speaking about prayer. The first is that some men make it so demanding a spiritual exercise that it becomes intimidating. You can picture the scene of some ascetic speaking with intensity of feeling about wrestling with God. His eyes look into the distance, and his closing prayer is full of strangled emotion and semi-sobs. His hearers are sinking lower and lower into their seats as this Everest of praying reaches to the clouds and disappears from view. That’s a mountain they have never climbed, his hearers think, nor ever will. You have probably been in prayer meetings where the leader has strayed too far into that frame and the meeting has been killed.

The second danger is the reverse. The speaker is so laid back and cool, assuring us that prayer is a breeze, that we can pray anywhere and for everything - finding a place to park the car is the usual illustration - and the whole spirit is one of relaxed chumminess. Terry Johnson of Savannah speaks of his deliverance from that kind of praying which a summer pastorate provided. He had been converted in Southern California and in the spring of 1978 became an intern in a church in Edinburgh. He knew the essentials of small-group discipleship and scripture choruses and felt prepared for any prayer meetings. As he arrived at the church the minister was taken sick and he had to step in on the Sunday and preach. Before the service fifteen people met together to pray.

Terry says, “When it looked like all who were coming were present, they rose up, turned and faced their chairs, knelt down on their knees, and began to pray. Though this was a working-class congregation, and though none of those present were college educated and even a few were functionally illiterate, I soon realized that I was in over my head. Something was seriously amiss. I had never heard such prayers. They were full of God, full of Scripture, full of passion, full of reverence, and full of humility. My prayers, by comparison, had always been of the ‘just really’ variety - trite, self-centered, too casual, and too familiar. The spiritual maturity of their prayers exposed my spiritual poverty. The God that they knew was almost a different God.”

Terry was taught about prayer in the best way, in hearing true prayer. Not all praying is acceptable to God or to the church. “You judge people’s prayers?” someone says, aghast. Yes. God does, and so must we. There was a kind of praying of which the Lord said, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen” (Isaiah 1:15). The Lord Jesus heard a Pharisee praying in the temple and Christ said that “he prayed about himself” (Luke 18:10). Prayer reflects the pray-er.

A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job.

“That depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you chop down this tree.”

The young man stepped forward and skilfully chopped down a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, “You can start Monday.”

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by — and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your pay check on the way out today.”

Startled, the young man replied, “I thought you paid on Friday.”

“Normally we do,” said the foreman. “But we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last place today.”

“But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected. “I arrive first, leave last and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”

The foreman, sensing the young man’s integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening your axe?”

The young man replied, “No sir, I’ve been working too hard to take time for that!”

(Author Unknown )

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Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to “sharpen the axe.” In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp?

There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But God doesn’t want us to get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like taking time to pray, to read and study scriptures or to listen to “The still small voice of God.” We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don’t take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness to be better ministers and witnesses for Christ.

I encourage you to spend time with the Lord. Pour out your heart to Him, confess your sins, ask Him to guide and lead you to the best place where He wants you to be and you will see God refresh you from the inside out.

1948 was the year the “Big Bang” theory was introduced, the game “Scrabble” was first played, and state of Israel was established. It was also the year that A. W. Tozer wrote The Pursuit of God — a small book, but one that has profoundly influenced Christians for the past 60 years.

Ken Boa says that Tozer was “a modern mystic who had given priority to the lost art of meditation.” Tozer, a self-taught pastor in the Chicago area, was not known among those in his congregation as the most gregarious man. In fact, it was rumored that Tozer rarely visited his congregants unless they were deathly ill. But his aloofness was simply the product of a man relentlessly chasing after God.

Boa explains that when Tozer prayed, he would often put on a ragged pair of pants — what became known as his “prayer pants” — and spend hours in solitude with God. In fact, it was during one solitary train ride from Chicago to Texas that Tozer penned The Pursuit of God — all of it!

Tozer’s behavior might seem a bit strange to us today, but his words offer timeless significance. In The Pursuit of God, Tozer tramples on mediocrity in the Christian life. He wrote: “The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing.”

