The Secret.

The other morning, I was reading through Elisabeth Elliot's devotional book, "Keep A Quiet Heart" and this quote jumped out at me:

“God came down and lived in this same world as a man. He showed us how to live in this world, subject to its vicissitudes and necessities, that we might be changed----not into an angel or a storybook princess, not wafted into another world. The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”

And again, I realized: Anything good that comes out of our lives is because of Him and Him alone. Not us. Or even us in changed circumstances! Jesus Christ set an example when he walked this earth as a man, but we can only perservere with the strength and guidance He lends us each new day.

And for that, I am truly grateful!

Filled.

“So that’s why I felt so dry!”

I’m training to become a volunteer client advocate at our local pregnancy center. Last night, when I attended the first session, I was fully prepared to hear statistics on abortion, learn proper counseling approaches and techniques, and be given specific case-by-case scenarios to work through.

Nothing of the sort. Not yet.

I was rather humbled.

Instead, we discussed how to prepare our own hearts in order to more effectively reach the hearts of our clients. The example was given of a large, glass pitcher, sitting on a shelf, smudged with dirt and grime, filled with junk and cobwebs. No one could use the pitcher without doing some major scrubbing out and filling first!

Once all the junk was scrubbed and scraped and rinsed out of the pitcher, it was shiny and clean....but it was still empty! You can only go for so long on empty! God works despite us—whether we allowed ourselves to be filled or not—but in order to be the most effective minister, we need to be asking Him to clean and fill us every single day, instead of giving leftovers to our clients—all the stale and stagnant things saved up from yesterday.

When we take that time to sit at His feet, to delight in His Word, and grow in the wisdom and knowledge of Him, we won’t just be filled. We will be spilling over onto everyone we come in contact with!

Morning Prayer.

I collect prayers. Especially ones like this. It is one my favorites: a prayer for every morning.

"Almighty God, we bless and praise Thee that we have wakened to the light of another earthly day; and now we will think of what a day should be. Our days are Thine, let them be spent for Thee. Our days are few; let them be spent with care.

"There are dark days behind us: forgive their sinfulness. There
may be dark days before us: strengthen us for their trials. We pray Thee
to shine on us this day -- the day which we may call our own.

"Lord, we go to our daily work; help us to be faithful in doing
it. Let all we do be well done, fit for Thine eye to see. Give us
strength to do, patience to bear; let our courage never fail.

"When we cannot love our work, let us think of it as Thy task and by our
true love to Thee, make unlovely things shine in the light of Thy great
love.

"Amen. "

-George Dawson (1821-1876)-

Clutter.

It’s amazing how complicated our lives have become, all in the name of simplicity.

So, you want to have a quiet time. Walk into any Christian bookstore or gift shop and you will find yourself instantly inundated with a million devices to help you jump-start or enhance your personal time with the Lord.

Electronic hand-held Bibles, anyone? Perfect for Bible-reading on-the-go. (Work-bound fathers, stuck in post-Starbucks-run, mid-rush-hour-traffic come to mind here.) Or better yet, ditch the handheld Bible—how about a Biblezine? Perfect for teens, a Biblezine is complete with topical articles, all “relevant” to today’s culture (as well as full-color illustrations, quizzes, tips, and lifestyle features appealing directly to the age group specified on the top right-hand of the cover).

But, if the “Bible magazine” look is a little beyond the realm of your appreciation, why not try a “Clearly-U” Bible? Because, guess what? You get to choose the cover from a variety of innovative, chic designs! Kids, especially, will love it.

Moving on. Devotional books, everyone? And I do mean everyone. Here we have devotionals and study books for the unmarried, the newly married, the “I’m-tired-of-being-married”, and the “I-don’t-intend-to-marry”. How about for expectant mothers? Frustrated mothers? Single mothers? Dieting mothers? Teenage mothers? Mothers of teenagers? Don’t forget the devotional books for pet-lovers, sports-lovers, gardeners and graduates!

And in case you’re feeling a little lost after 40 purposeful days, you may want to reinforce your spiritual stability with a book on how to reclaim your best life at the time when you want it most (no personal axe to grind here, of course). Or, better yet: how to make Jabez’s age-old prayer ‘fresh’ in your life again.

I digress.

The point is, we have too many choices. What was once offered in the name of simplicity, is now threatening to steal that very gift from us.

The other day, I sat down to read my Bible and in passing, thought how nice it would be to have a One-Year Bible that laid out my reading plan for me. Then, I wondered whether there was one published in my favorite translation. I vaguely speculated on the design of the book—whether it was aesthetically pleasing and whether or not the typesetting would be easy on the eyes. Would there be a study guide? Maybe one for single girls like me? Single girls who—

I stopped short.

My quiet time, in its truest, barest, most honest form, is this:

God. His Word. Myself.

Nothing more.

The extras are helpful (because of course there are some incredible resources available today which should not be discounted by any means) but they are not an end in themselves.

Quiet time begins and ends with the relationship: and until we have that established, no amount of consumer appeal, dressing up the Gospel, fancy gadgets, or relevancy is going to make it any better, easier, or pretty.

So. Is God’s Word for every Christian? Can we understand it in all of its glorious depth and richness? Do we truly need relevancy and fresh perspectives in order to seek and understand His will in our lives?

Those who ask will have it given to them. Those who seek will also find. And to those who knock, the door will be opened to them. Then we can truly echo the Psalmist when he says,

“O, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day!”

God. His Word. Myself.

Here. Eternity.

Simple, really.