I don't know if I'll get beat up for this or not, because it does seem to go against some tradition, but I disagree that you have to have a scheduled "quiet time" with the Lord. I hate that so many people struggle with the guilt of not keeping up with something like that and I'm sure that God does too. He tells us to hide his word "in our hearts," to "pray without ceasing," and to "let his praise continually be in our mouths..." He doesn't have to be reserved to one half hour of our days, or so many pages in our beth Moore, or a chapter a day. When we take bite sized portions of scripture and prayer throughout the day, we let him be Emmanuel-"God with us," (not God-with-us-during-our-30-min-and-only-if-you-schedule-him-and-do-it-right)! I get much more fulfillment from taking time with Jesus this way, because it lends itself to more practical use of scripture in my life.
The bible is so rich and meaty, and we don't have to read very much of it at a time for it to have it an effect on us.
Sometimes, even one word from a verse can be enough to change or move my heart when I consider the context! Here's an example: "You will go out in joy and peace" Isaiah 55:12. Who's the "you?" What kind of "joy?" What is peace, really?" How can I be "in" those things?" Why would God want me to have "joy?"
You get the idea. There is so much you can get from one verse and so much that can be lost when skimming through and trying to get chapters under your belt. I urge us to sit and soak up each word!
Here are some ideas on how you can incorporate scripture into your daily activities:
Listen to the Seeds Family worship CDs and pray the verses while you sing along.
Say a prayer while you're doing dishes (or going potty-hey, everyone's got time for THAT!)
Frame some verses and put them up around your house and car (bathroom mirrors, sinks, beds, tables-anywhere!) and be intentional about meditating on them-or praying them over your family or saying them until they get in your heart-when you pass one by.
Pray while you brush your teeth. I have a prayer calendar and a list of people to pray for next to my sink because that's what works for me!
Read or memorize a verse with your kids over lunch and take a minute to think about what it means-what each word really means, what it's teaching you about God, how you can implement it, etc.
Pray out loud while you're driving so your kids can hear you and learn how to pray too.
Say your memory verse at night when you can't sleep.
Listen to a podcast sermon while you fold laundry.
Make a craft and consider how YOU were wonderfully crafted.
Watch a sunset or a bird hopping on your lawn for a second and remember that we "live and move and breathe in Him." Remember how big and miraculous this world is.
Get the goTandem app and adjust the settings to have short messages throughout the day.
Follow people on Instagram or Facebook who post scriptures like prov31 ministries or tobymac.
"Let your life song sing."
There are so many little moments that God can be a part of during our days-and all these little ways count as "being in the word."
Maybe scheduling is your thing. Maybe you thrive on it. Maybe it sets the tone for your day. Maybe you'll get too distracted with other things if you don't have that time. Go for it!
But if it doesn't... If it just makes you feel guilty when you don't keep up...if it's a part of a spiritual checklist...if you read and then close the book and go on about your day as though he's separate... DON'T! Please do not feel guilty or like you aren't a good enough Christian if you struggle to get up early to do have a specific quiet time or to maintain it!
Maybe a quiet time isn't for everyone. Including Him in the everyday parts of our day without having to block off a section of time is enough...more than enough! That's what a relationship with Jesus is all about. Jesus just wants to be with us-that's the whole reason he came up with his crazy salvation plan in the first place. I just can't help but think that means he wants to be with us all day, every day, for the little and the big.
Millions of Christians across centuries and in many nations who don't have access to the bible are no less Christian than those of who are so fortunate. Yes, we should be grateful and take advantage of the great opportunity of having the bible at our fingertips. We should not allow laziness to interrupt our relationship with the Lord, but let's not make more rules when Jesus came to set us free from them. There will be times when we need to have a big heart-to-heart with Jesus and to get away by ourselves with him, but I can't force or schedule that.
Many people in the bible had regular meeting times with the lord, like Daniel, who prayed three times a day at the same window-and there's nothing wrong with that. But Jesus prayed constantly and was always repeating scripture to anyone and everyone as though it was always on his mind throughout the day-unless he was really worked up about something and needed to get away to pray-which he did often, but not on a schedule. Do what works for you and take Jesus out of the quiet time box whether or not you adhere to a schedule.
The Presence of His Spirit has been released on the WHOLE earth!!! We can access him anytime and THAT'S an opportunity to take advantage of, if I ever heard of one!
*with love and hope that we all grow closer in our own unique and personal ways*
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