Here, Tozer confronts what he called the “tyranny of things” — in other words, the subtle way that materialism can take us captive. He asks readers to consider whether they are willing to walk through sadness, suffering, and solitude in order to know God deeply. This he calls “the blessedness of possessing nothing.”

He explains that man can discover this blessedness only by wholeheartedly running after God. “The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One,” he wrote. “Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness.”

Much of what Tozer had to say slaps modern man in the face. He calls into question the materialism and idolatry that continue to infect our churches and our lives. He asks us to question why we have difficulty spending time in solitude. And, he gives us the opportunity to return to a place of “meekness and rest,” where Christ becomes all that we need.

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Copyright (c) 2008 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

Having practiced daily devotions for many years, I spend some time each day (mornings usually work best for me) reading my Bible and praying. I read a certain number of chapters of the Bible, underlining as I go. And I spend time praying by praising and thanking God, confessing sin, asking for my needs and praying for the needs of others.

I will tell you that sometimes I don’t feel much like doing that. But feelings are terribly fickle.

I rarely feel like exercising or eating healthy or all kinds of things that need to be done. I like the phrase “spiritual disciplines.” I am to discipline myself in my devotional life.

But I will also tell you that feelings often follow discipline. I am glad I exercise and eat right when I do. And I feel especially glad that I regularly spend time in God’s Word and in prayer.

The longer I’ve practiced daily devotionals the more I’ve recognized its value, including:

1.It reorders priorities.

It is easy for me to prioritize the wrong things. Getting my relationship with God at the top of my list helps the rest of my list fall into proper alignment. We need to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Spending time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer is a reminder of what matters most and helps all the rest of my life to realign.

2. It promotes truth.

God’s Word is true and it leads us in the way of truth. Listen to enough commercials and you can begin to think the truth is that the world is to revolve around what you want or think you need. The lies of the world are everywhere. We need the truth of what God says. Our time with God helps us to know and remember what is true and real and lasting.

3. It teaches lessons.

By reading the Bible for yourself you begin to take personal responsibility for your spiritual growth. By all means, learn in a Bible-believing church and get in a small group Bible study. But read for yourself. Time alone with God in prayer allows you to learn lessons of faith and thankfulness and dependence upon God.

4. It changes perspectives.

A devotional life helps you to begin to think like Jesus thinks and see life from God’s perspective. It encourages you to see the big picture of faith and to deal with adversity in a proper manner. It discourages self-centered living and promotes greater dependence on the Lord’s strength for life.

5. It deepens our relationship with God.

The more I read God’s Word given to me, the more I see the kind of relationship God wants me to have with Him. I see the beauty of His grace and the riches of the Christian life. The more I pray, the more I connect with the heart of God. We talk to those we love. God talks with us through His Word and the Holy Spirit. We talk with God through prayer.

I want to encourage you to begin or expand a devotional life. Spend some time reading God’s Word. If you haven’t yet read the entire New Testament, start there. Keep a pen and paper handy to underline or note things that especially stand out to you. And then spend some time in prayer. Praise and thank God. Confess sin. Pray for your needs and the needs of others. Consider keeping a prayer list of specific people you are praying for.

Spending time with God makes all the difference in the depth and joy of our spiritual lives.

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Doug Munton is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in O’Fallon, Illinois.

It’s a practice pastor Randy Crowe of Hull Baptist Church doesn’t like, but it often gives him comfort.

Whenever asked to give the eulogy at a funeral, Crowe asks to see the Bible belonging to the deceased. Pages with scribbles, highlights and dog-eared pages often tell him about that individual’s relationship with Christ. It’s a strong sign that person understood and lived to carry out God’s grace.

So it was that Crowe carried the burgundy Thompson Chain Reference Bible belonging to slain senior police officer Buddy Christian to a podium in Athens, Georgia, as nearly 2,500 looked on March 27.

Christian, a deacon, Sunday School teacher and AWANA leader at Hull Baptist Church, was shot twice the previous Tuesday in responding as backup to a call. The suspect, 33-year-old Jamie Hood, eluded a manhunt for several days before giving himself up to authorities on live television that Friday night. Another officer shot by Hood is expected to recover.

