Rules for a good marriage:
1. Study your husband’s love letters 15 minutes each morning.
2. Praise him for 5 minutes.
3. Give him a list of your needs.
3. Forget about him until the next morning.
Absurd? Yes!
But, in the past, that’s the way I sometimes approached my time with the Lord. It was like fulfilling a duty ... like cleaning out a drawer.
Do you ever have this mindset?
I want to have the attitude of the psalmist:
"I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 119:16
"Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors." Psalm 119:24
"You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, LORD, do I seek.'" Psalm 27:8
Yes, I want to maintain a deep desire to meet with my Lord, and I've found that adding new things to my quiet time helps keep it fresh and meaningful.
Below are some ideas, and I'd love to have you leave your ideas in a comment.
-----------------
Different locations:
1. Sit outside or position yourself in front of a window where you can enjoy God's creation while you pray.
2. Take a prayer walk with the Lord.
3. Once a week, meet Jesus for coffee (explanation).
Different timing:
1. Instead of a single time each day, try having 2-3 shorter "quiet times" throughout the day.
2. Choose a time when you are more relaxed and not in a rush to get somewhere (Does Timing Matter?).
A new "tool" or study method:
1. Try a new devotional book or Bible study.
2. Try journaling (Journal is a Verb and 8 Reasons to Journal).
3. Try creative Bible journaling. This has helped me study Scripture more effectively.
4. Check out free online Bible study tools. For example, Biblehub.com offers parallel translations, the meanings of the Hebrew or Greek words, and multiple commentaries.
5. Sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get the free e-booklet called "10 Days to a More Meaningful Quiet Time." Find out more HERE.
6. For more ideas, see Spice Up Your Quiet Time and 7 Ways to Energize Your Faith.
Another resource that can help you have a meaningful quiet time is Wisdom for Life which is on sale on Amazon, and CBD and a number of other online locations. it can also be ordered by your local bookstore. See 10 Reasons You'll Love Wisdom for Life.
Bible Love Notes
Gail, as always, you have written truth in a captivating way. And it fits perfectly with a book I am reading "The Me I Want to Be" by John Ortberg. I laughed out loud when he said Jesus didn't journal! :) Thank you, Gail, for faithfully and creatively encouraging us toward God.
ReplyDeleteYou captured my interest!! I haven't read books that make my quiet time rigid for some reason. But it is always good to keep it fresh. I was hungry for God's Word and reading through the Bible a few years ago a couple times a year. I did this for about two years and slowed down to meditate on what I was reading. That worked for a season but wouldn't be good on a regular basis. The other day I just studied one verse that took me through the day.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read more ideas you might have. It is always refreshing to exchange what we are learning.