Quiet time! That is not something we get much of in the world in which we live. Everywhere we go there is noise and distraction. From TVs in every lobby and waiting room to the constant presence of a cell phone, our time is full of bustling energy. Some would call it chaos. I'm sure the mother caring for small children and the corporate executive alike would love some quiet time now and then.
I read one time about a man who got up two hours early in the morning just to practice quiet time. It was a time where he could read, pray or just sit and meditate. I decided to try it. On the days that I make myself get out of bed early enough, it is well worth it. I find that things are much clearer in the quiet of the early mornings. I sit, clear my mind and talk quietly to God. Whatever comes to mind, that is what I pray about.Sometimes God reminds me of things I have long forgotten about - sometimes there is even understanding that I didn't have before. On some days God brings people to mind and I pray for them. More than anything it is a time to let God refresh me before the chaotic bustle of the day begins.
Many of us are not comfortable with quiet time. It reminds of things we do not want to think on. It is much easier to fill the mind with entertainment or than to search the soul. I am a Pentecostal and come from a church tradition that stresses jubilant, noisy worship. We are taught to pray loud and hard. Indeed some do not even think they are praying if they are not saying something. But prayer is two-way communication with God. Naturally we need the times of "crying aloud" to God. We need the joyful foot stomping, handclapping praise that we love so much. But we also need the quiet times when we allow God to do the speaking.
For God does indeed speak. How? He speaks in a myriad of ways, depending on the situation. One way that he speaks to me is through my thoughts. When I have been praying about something and suddenly I know what to do, he is speaking. When I have been puzzled over a problem and the answer comes unbidden to mind, he is speaking. I find these "sudden knowings" come most often in the quiet of early morning when I clear my mind and allow God to speak.
If you are needing some answers I challenge you to try some quiet time this week! It will be well worth it.
4/29/13
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Faith is knowing that God will come through for me even when I don't understand what is going on around me. Faith is trusting him to supply my needs even when my emotions or telling me to be afraid. Faith is having the confidence to know God can even if I don't understand how he does it. I don't have to know how, I just know He will.
When I take my car to the mechanic I leave it in good faith knowing he will fix it. I don't tell him what is wrong. I tell him it is making a funny noise and expect him to find out why. When he says, it's fixed I pay the bill and trust him. That is faith. It is when I can ask God to fix it, leave it with him, and trust him when he says it is fixed.
Lord let me trust you more than I trust my mechanic. Amen!
Faith is knowing that God will come through for me even when I don't understand what is going on around me. Faith is trusting him to supply my needs even when my emotions or telling me to be afraid. Faith is having the confidence to know God can even if I don't understand how he does it. I don't have to know how, I just know He will.
When I take my car to the mechanic I leave it in good faith knowing he will fix it. I don't tell him what is wrong. I tell him it is making a funny noise and expect him to find out why. When he says, it's fixed I pay the bill and trust him. That is faith. It is when I can ask God to fix it, leave it with him, and trust him when he says it is fixed.
Lord let me trust you more than I trust my mechanic. Amen!
4/26/13
Success
I have a card on the wall next to my desk that was given to me last year at my ordination by friends from work. On the front is a quote by Booker T. Washington: "Success is to be measured not so much by the position reached in life as by the obstacles overcome while trying to succeed." How true those words are!
I am convinced that we spend far too much time in life worrying about what other people are thinking and doing. The old expression about keeping up with the Joneses is still true today. We see what other people have and we think, "now they are successful." But success just can't be measured that way.
I know a man who could barely read when he and his wife married. He never went to school enough to learn. Today he is an ordained minister. For those who are unaware, it might be a small thing to hear him in the pulpit. For him it is a miracle that he can stand and read scripture before a congregation. It would not be wise for him to compare himself to someone from a "well-to-do" home with a college education; the playing fields just weren't equal but today he is a huge success.
Are you feeling like you're up against something you can't beat? Just take a look behind you and see how far you've come. You might find the strength you need to get over the hurdle. And you just might find that you've been far more successful than you ever thought possible!
Thoughtfully Yours,
Sullivan Jones
I am convinced that we spend far too much time in life worrying about what other people are thinking and doing. The old expression about keeping up with the Joneses is still true today. We see what other people have and we think, "now they are successful." But success just can't be measured that way.
I know a man who could barely read when he and his wife married. He never went to school enough to learn. Today he is an ordained minister. For those who are unaware, it might be a small thing to hear him in the pulpit. For him it is a miracle that he can stand and read scripture before a congregation. It would not be wise for him to compare himself to someone from a "well-to-do" home with a college education; the playing fields just weren't equal but today he is a huge success.
Are you feeling like you're up against something you can't beat? Just take a look behind you and see how far you've come. You might find the strength you need to get over the hurdle. And you just might find that you've been far more successful than you ever thought possible!
Thoughtfully Yours,
Sullivan Jones
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