Category: Quiet Time

“A Badge too Heavy to Bear”

Yes, for years I put in a lot of hours working. And I got a lot done. A lot! I marked my progress by what was accomplished and by my productivity. “For every one hour I put in it’s worth 3 – 4 hours of the average person,”  I would boast. Oh, then I’d tag it by noting how many hours I had put it….

This self-issued “Badge of Honor” became a badge too heavy to bear. I was rarely—if ever—home, I was constantly pumping adrenaline (since I don’t do caffeine), and I would have a constant string of maladies. Oh, I would even note that the Lord was trying to slow me down, but “I have a lot to accomplish for the kingdom.”

When I did slow down (some), I felt guilty and lazy. I’m not doing enough for the Lord—as if my production and productivity were His measures of my value.

It wasn’t until this most recent hip surgery I truly and seriously began to look at what the Lord was really showing me: I need to take care of myself with an honest-to-goodness Sabbath’s rest. Huh? Really? “But it’s an issue of stewardship,” I would retort, “isn’t it, Lord?” 

Yes, I did preach Sabbath for years; even “practiced” it to some degree. But to actually take some time for my self to physically rest, emotionally discharge and spiritually recharge, well, I still had to move passed this idea of being lazy and stewardship. But in the Lord’s gentle way, He has be ‘nudging’ me to simply do nothing, but focus on His goodness and allow the Holy Spirit to emotionally discharge and spiritually recharge my “system”—along with this literal physical rest. I guess this is what it means when our Master says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

So I’ve been practicing leaving tasks undone. And allowing myself the freedom to have an uncompleted check list. Tomorrow has enough to worry about anyway. How about you? How is your Sabbath’s rest coming?

Main Text— Mark 2:24–28 (NIV84)— 24 The Pharisees said to [Jesus], “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 27 Then He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Additional Scriptures to Renew Your Thoughts

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.—Hebrews 4:11 (NIV84)

 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.—Matthew 11:28–29 (NIV84)

  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to them, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”— Mark 6:31 (NIV84)

Heavenly Father, lead me to that quiet place in and with Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Recharge my soul as I gaze upon the beauty of Your Holiness and Goodness. In Son’ s Holy Name, Amen. 

Pastor Mike

“Did You Respond?”

Your mom (or spouse) comes into the room and says, “Do you want to go to the Mall with me?” You grunt a response and continue focused on your activity. An hour or two later, they come home with the results of their journey displayed on the kitchen table, and you say, “Hey, why didn’t you ask me to go with you?” “I did, but you didn’t respond.” Ouch….

You can imagine the discussion from there, but my question to myself, and perhaps to you, is, “Do I respond to the Lord when He asks me to go with Him, or do I just grunt and remained distracted on my activity?

This can be taken in two ways: (1) initially when we first met and (2) along my journey with Jesus. Initially, I’m most certain I responded, but whether or not it was His first request, I cannot say, but long ago I decided to follow Him as Lord. However, when it comes to my journey with Jesus, I’m sure I’ve grunted a time or two—or three….

So can you imagine how the disciples responded when Jesus said, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages….” They appeared to go without hesitation, as least this time. But there were other times they would hesitant on their journey with the Master, especially when He was headed to the cross.

Do you and I need to be less distracted in order to respond more promptly? To respond at all? I know I do. Although doing less may be one solution, I believe the best solution is to make it a habit to check in with the Lord before I start any task or project, let alone being quiet to hear Him for new directions. Would you agree? Your thoughts….

Main Text— Mark 1:35–39 (NIV84)— 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for Him, 37 and when they found Him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Additional Scriptures to Renew Your Thoughts

Then a teacher of the law came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” Another disciple said to Him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”—(Matthew 8:19–22 NIV84)

 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”—Isaiah 6:6–8 (NIV84)

 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.— Psalm 27:14 (NIV84)

Lord Jesus Christ, all that You do pleases the Father; please the Father in me that I may hear Your promptings and respond promptly to them.  Empower me by Your Holy Spirit to faithfully follow You wherever You lead. In Your Name, Amen. 

