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The
Barometer of your Christian Life
If you and I were to discuss the matter
personally, probably you would say that it is a most
commendable practice for every Christian to have a
daily meeting with God through the Word and prayer.
And you would be right, of course.
Except that this daily communion, this “quiet
time” with God is more than a commendable practice;
it is absolutely vital to a life of sustained
spirituality, effectiveness and love.
It is the barometer of the Christian life.
Let me sustain that position. Jesus said,
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, Matt. 4:4.
You see here what man is to live on.
It’s vital to Spiritual
health
Whether you are newly converted or a mature
Christian, it makes no difference.
I Pet. 2:2, “Like newborn
babes, crave the pure milk of the Word … and grow
up.“
Heb. 5:14, “But solid food is
for the mature, who by constant use have trained
themselves to distinguish good from evil.“
It
is Vital for spiritual cleansing
You are initially cleansed by the precious
blood of Jesus, that is true. And again and again you
have to come back to the cross for restoration.
But the day-to-day cleansing is from the laver
of the Word.
Psa. 119:9, “How can a young
man keep his way pure?
By living according to Your Word.”
John 15:3, (Jesus speaking)
“You are already clean by the Word I have spoken to
you.”
John 17:17, (In Jesus’ prayer)
“Sanctify them (make them holy) by the truth; Your
Word is truth.”
It
is Vital for spiritual counsel
You can never know the true principles that
determine a life of holiness and righteousness without
letting the Word of God “dwell in you richly,“
Col.3:16.
II Tim. 3:16, “All Scripture
is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting, and training in righteousness, that the
man of God may be mature (KJV, perfect), thoroughly
equipped for every good work.”
It
is Vital in equipping you for spiritual conflict
The supreme example is our Lord Jesus Christ
when He encountered Satan in the wilderness. I feel
sure that for those forty days and nights, He had fed
His soul on the book of Deuteronomy, and could
therefore make His sword thrusts from a personal
experience of the written Word.
Matt. 4:1-11.
Paul later exhorted the believers at Ephesus to
“take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of
God,” Eph.
6:17.
Important as all these things are, however, the
greatest incentive to your having a quiet time each
day is not your own need, great as that is, but the
fact that God wants to meet with you.
Therefore, it is not merely a duty; it is a
privilege and an honor.
God
has an appointment with you. His heart is saddened
when you fail to keep it.
He longs, as He did with the woman of Samaria,
to drink afresh of
your love, devotion and worship.
John
4:23-24, “… true worshippers will worship the
Father in Spirit and in truth; for the Father is
seeking such to worship Him.”
(God wants to be good to you, and worship puts
you in position to receive.)
I would warn you that establishing your quiet
time is never easy!
As a pastor I will confess frankly that it
is harder for me to have my quiet time now than it was
when I was first converted.
The reason for this is that what counts costs.
You will find that the most vicious
attacks of the adversary will be directed toward
robbing you that daily time with your Lord. And you
will have to guard it fearlessly if you are going to
keep it!
Whatever your sphere of service ~ as a pastor,
missionary, or Christian in the office, shop, or home,
I give you little hope of living victoriously unless
you are successful in maintaining your quiet time.
Helpful
thoughts
Psa. 66:18, “If I regard
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”
When there’s something in your life which is
out of line with the will of God, don’t expect to
have fellowship with Him. If you have something
against this person or that, leave your gift at the
altar and go be reconciled first,
Matt. 5:24.
Revelation and obedience are like parallel
lines. As
you obey, so He reveals.
When you cease to obey, He ceases to reveal.
My experience is this: When I have tried to
pray and read the Word, and found it to be a dead book
to me; on examination, I’ve discovered that there
was an issue of obedience on which I had not followed
through. And
before proceeding with my quiet time, I had to get
right with God.
Adore Him; pour out your soul to Him; revel in
the sunshine of His presence, talk as a child to his
father, and listen as a lover to his beloved.
God’s best for you is closely linked to this
daily meeting with Him. You cannot tell me that you
have surrendered to God, that Jesus Christ is Lord of
your life, or that you know the fullness of the Holy
Spirit, unless this way to abide is your daily
experience. |