“I could see in Buddy’s Bible where he had underlined verses and marked pages,” said Crowe, who has led Hull Baptist Church 18 years. “There were study clippings and notes where he prepared his Sunday School lessons.

“If a person didn’t know Buddy Christian, they could open his Bible and know he was dedicated. It was important to him.”

Written on the inside cover is a message from Christian’s wife Melissa.

To my husband

I love you so much.

Merry Christmas, 1997

Buddy Christian began attending Hull Baptist Church as a teen and grew into a youth leader. A card from 1990 committing to pray for his youth group remained in his Bible. “He was very active,” Crowe said, “and the kind of young man with leadership you could see, even at that age. Others looked up to him.”

Crowe said Christian had been with the Athens Police Department for about eight years and had kept Bibles in his police cruiser and locker at work. In an occupation rife with danger, a favorite passage was Ephesians 6:10-20, where believers are told to put on the full armor of God.

“He wasn’t afraid to share his faith,” Crowe said. “He would speak to anyone about it. He didn’t ever want to give up on people. In his view the people he arrested just needed someone to care [about them].”

In addition to other duties at Hull Baptist Church, Christian operated the sound system and church sign. The Wednesday before he died, he came by on an off day to install a wireless modem to the front sign.

“He did that sort of thing a lot,” church secretary Lorra McGough said. “He was a farrier and would shoe horses for people. His wife has a passion for horses and so he’d do that for her and friends. He was a very well-rounded person.”

A note in Christian’s Bible contains a definition of courage: Standing up for what we know is right.

“His role was to help people. It’s why he became an officer,” Crowe, pastor to six officers at Hull Baptist, said. “Buddy felt God put him in a position to help where others couldn’t.”

A brief break from police work to another county government department only solidified Christian’s calling. Back on the force, he took a part-time job in security at Georgia Square Mall to better provide for Melissa and their children, Callie, 5, and Wyatt, 2. While on duty he’d gravitate to a children’s store and read to the kids, explaining what officers did and that the children didn’t need to be afraid.

“He’d teach the same thing to the kids at church,” Crowe said.

Flipping through Christian’s Bible, the pastor noted one passage, Colossians 1:5: “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”

It was the only passage Crowe noticed underlined in red. One word is scribbled in the margin: Grace.

I got up early one morning

And rushed right into the day

I had so much to accomplish

That I didn't have time to pray

Problems came tumbling about me

And heavier came each task

"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered

He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty

But the day toiled on, gray and bleak

I wondered why God didn't show me

He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence

I used all my keys at the lock

God kindly and lovingly chided

"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning

And paused before entering the day

I had so much to accomplish

That I had to take time to pray.

The politicization of prayer continues to abound.

Communities in Virginia are debating a federal court ruling that outlawed prayer to begin town council meetings. In Canada, a court decision is forcing the military to change its policies on how soldiers must act during a prayer. In Boston, parishioners from a church closed down by the Archdiocese of Boston are using prayer as a form of protest.

And a cover story in the Dec. 20, 2004, edition of U.S. News and World Report explores the topic of prayer and what people pray for.

But regardless of the status of prayer in society -– regardless of whether the government restricts public expressions of prayer or not -- for Christians prayer will always be a spiritual discipline of vital importance, according to Union University professor George Guthrie.

“At its heart, Christianity is relational,” said Guthrie, the Perry Professor of Bible and chair of Union's Christian studies department. “It is a relational religion. This is not just about what we do for God. It's not about us simply conforming to a set of rules. It's that God has invited us into a profound relationship with Himself. The barriers have been torn down. He is still awesome, and He's God and we're not, but we have been invited into His presence.”

Prayer then is the vehicle through which that relationship is nurtured and strengthened. Prayer is a communication tool that allows Christians to grow in their relationship to God.

“If I do not relate to my wife, if I do not communicate with her in an ongoing way, then our relationship's going to stagnate,” Guthrie said. “It's the same way with our relationship with God. We need the ability to talk to Him about things.”

