One of my personal goals for 2021 is to be more intentional about the time I spend with the Lord each day. Some call this a "Quiet Time" or devotions, or simply a time to pray and read Scripture. I think believers agree on the importance of spending some time every day in the Bible: the book that helps us not only know our Creator, but offers standard operating procedures for our faith journey. It offers wisdom for every believer, whether a babe in Christ or a senior saint. The Bible offers a chance for the Lord to speak to us and when we pray, we have the privilege of speaking to Him and sharing our heart and burdens.
Having six children, there were years of my life when every day felt like I was in survival mode. I sadly admit, that I often neglected time in the Word. I wish I could go back in time and encourage my younger self not to neglect the very thing that would bolster me to face the day, that could encourage my spirit, offer comfort through trials, and help me focus on God's priorities and not my own. Looking back now on those I have most admired in the faith, it is clear that their daily, consistent habit of being in the Word, and being faithful in prayer is what yielded a faithful harvest in their later years.
If you want a profitable harvest, there is a right time to plant. A farmer that misses the planting season, cannot later make up for lost time. A delay in planting can lead to a failed harvest--time simply runs out. How often did I miss out on a harvest in my life, because I failed to plant the seed at the right time? Now, I can choose to wallow in my failure or I can choose to purpose that this year, I will re-orient my priorities. I am convinced that the key to a fruitful harvest is to commit time at the start of every day in spending time with the Lord. Let's look at three reasons to consider a morning time with the Lord.
Jesus began his day with the Father.
Scripture makes reference on more than one occasion that Jesus had the habit of rising early to spend time alone with his Father. Mark 1:35 is one of those verses:
"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." (ESV)
Jesus, perfectly obedient and without sin, still made it a priority to spend time with the Father and He chose to do it in the morning in a solitary place. How much more do I--the imperfect, sinful creature that I am--need time in communion with my Creator! Time before the cares and worries of the day crowd in. Planting the seed of God's Word into our morning is like making a deposit into our spiritual banks--offering resources we can draw from throughout the day.
Rising early provides opportunity for solitude and silence. If I don't rise early, there may never be another moment of peace and quiet all day. Homeschooling means there is always a child somewhere in the house and now with COVID, my husband works from home as well. Which means a time with the Lord must be carved from time I would otherwise have slept. If Jesus thought it important to rise early to pray, I want to follow his example.
Offering the firstfruits of my day honors the Lord.
Proverbs 3:9 admonishes us to, "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce." The concept of a tithe, or giving one tenth of one's income back to the Lord has long been encouraged in the church. I love the concept in Proverbs, that the act of offering, honors the Lord but I want to focus on the second part of verse 9 and the concept of firstfruits. In the Biblical agrarian culture, that meant setting aside the very firstfruits of one's harvest.
Consider each day that we are alive as a gift--a source of temporal wealth. What if we gave the firstfruits of each day to the Lord? Not the leftover, wrung out, exhausted minutes of our day, but the moments when we first awaken? I can hear some of you saying, "But I'm not a morning person!" Let's first take a look at the controllables--the things within our power that may impact how well we function in the morning. Have we:
- stayed up into the wee hours of the morning (perhaps on such time wasters as social media, streaming movies, or watching sports)?
- neglected work until it piles up over time and reaches a crisis point (like when I have neglected laundry too many days & I'm washing at midnight just so the family has clean undies)
- let our body "rust" in a sedentary lifestyle, making us sluggish in the morning
- robbed our bodies of the nutrition that enables peak performance
"...we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
Our Commander in Chief, the Lord of the Universe, has given us everything we need as a soldier of Christ, but do we avail ourselves of the gear He has provided us? Do we take time to don the full set of armor made available to use? Ephesians 6:13-18 spells it out for us:
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peach. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverence, making supplication for all the saints. (ESV)
We need the complete armor every day. The belt of truth helps us discern truth from lies. We are bombarded by worldviews that are opposed to the Lord everywhere we turn. To recognize a lie, you must first fully understand truth and understanding truth begins with hiding truth in our heart through the hearing, reading and (even better) memorizing of the Word. The breastplate of righteousness, ensures that we do not fall prey to arrows that would draw our heart away from the Lord.
