Quiet Time with God, by 'Appointment' Only

“And in the morning, a long time before daylight, he got up and went out to a quiet place where he could be alone, and gave himself up to prayer” (Mark 1:35). How well Jesus must have known “Be quiet and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).

From the time I was a teenager, I began having a daily quiet time. It’s a very ‘natural’ part of my life. But I know that many Christians have no deliberate quiet time. I find it interesting that from the beginning of His relationship with His created beings, God models 'face-time.' The Genesis narrative implies that God visited Adam and Eve every day at an appointed time: the cool of the day; we call it dusk.

Over the years, I've seen believers ramp up their 'God' time when they are hurting! But do we have to be in pain to want time with God? Shouldn't it be a regular part of our day? Amos asks, How can two walk together unless they have an appointment? (Amos 3:3)? What does your appointment book look like?

Footsteps

In writing yesterday’s post, “Footprint,” I had a revelation that my footprint is God's to make, not mine. As a disciple, I am called to walk in Jesus' steps, or you could say, his shoes. On the other hand (or foot), as our forerunner, or fore-walker, Jesus did the proverbial walk a mile in our shoes.

The writer of Hebrews says, “He understands our weaknesses since He faced all of the same testings we do” (4:15). And it’s precisely because of that, we can go to Him “to receive His mercy, and find grace to help us when we need it most” (4:16).

Two days ago, I wrote this prayer in my journal: 
"Lord Jesus, lead me that I might be 'in step' with You. Give me grace to make the right steps, and mercy for my missteps." If it were not for a steady pace of grace and mercy, His shoes would be too big to fill.

Take a Stand against Sitting

Has there ever been a time in history when people sat more?  Sitting disease is rampant in the U.S.; it is killing us. The colloquial term sounds cute enough: couch potato. But there’s nothing cute about chronic health problems, or premature death, brought on by excessive sitting. Government statistics tell us that half of Americans report sitting more than 6 hours a day. People who sit more than 11 hours a day have a 40 percent higher risk for chronic diseases than non-sitters. But the good news is that even sitters who exercise at least 5 hours per week are as healthy as non-sitters.

So what’s my point? In all his letters, one of Paul’s favorite metaphors for Christian living is the word “walk.” Of course the prime meaning of “walk” is motion. So why do so many Christians think if they are sitting in a pew (or cushioned chair) in a Sunday morning service they are making progress. I know that pastors try hard to promote active participation among the sitters. In our sedentary culture, it would be all too easy to produce a generation of “sitters” instead of “walkers.” Perhaps this explains why we are seeing so many spiritual health troubles—lack of appetite for the Word, powerless prayer life, spiritual depression, and joyless living, to name a few.

Think of this. If we are ‘following’ Jesus, we ought to be moving! A 'sitting follower' is an oxymoron!  “Whoever claims to abide in Jesus must walk as He did” (1 John 2:6).

“Distracted walking may cost you”

Enlightened Christians will perceive the double meaning of the above title from an article in USA Today. Many States have laws against texting and talking while driving; but now States are making it illegal to text and talk while walking. Some are issuing fines for careless walking. More proactively, the state of Delaware posts warning signs near crosswalks, “Look Up: Drivers aren’t always looking out for you.”

In Scripture, walking is a metaphor for the Christian life. From the first pages, God and Adam walk together in Eden. Thereafter, walking depicts the choice of right over wrong, God over self. With that backdrop, Paul says “be careful how you walk” (Eph 5:15), the word “careful” meaning cautiously, guardedly. Interestingly, the Greek word is "akribos" from which we get our English word “acrobat”—one who walks a straight and narrow line or tight rope.

There are many distractions to make us stumble or fall. The prevention is not unlike Delaware's: Look up! In Biblical language, “Lift up your eyes” (Is. 51:6); “Fix your eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2); “Do not anxiously look about you” (Is. 41:10). And most importantly, be careful when you are walking in the dark. Jesus said, “Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going” (John 12:35). So, Paul says: “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).

"In Step" or "Twelve Steps"?

In the past 50 years, our culture has given birth to a multitude of self-help gurus who promise success to anyone willing to follow their steps: 3 easy steps to weight loss, 7 steps to reaching your potential, 12 steps to recovery… But the apostle Paul’s ‘formula’ for success was simple: just keep ‘in-step’ with the Holy Spirit.

To the Galatians Paul said walk [keep stepping] by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh (5:16). A few verses later, Paul clarifies: let us keep in step with the Spirit (5:25, NIV). The phrase, “keep in step,” was used by the Greeks to express the regimented walk of soldiers—literally, in lock-step with one another.

As a counselor I certainly value ‘step’ recovery programs for their practical guidance. But I also know, both by way of experience and by Paul’s simple admonition (Gal. 5:16), that no number of steps will get you to your desired destination unless you are walking “in step” with the Holy Spirit.

Think about it: the last time you stumbled, you were not “in step” with the Spirit, were you!?

A House Divided

Though Jesus wasn’t speaking of America, Iraq or Afghanistan when he said “if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand; and if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mar 3:24-25), it is certainly relevant.

Here in the States, our Congress is so divided and polarized it is nearly dysfunctional. You may well argue it has been this way before, but I don’t believe ‘we’ have ever been here before—the unique combination of events—dealing with a ‘global’ recession, fighting two wars, and combating terrorism. To solve these problems, our country needs unity more than any time since the Civil War, when, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “House Divided” speech.

Our great nation-building experiment in Iraq, a country long divided by ethnic and religious differences, is yet on trial, but will only succeed if the formerly fractured factions can work together. Likewise, our whole strategy in Afghanistan is dependent on ending three thousand years of tribal loyalties!!

But the “house divided” principle also applies to the Church, which is why Paul says “always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace” (Eph. 4:3). What is more, the “house divided” principle is also very personal. Paul describes a ‘great divide’ going on inside of each of us—the battle of flesh versus spirit (Gal. 5:17). But Paul assures us that as long as we walk in unity with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25), our ‘house’ will stand. This single mindedness is essential if you are to overcome in these troubled times. Beware: Satan, the great divider, is at work in the world, the Church, and your heart.