Most mornings, after I shower and get ready for the day, I make a checklist.
I almost always start my checklist off with quiet time, and then I go on to
list my daily tasks.
As I was reading through 1 John yesterday, I realized that I'm making a big
mistake. Putting quiet time on my checklist isn't particularly problematic, but
checking it off is. Checking quiet time off my checklist is the equivalent of
saying, "I've given God His time, moving on." 1 John, however, talks
a lot about abiding in Christ. I don't know about you, but I usually
abide in Christ for about 15 minutes a day. If I treat 2:24 like a checklist
item, I'm still spending 90% of my day without Christ... that's a scary
thought!
When I read 1 John, I'm always astonished at how "good" he expects
us to be. He says that if you do sin, you have an advocate with Christ (1 John
2:1), but I've always wondered why he uses the word if. Maybe, he uses if
because when we're abiding in Christ, we can't sin.
Setting aside time to spend with Jesus is important to knowing who He is. If
I want to abide in Christ, however, I can’t call it quits when the clock says
I’m done.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Day 2; Update 1
I'm so excited that my friend Madeleine has joined! Two is a start, and I have a feeling that our community may grow.
I didn't want to blog today, because I don't have anything exciting to report. In fact, I've been feeling down most of the day. This evening, however, as I went on a walk, I realized that my relationship with God isn't dependent on my feelings. It's easy to praise God when I'm in a "good place," and it's easy to turn to Him when life's storms come. If I want abide in Jesus, however, I need to walk with Him on the days when "nothing's really right, nothing's really wrong, I just feel grumpy." I'm comforted in knowing, that as a carpenter who didn't began what we think of as his ministry till 30, Jesus probably had some days like that too.
I didn't want to blog today, because I don't have anything exciting to report. In fact, I've been feeling down most of the day. This evening, however, as I went on a walk, I realized that my relationship with God isn't dependent on my feelings. It's easy to praise God when I'm in a "good place," and it's easy to turn to Him when life's storms come. If I want abide in Jesus, however, I need to walk with Him on the days when "nothing's really right, nothing's really wrong, I just feel grumpy." I'm comforted in knowing, that as a carpenter who didn't began what we think of as his ministry till 30, Jesus probably had some days like that too.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Two Twenty-Four
Christians often say that tithing
extends beyond the realm of money. If everything we have belongs to God, then
our time does as well. Traditionally, tithing refers to giving God your first
ten percent. If you calculate ten percent of twenty-four
hours, you come up with two hours and twenty-four minutes. I wonder what would
happen if we devoted the first two hours and twenty-four minutes of every day
to spend time with God? I want to find out.
I’m starting this blog because I’m tired of offering God my leftovers*. So what, you say? Just do it. Why start a blog? To be honest, I’m a pretty weak person. I make and break many commitments, and I don’t want this one to be another flop. I also know that I’m not alone in wanting more out of life. Community provides accountability and encouragement. Another reason I’m choosing to blog is because as we pray, we will see God working in our hearts and communities. By keeping a record of what God has done, we will build a pile of stones to remind us of who He is.
My greatest fear in starting this blog is that I will fail. Then, not only will people see how weak I am, but also they will think that my God is weak. I am willing to take this risk because I know that my God is strong. I may fail, but in the end, He will triumph. My second greatest fear was that two hours and twenty-four minutes early in the morning couldn’t plausibly fit into my schedule. Then, I realized that the problem isn’t the commitment; it’s my schedule. Instead of trying to squeeze God into my life, I should center my life around Christ.
With those excuses out of the way, I invite you to embark with me on this great adventure. With this invitation, however, comes a clarification. I do not think Christians have a moral obligation to devote the first ten percent of every day to spending time with God. In fact, I don’t think that Christians have moral obligation to devote ten percent of their income to the Church, but that’s another conversation. My point is, this commitment may not be right for everyone. If you’re going turn this into a religion, please stick to your regular quiet time. Likewise, if you find me acting as if my salvation is hinged upon this commitment, please tell me to read Galatians and do the same.
I’m starting this blog because I’m tired of offering God my leftovers*. So what, you say? Just do it. Why start a blog? To be honest, I’m a pretty weak person. I make and break many commitments, and I don’t want this one to be another flop. I also know that I’m not alone in wanting more out of life. Community provides accountability and encouragement. Another reason I’m choosing to blog is because as we pray, we will see God working in our hearts and communities. By keeping a record of what God has done, we will build a pile of stones to remind us of who He is.
My greatest fear in starting this blog is that I will fail. Then, not only will people see how weak I am, but also they will think that my God is weak. I am willing to take this risk because I know that my God is strong. I may fail, but in the end, He will triumph. My second greatest fear was that two hours and twenty-four minutes early in the morning couldn’t plausibly fit into my schedule. Then, I realized that the problem isn’t the commitment; it’s my schedule. Instead of trying to squeeze God into my life, I should center my life around Christ.
With those excuses out of the way, I invite you to embark with me on this great adventure. With this invitation, however, comes a clarification. I do not think Christians have a moral obligation to devote the first ten percent of every day to spending time with God. In fact, I don’t think that Christians have moral obligation to devote ten percent of their income to the Church, but that’s another conversation. My point is, this commitment may not be right for everyone. If you’re going turn this into a religion, please stick to your regular quiet time. Likewise, if you find me acting as if my salvation is hinged upon this commitment, please tell me to read Galatians and do the same.
Free in Christ,
Renee
*Term stolen from Francis Chan, Crazy Love.
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