The helmet protects our mind--we need to keep our mind fixed on our salvation--not only our one time saving from death to life, but the daily sanctification that is making us more like Jesus. An effective sword must be kept sharp--have you let the word of God become dull in your life or is it living and active? A fully armed believer prays at all times in the Spirit--keeping communication open with their Commander-in-Chief. And part of our privilege of being in God's army is to be praying for fellow believers battling the forces that daily war against their soul.
Easy as 1-2-3
If you are just starting a morning habit of a time with the Lord, I highly recommend the plan outlined by the Navigators called 7 Minutes with God . It is simple enough to teach your children or grandchildren. It follows an easy 3 step plan:
- Prepare your heart
- Listen to God through Scripture
- Talk to God through prayer
Whether you spend 7, 17, or 70 minutes with the Lord, make it a time you look forward to! Grab a decorated journal at the dollar store and use it for a prayer journal. Buy some Bible highlighters or colored pencils and underline meaningful passages in your Bible (if you don't want to mark up your main Bible, find another copy at a thrift shop that you can draw or take notes in). Create a space in your home where you will be able to focus.
If you need ideas for creating a special space, I highly recommend the movie, "War Room," in which the main character, when faced with a faith-shaking revelation, decided to wage war with God's help. She cleared out her closet, hung scripture passages on the wall and added prayer requests. If you don't have space for that, just find a comfortable chair you can designate as your place to focus. Make sure you have tools at hand to help you wage war: have a good light source near by, find a bin or basket to contain your Bible, prayer journal and pens (or use a shipping box and cover it with pretty wrapping paper, contact paper, or even paint it). Don't forget to have paper or post-its close at hand so you can make action plans for yourself or copy a verse to hang on your bathroom mirror that day. By having everything in one place, you eliminate wasting time hunting around the house for a pen, paper, or Bible. Most importantly, commit to a specific time and do all within your power to follow through. We wouldn't dream of forgetting about a lunch or coffee date with a friend; let's give God the same consideration!
And don't forget, the goal is always progress, not perfection.
An imperfect plan once begun, beats a perfect plan left undone.
Firstfruits of the Week
Consider Sunday worship as a way of offering to the Lord the firstfruits of your week. You are setting aside precious time in the dawn of your week to commit the next 7 days to His service. Establish the habit of submitting your heart and mind to the working and conviction of the Holy Spirit through the hearing and preaching of the Word.
While the world was blindsided with the unleasing of COVID, the pandemic did not take God by surprise. Despite lockdowns and restrictions, His Word still applied, including the admonition in Hebrews 10:24-25,
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (ESV)
I find it interesting this verse mentions that "neglecting to meet together" is a habit of some (if you missed the previous post about habits, you can find it here). How easy it is for one missed week to soon spiral into 2, 3, 4 and then several months and soon a habit is established and so much harder to break. In the immediate panic of COVID, before churches had online services mastered, there were still hundreds of sermons one could find on YouTube or through Sermonaudio.com. I confess that I was guilty of not seeking out a time of worship during those early days of lockdown. If there were ever a time believers needed encouragement, it should have been during the initial panic of a worldwide pandemic! Moving forward, I don't want anything to interfere with setting aside time on Sunday for the Lord.
If you are a parent, remember that your children are watching you. Consider how precious an example it is for your children to see that you make worship a priority each week. If you are under the weather, take advantage of online worship options but don't neglect the means by which you can be stirred up to love and good works and where encouragement can be received to remain faithful while we await Christ's return.
Firstfruits of 2021
Needing help carrying out some of those goals you want to achieve for 2021? January is a fabulous time to start planting seeds of change, but any month is a good time to change! For those looking for a resource to maximize the next three months by helping set the tone, create vision, and celebrate progress, then I highly recommend a new journal by Michelle Rayburn. She has created a non-traditional resource that offers not just places to journal, but a place to strategize and articulate your highest priorities and then evaluate and celebrate progress. You can purchase the 1-2-3 Ideas & Progress Journal through Amazon (note: affiliate link that adds no additional cost to you).
Now go offer those firstfruits and let the Lord bless the harvest of your day, week and year!
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