But for many Christians, prayer isn't the easiest of tasks, said Todd Brady, Union's campus minister. “It's easy to be spiritual these days, but the kind of prayer that we are called to from the Scriptures, no I don't think it's easy,” Brady said. “Even the disciples had major difficulties in prayer. We see that in the Gospels. The kind of prayer that is Christian prayer requires focus, patience and diligence, and that's what makes it hard.”

Only through an appreciation for the Word of God and knowledge of the purpose and nature of prayer can a Christian pray obediently, Brady said. That involves studying the examples of prayer in the Scriptures to understand God's standard.

“There's a standard to which we must aspire,” Brady said. “Simply praying is not enough. We must pray rightly. I don't think that it is possible to be faithful in prayer apart from a knowledge of the Word.”

John Franklin, a pastoral ministries specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources, listed several keys to a strong prayer life.

“Number one, prayer begins with an absolute expectation that God wants to use you and is doing something around your life, and He can do anything,” Franklin said. “Your expectation is that something's going to happen.”

Christians also must truly desire that for which they are praying, and they must be God-centered in their prayer. Franklin said the apostles provide an illustration of this.

And, Franklin said, “When you look at the Gospels, [the disciples'] spiritual power is very anemic. When you look at the Book of Acts, they are radically changed. The primary difference was they went from trying to do things on their own agenda, from their own perspective, to doing things for God's sake and God's interests.”

In praying properly, Union President David Dockery said Christians would do well to follow the model prayer of Jesus.

“Our first responsibility is to recognize the greatness and goodness of God,” Dockery said. “We acknowledge His majesty and mercy by saying, 'Hallowed is Your name, how great is Your Kingdom.’ The model that Jesus gave us helps us understand that first of all, prayer is more about God than it is about us.”

Secondly, another dimension to prayer includes thanksgiving for God's blessings and the opportunity to make daily requests. Other examples in Scripture include believers making specific requests to God in times of illness, danger and anxiety.

“We recognize our dependence upon God for every provision of life,” Dockery said.

Guthrie added that proper prayer includes praying for God to advance His Kingdom in the world, for forgiveness, for authorities and government, for church leaders and for other people -– namely, for all relevant parts of life.

“That presupposes that this world isn't divided into two spheres –- the religious sphere and the real world,” Guthrie said. “That two-sphere view of life is not the biblical view. The biblical view is there's only one sphere. It's all God's sphere, and therefore God can intervene and invade in all aspects of it.”

Dockery acknowledged that the concept of prayer can be complex, especially when addressing questions about whether God changes His mind because of the prayers of His people.

“Somehow in the great mystery and providence of God, He has willed that His purposes are accomplished through various means,” Dockery said. “One of those means is prayer. Thus, prayer does not change God, but it is what is used to advance God's purposes in our lives. God is immutable, faithful, constant, changeless, but He does seemingly respond to His people in Scripture when they come to Him in humble recognition of His divine sovereignty.”

*

In these days, which are full of incredible “hassles,” everyone needs a regular time alone from others to go to a quiet place and pray. Scripture records many instances of Jesus taking time alone with His Father to refresh Himself and know God’s will for His life:

“...He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray....” (Matthew 14:23).

Luke, describing this habit of Jesus, records: “He went out to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed ... and He knelt down and prayed....” (Luke 22:39-41).

Jesus would often send the multitudes away: “...and He departed to the mountain to pray ...” (Mark 6:46).

There was a Divine necessity in the life of Jesus to get alone in a solitary place and pray. The press of the multitudes and even the demands on Him to teach and instruct the disciples daily put a strain on Jesus. Therefore, for several reasons He would send both the people and the disciples away while He went up on a mountain to pray (see Mark 6:44-46).

First, He needed to be alone and undistracted while spending time with His Heavenly Father. The will of God was too important to Jesus for Him to be turned aside from it for any reason.

Second, He needed quiet, rest and solitude for His own renewal and focus. People are often very demanding with their needs. One must “take in” to effectively and constantly “give out”.