Pastor Mike

“Greater Things; Quiet Things”

Is bigger always better? Or is greater always louder? Even noticed? Would you agree, if I were to suggest, that greater may be quiet, even subtle? The great oak starts out as a small sapling. It quietly grows in the forest. Yet it becomes a “mighty oak tree.” So, too, is it with the greater things of Jesus.

In our main text below, we see Nathanael amazed at Jesus’ simple ability to know Him from a distance, and our Master responds with a hint of playfulness—paraphrasing, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” …

… Then follows our Lord’s first miracle. It came in the normal flow of life. It came in respectful response to a concerned mother’s wishes. And it came quietly. Oh, the servants knew of the miracle. The disciples knew of the miracle. And, yes, His mother knew, but He did not flash an LED sign nor did He trumpet what He just did. He merely and quietly moved on to another city (see John 2:12).

Our Master did this a lot. The “greater things” He promised Nathanael often came quietly and unheralded. Or at least He tried to. But why?

May I offer one explanation? The “greater things” were never intended to draw attention to themselves, and definitely not intended to draw attention to our Master as a “Miracle Worker.” Yes, He did miracles, healing all sorts of maladies, and though those He raised to life died—again, and those who were sick got some other illness, the “greater thing” He did was in the most unassuming and quiet way: To quote from “El Shaddai” by Michael Card, “Your most awesome work was done by the frailty of Your Son.” And this “greater thing” lasts. Those who are raised from the death of sin and darkness, never die again. Those whose souls are healed from the sickness of sin’s cancer never get sick again.

And this quiet work often goes unnoticed like a quiet gentle breeze….

What do you think about the quietness of the “greater things” Jesus does? Your thoughts.

Main Text— John 1:48–51 (NIV84)— 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Additional Scriptures to Renew Your Thoughts

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.—John 3:8 (NIV84)

Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man [with leprosy], “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”—Matthew 8:3–4 (NIV84)

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.— John 6:14–15 (NIV84)

Lord Jesus Christ, as You continue to reveal Your glory to me, may I cherish the quiet miracles of the soul. 

Pastor Mike

“Slipping Away”

The other day I was introduced to a friend’s girlfriend. He said her name. I repeated her name as I shook her had. And repeated it again. A good habit I’ve used to remember many a person’s name, but this time it slipped out of my mind almost immediately as I turned to talk to someone else. At first I attempted to blame it on getting older, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that I was preoccupied with other thoughts—even though I used my faithful, good habit for remember names….

Have you found this to be the case when reading the Word of God? Sadly, I must admit that sometimes this is so for me. As v. 24 of our main text observes, I look at the Book, but my mind is preoccupied with other concerns, issues, and, dare I say, worries. Oh, I’m reading the words—even saying them out loud sometimes, but alas, they soon slip away….

One thing I have done for years, but have gotten away from as a habit, was journaling the text I was reading. Over time it became another opportunity for ‘sermon seeds’. (Now, on one hand, this is not ‘bad,’ but this would often lead to “how I could present it to others” and not “how can I apply this to my own life.”

I have returned to journaling and pondering and engaging the text, praying to Lord Jesus to apply in my life through His Holy Spirit this particular aspect of Truth which leads to freedom (v. 25). Some times the bites are manageable; while other times they are sizable, requiring more time to process. …

What are some ‘habits’ you use so that the Word doesn’t just slip away after reading it? Your thoughts?

Main Text— James 1:22–25 (NIV84)— 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Additional Scriptures to Renew Your Thoughts

To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”—John 8:31–32 (NIV84)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”—John 14:6 (NIV84)

 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.— John 17:17 (NIV84)

Lord Jesus Christ, I put You on as my Belt of Truth. May I be a Truth-bearer and not a tale-teller. Sanctify me by Your Word. Your Word is Truth. In Your Name, Amen.

Pastor Mike