Fifteen Minutes with God
All followers of Jesus Christ know that it is a positive thing to spend time with God. I’m not talking about church, I am talking about between the Sundays, seeking to do it daily as a life habit. It has often been called a quiet time, and most of our lives don’t have much of that. While we say it is important, often no one has ever told us how to have a time with God. So today, let’s give it a small enough bite that any of us could accomplish. How about fifteen minutes a day with God?
Got Up At 5:30 To Spend Time With God
When I was a young believer, I kept hearing stories about some guy who got up at 5:30 every morning to spend time with God, so I thought I would try it. I was in a boarding school, my parents were overseas, and I think the story of the guy came from my Mom, in her sermon #14 about how I ought to keep up a quiet time. Armed with 5:30am on the brain, and knowing that it involved reading my Bible, I decided to be like the guy I heard about. I got up at 5:30, much to the chagrin of my roommate. Two hours later he got up and found me sound asleep with my head down on my Bible. So much for that.
Spiritual Discipline
I have followed Jesus for over 40 years and now, I would find a couple hours with God to be a delightful thing, but that is something I have grown into over the years. It is not something that would come natural to any of us, that is why it has often been called a spiritual discipline. Paul told young pastor Timothy to “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). I compare it to exercise. I once read that most people, unless they have been injured somehow can run a mile. Or as we age, walk a mile, both are good. But that is where to start and just do it. So, could we give fifteen minutes with God?
Make An Appointment With God
We all keep a schedule, it used to be a day planner, these days it is a smart phone. We make it to our appointments, what if we would make an appointment with God? The same time, that is His, every day? It doesn’t have to be 5:30 in the morning! Some people even set aside a particular place; I recall a friend of mine had a chair in his basement he told me was the place where he went to meet with God.
Listening To God And Talking To Him
The key elements of a time with God are the same as any conversation. Listening to Him and talking to Him. When we read the Bible, it is His word, and when we read it, He speaks to us. Everything He has to say is written down there, in the words of the Bible. It is important, Jesus Himself said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). When He said that, He was quoting something He had read in the Old Testament, it is found in Deuteronomy 8:3. That’s how important it is.
Talk To Him Like You Would Talk To A Friend
Then we talk to Him and He wants to hear from us too. He contrasts it with being anxious! “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). We read God’s word, and we talk to Him, we ask Him for things, we tell Him how we feel. He wants to listen to anything and everything. He speaks our English just fine; it does not have to be fancy or theological. Just talk to Him like you would talk to a friend, because He is.
So, if we are going to plan out fifteen minutes with God, find a place, get quiet, turn off anything making noise, take a deep breath and just ask God to guide the time together. Show me what I should learn from your word and teach me to pray in my heart.
Read A Chapter A Day
The Bible is marked off in books and chapters, a good start is to read a chapter a day, that will keep it in your fifteen minutes. A good place to start is the Gospel of John, it has 21 chapters which will give you a three week start. Another plan might be to take the book of Proverbs, it has 31 chapters, one for each day of the calendar in a month. Read your chapter, maybe take a note pad and write down one thing that stood out to you in the chapter, and what should I do in response to the fact I know that. We read the Bible with the goal of obeying what it says. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
Take Some Time To Pray.
Then take some time to pray. Talk to God about what is going on in your life and ask Him for His wisdom to help you. Talk to Him about loved ones who need His help or healing. Ask Him to help you do better at something you want to work on in your life. Thank Him for some good things that He has done for you.
About now you will probably be way beyond fifteen minutes with God, and one day you will see why the guy got up at 5:30 in the morning. It is a pleasant thing to spend time with God. Could we give Him 15 minutes? It’s a start. “For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (Proverbs 2:7).
Chasing Sunsets – Pastor Clay’s Devotions
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