Third, to take time away from the demands of the people would enable Him to keep His larger perspective and purpose clear. This is clearly seen early in His ministry. After a full, tiring and successful day full of teaching, preaching and healing, the Scripture usually records that early the next morning “...He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed...” (Mark 1:35). The disciples then found Him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!” This was to be expected from transformed lives! But Jesus by now had been renewed and refocused from His time with the Father. He replied, “let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth!”

Every believer MUST take regular moments away from all others in a solitary place and pray. We must pray for the same reasons that Jesus had to. This is especially crucial as we face many hassles in our workplace. There are directions being given, people sharing their needs and giving suggestions, pressures of decisions and deadlines -– all demanding our attention. Each of us MUST get alone and away from people to pray.

Are you taking time alone with the Lord in prayer? If not, you need to make a crucial adjustment in your life.

*

I suppose there are always two dangers in speaking about prayer. The first is that some men make it so demanding a spiritual exercise that it becomes intimidating. You can picture the scene of some ascetic speaking with intensity of feeling about wrestling with God. His eyes look into the distance, and his closing prayer is full of strangled emotion and semi-sobs. His hearers are sinking lower and lower into their seats as this Everest of praying reaches to the clouds and disappears from view. That’s a mountain they have never climbed, his hearers think, nor ever will. You have probably been in prayer meetings where the leader has strayed too far into that frame and the meeting has been killed.

The second danger is the reverse. The speaker is so laid back and cool, assuring us that prayer is a breeze, that we can pray anywhere and for everything - finding a place to park the car is the usual illustration - and the whole spirit is one of relaxed chumminess. Terry Johnson of Savannah speaks of his deliverance from that kind of praying which a summer pastorate provided. He had been converted in Southern California and in the spring of 1978 became an intern in a church in Edinburgh. He knew the essentials of small-group discipleship and scripture choruses and felt prepared for any prayer meetings. As he arrived at the church the minister was taken sick and he had to step in on the Sunday and preach. Before the service fifteen people met together to pray.

Terry says, “When it looked like all who were coming were present, they rose up, turned and faced their chairs, knelt down on their knees, and began to pray. Though this was a working-class congregation, and though none of those present were college educated and even a few were functionally illiterate, I soon realized that I was in over my head. Something was seriously amiss. I had never heard such prayers. They were full of God, full of Scripture, full of passion, full of reverence, and full of humility. My prayers, by comparison, had always been of the ‘just really’ variety - trite, self-centered, too casual, and too familiar. The spiritual maturity of their prayers exposed my spiritual poverty. The God that they knew was almost a different God.”

Terry was taught about prayer in the best way, in hearing true prayer. Not all praying is acceptable to God or to the church. “You judge people’s prayers?” someone says, aghast. Yes. God does, and so must we. There was a kind of praying of which the Lord said, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen” (Isaiah 1:15). The Lord Jesus heard a Pharisee praying in the temple and Christ said that “he prayed about himself” (Luke 18:10). Prayer reflects the pray-er.

When we lived in North Carolina, it seemed that every other car carried a personalized license plate. One day I noticed a tag which said simply, "PSALM 18". I decided if it meant 20 bucks a year for the driver to put that message there, the least I could do was go read it. I'm sure I had read that psalm before and probably preached it, but that day I rediscovered one of the great chapters in the Bible. It contains 50 verses and every one is a keeper.

In December of 1995, Elle fashion magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke and lay in a coma for weeks. Finally, Bauby awakened only to find that he was completely paralyzed with the single exception of his left eye muscles. He could blink his left eye.

Bauby's innovative wife set an eye chart before him, with the letters of the alphabet listed according to their frequency of use. She would point to letters and he would blink at the appropriate one. In this way, he would spell out words and so communicate with the world. In the summer of 1996 she hired secretaries to work with her husband in daily three-hour sessions. The paralyzed editor was thus able to dictate the text of a 137-page book, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," which told his story. In March of 1997, one week after the book was completed, Bauby died. Someone estimated he had blinked his left eye more than 200,000 times to write this book.

I found this little volume in our local public library and checked it out.

I figured the least I could do was read it.

