Life can seem unbearable at times, but don't let it keep you down. Meditate on God's goodness, talk to Him, and know that He hears you. When life knocks you to your knees, you're in a good position to pray.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Quiet Time
I am currently working on my quiet time right now. I miss my college days, where I guess I've had the healthiest quiet time ever since. I was thinking back then that I have the lousiest quiet time of all but if I'm going to compare myself before and now? I'd say that's the best that I've done. I'm ashamed, really. Because instead of improving as I get older, it just appeared I even got worse.
Well, I know it's not really the end of everything. There's always room for improvements. I should not let myself dwell in this guilty feeling, for I won't be able to do anything if I just kept on worrying about it. As of now, some people are helping me in establishing back my quiet time, through prayers & reminders.
Why'd I say that I did better when I was still in college? Well, I used to have a more constant appointment with God compared to now. Though I don't have fixed time for my appointment with God, which is encouraged... well actually I think it should be that way, so as to have discipline as well. But then due to the added responsibilities as you get older, like you finally get a job, help your parents support your daily living finances, other commitments, etc. etc., it came to a point where I did not have a quiet time at all.
What's a quiet time anyway? And what it has do with our life? I just chose this article I found on the internet about quiet time, because I'm not that good at words and I'm not in a mood right now to think more. It's only 5 minutes before we logout and we actually leave on the dot so I have to hurry this thing up or my colleagues will leave me behind.
Inside Saddleback: What's a quiet time? by Todd Wendorff
Every relationship takes time to develop. You have to spend time with someone to take that relationship deeper. It's no different with our relationship with the Lord. Spend time with Him. There is just no other way.
That's why we encourage every believer to develop the habit of a daily time with God. As simply as I know how to put it, a quiet time is time alone with Lord. If we do not spend time cultivating that one-on-one relationship with Him, we will eventually feel spiritually disconnected from Him, out of touch, restless, dissatisfied and unfulfilled. After a while we will begin drifting away and no longer be influenced by His presence in our lives.
The fact is we all desire a closeness with God but often aren't experiencing it simply because we aren't spending time with Him. After a while we say to ourselves, "I'm the same old person I've always been." "I'm not changing." "My relationship with the Lord is stale and stagnant."
That's why each day we need to set aside time to spend with the Lord in Bible reading and prayer in order to deepen our knowledge and love for Him that will result in real life change.
When I find myself worrying, it's an indication that I am not spending time with the Lord.
When I find my mind wandering or my heart hardening to the things of God, it's again, an indication that I am not spending time with the Lord.
The primary goal as growing Christians is to become "conformed to His likeness" (Rom. 8:29). Another word for conformed is "transformation" which means "life change from the inside out." We can change a behavior or an attitude on the outside, but to change on the inside takes inner transformation. Whatever is going on in your heart will be mirrored by your actions. No one can fake it for long. To change the inside takes a deeper relationship with the Lord. What we also desire for is congruence. We don't want to live one way in public and another way in private. It takes time with the Lord to bring these two into more alignment and consistency.
Roman 12:1-2 reveals that the only way to be transformed is to read, study and reflect on the word of God. The two primary elements that are used to accomplish this are Bible reading and prayer. I have written the following guide to help motivate you and give you the tools you need to begin implementing a quiet time into your daily schedule.
One author says, "In practice we often find ourselves to be "thirsty" Christians: either because we are failing to drink or because God is stretching our capacity for Himself and we need to drink more deeply."
If you find yourself restless, dissatisfied, and unfulfilled, it's because you are not regularly drinking in God's word or you are not going deep enough in the well. So I encourage you to use this guide and begin to spend regular time with God and drink deeply.
"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." John 4:14 (NASB-U)
"My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken." Ps 62:1-2 (NASU)
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." Ps 42:1 (NIV)
"The one who looks steadily at God's perfect law…and makes that law his HABIT - not listening and then forgetting, but actively putting it into practice will be happy in all that he does." James 1:25 (Ph)
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." Ps 1:2 (NIV)
(originally saw this from http://jimmy-read.blogspot.com/2004/11/whats-quiet-time.html)
I don't intend this to be my life's chronicles but I might write some of my experiences here.
Even so, everything that's written in here are either products of my excessive contemplation, or just plainly, pure boredom.
In any case, I still try to write as sensible as possible, for what I really intend to do and I hope is achieved in every writing,
is to impart or share some of the things I learn and sometimes, some struggles in life. Don't expect all seriousness in everything in here though.
In short, this blog is my outlet. My noted thoughts and reflections.
About Me
Name: Goldi
Home: Pasay City, Philippines
Birthday: June 2
Hobbies & Interests: Jesus, music, books, journals, internet, computers, tech stuff, gadgets * sound tripping, singing, playing musical instruments (I know guitar and flute recorder, I just wish I can play them well), watching movie with a tub of popcorn drizzled with melted butter (yum!), reading * observing, pondering, reflecting, learning * laughing or making people laugh (though I'm not good at it) and laugh with them, make people smile, or just listen to their stories. Minsan, trip ko lang din mang-asar =p
About Me: I'm a simple, idealistic but down-to-earth, & friendly person. Quiet most of the time, but friendly enough to have a nice talk (or even a hearty laugh) with anyone. "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 NLT
Principles I live by:
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4
"If people talk negatively about you, live in such a way that no one will believe them."
"God is a God of happy endings. If you're not yet happy, it's not yet the end."
"It's not what we know but what we do that counts." -Our Daily Bread
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -Dumbledore, Harry Potter 2
"Girls should assume that until a guy expresses interest, they're just friends." -J. Harris, Boy Meets Girl
"True love doesn't just wait; it plans." -Boy Meets Girl
"Eros will have naked bodies; friendship naked personalities." -C.S. Lewis
"Ideals are like stars; we will not succeed in touching them with our hands but by following them, as the sea faring man in the ocean, we will reach our destiny." -J. Harris, Boy Meets Girl
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