The Bible sitting on my desk was written in several languages over a period of 1,000 years in locations ranging from Rome to Egypt to Israel. Scribes copied and recopied it by hand countless times, taking extraordinary care to be faithful. Kings and tyrants worked overtime to destroy this book, while religious leaders fought to keep it out of the hands of the common people.

Over the centuries, many faithful believers gave their life-blood to protect this book, to translate it into the language of the people, and to deliver it to our generation intact. In many cases, the very church that had preserved this book down through the centuries became the tormentor and murderer of the Bible translators. Names like William Tyndale, John Wyclif and John Huss will live in the history of the Christian church as those who paid an incredible price for the Bible on my shelf.

The least I can do is read it.

[see also #28899]

Sermon in Family series.

Joshua 24:14-22

"WHOM DOES YOUR FAMILY SERVE?"

I. Is Christ in your home?

A. The family has a critical role in passing on the faith.

B. Many families neglect their duty.

C. Church and Sunday School show the signs of decline.

II. Put God first in your family.

A. Do you know where your loved ones stand spiritually?

B. Develop spiritual habits in your family.

C. Church should not be an afterthought.

III. Exhibit real faith in your home. 2 Tim 3:14f

A. Teach spiritual principles as well as the standard stories.

B. Be real - don't make faith yucky.

C. Be loving and caring.

IV. What if your family is divided? 1 Cor 7:14; 1 Pet 3:1

A. Jesus knew this could happen, and warned of its pain. Matt 10:34

B. Christians have a sanctifying effect on EVERY relationship.

V. Who will lead the way?

A. We need leaders like Joshua, who stood up for what he believed.

B. Will your family commit itself to Jesus today?

#2360

*

A high agenda item on my daily prayer list is prayer for my family. In every family, some are unsaved. Their greatest need is to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Many wayward wanderers have been wooed to faith in Christ through faithful prayers of a mother or father, brother or sister, son or daughter, husband or wife, or grandparent.

Family members who are already saved are not immune to the struggles of daily life, the relentless pull of the world and its values, or the crosshairs Satan has painted on their backs. Satan wants to blind us, bind us and grind us in his mill just as he did Samson of old. So, how do we pray for our family? What is a good model to follow?

The paragraph-long prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 is an example of how to pray for loved ones who are already followers of Jesus. This short but pithy prayer contains three purpose clauses, followed by a statement of certainty. These four elements of Paul’s prayer reveal a dynamic, positive illustration of how to pray for those we love the most.

Pray for a deepening devotion in matters of conscience. Paul’s prayer was that the Philippians would grow in their love, that their love would abound. But he did not pray for an unfocused love; he prayed that their love would “keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment” (1:9).

As we pray for our families, we don’t pray a syrupy prayer from a shallow love measured in terms of mere sentimentality. We pray that our loved ones will reflect a robust love, a Christ-like love that grows, stretches and deepens until it matures “with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.” (See Ephesians 4:13).

Pray for a discerning spirit in matters of choice. The fear of the Lord is still the beginning of wisdom. The Preacher wrote, “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Those we love will be confronted with a wide range of choices. Our prayer is that they will make wise choices, that they will test the various winds of doctrine, the various codes of behavior, the dominant worldviews -- and choose God’s way!

The enemy of the excellent is not always the bad; it is often a willingness to settle for what is merely good. Knowing that we will stand before God to give an account, Paul teaches us to pray that our loved ones will “approve things that are superior” (1:10).

Pray for steadfast obedience in matters of conduct. Blamelessness in this context does not point to perfection; it points to the surrendered obedience of a genuine Christ-follower that results in personal holiness.

The word translated “pure” in verse 10 strengthens the concept of blamelessness. It is the word for “sun-tested.” When our lives are held up against the bright light of the sun, does the sun reveal serious cracks in our character? Or is our “jar of clay” a seamless piece, a vessel fit for honor in the Master’s hand? We are to pray that our loved ones will pass the sun-test, but even more, that they will pass the Son-test.

Give thanks for the righteous fruit that transforms our hearts and our homes. One of my mentors has often said, “In all our asking we must remember to give thanks.” The only way one’s life can reflect the character of Christ is when that one has been “filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ.” In other words, we cannot work up the Christian life; we can merely live out the life of Christ within us.

When we see the character of Christ reflected in the lives of those we love, we bow our heads in gratitude, thanking the Savior of the world that He has brought our daughter, our son, husband, our wife, our father, our mother into a faith-relationship with Himself.

Paul’s model of prayer serves as a great model for us as we pray for those we love. Let us pray for them ... today and without ceasing!

My heart overflows with a good theme;

I address my verses to the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. — Ps. 45:1 NASB

It can be easy to slip into a routine when it comes to our “quiet times” with the Lord, offering Him lackluster prayers and monotonous expressions of love and devotion.

In the Living Bible’s version of the above scripture, David declares his heart is overflowing with beautiful thoughts. No doubt every writer’s dream is to copiously produce text that overflows with beautiful, inspiring and well-articulated thoughts. Certainly, we’d never get our work past a discerning editor with unimaginative poetry or prose.

In a way this verse represents a challenge to readers, particularly to those called by God to write. Do our devotions reflect the same commitment with which we strive to meet contributor guidelines and render relevant, polished text? Do we aim to communicate with our Father in a fresh, imaginative way that both pleasures His heart and grants us personal satisfaction in our efforts?

David did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling him, yet he constantly offered elevated expressions of praise and adoration — his beautiful psalms bear evidence. How much more then are we able to creatively extol our Father with His Holy Spirit to inspire us? I believe God’s heart yearns for consistently passionate expressions of praise and adoration, which will rise like sweet-scented incense before His throne.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is significant that David’s thoughts were an expression of his heart — not a reflection of his mind! Whether worshiping God or writing our compositions, do we have a tendency to rely upon our own intellect?

PRAYER:

Father God, You are worthy of the highest praise. Inspire us by your Holy Spirit so we may enjoy enriching times of fellowship with you. AMEN

My heart overflows with a good theme;

I address my verses to the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. — Ps. 45:1 NASB

It can be easy to slip into a routine when it comes to our “quiet times” with the Lord, offering Him lackluster prayers and monotonous expressions of love and devotion.

In the Living Bible’s version of the above scripture, David declares his heart is overflowing with beautiful thoughts. No doubt every writer’s dream is to copiously produce text that overflows with beautiful, inspiring and well-articulated thoughts. Certainly, we’d never get our work past a discerning editor with unimaginative poetry or prose.

In a way this verse represents a challenge to readers, particularly to those called by God to write. Do our devotions reflect the same commitment with which we strive to meet contributor guidelines and render relevant, polished text? Do we aim to communicate with our Father in a fresh, imaginative way that both pleasures His heart and grants us personal satisfaction in our efforts?

David did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling him, yet he constantly offered elevated expressions of praise and adoration — his beautiful psalms bear evidence. How much more then are we able to creatively extol our Father with His Holy Spirit to inspire us? I believe God’s heart yearns for consistently passionate expressions of praise and adoration, which will rise like sweet-scented incense before His throne.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is significant that David’s thoughts were an expression of his heart — not a reflection of his mind! Whether worshiping God or writing our compositions, do we have a tendency to rely upon our own intellect?

PRAYER:

Father God, You are worthy of the highest praise. Inspire us by your Holy Spirit so we may enjoy enriching times of fellowship with you. AMEN

1. Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

O what words I hear Him say!

Happy place – so near, so precious!

May it find me there each day!

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

I would look upon the past,

For His love has been so gracious –

It has won my heart at last.

2. Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

Where can mortal be more blest?

There I lay my sins and sorrows,

And, when weary, find sweet rest.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

There I love to weep and pray,

While I from His fullness gather,

Grace and comfort ev’ry day.

3. Bless me, O my Saviour, bless me,

As I sit low at Your feet!

O look down in love upon me,

Let me see Your face so sweet!

Give me, Lord, the mind of Jesus,

Make me holy as He is;

May I prove I’ve been with Jesus,

Who is all my righteousness.

[Tune: “Constancy”]