At the congregation where my family and I worship, we have a regular booklet to guide our devotional thoughts during the week. It's a great resource to have, especially as it keeps our thoughts in view of the message we hear at the assembly of the saints on Sunday. We are encouraged daily with a Scripture reading, as well as guiding thought for the day. And as is appropriate for Advent, quite often these reflections are on some promise that God makes to us.
Taking time to reflect on God's Word is not easy for us in the Western world. We have been raised and taught that we are to be busy, active, and focused on all sorts of things. When at work, we are taught to focus on our work. We rarely take time to slow down, to stop, to think things through. I remember hearing from a number of pastors over the years that many in the congregations they served would view their personal study time as something to be questioned. Why? Because the pastor wasn't "doing something". His personal time of devotion and growing was seen as a waste because there was no activity to it.
It's difficult for us to slow down, to think, to reflect. In fact, I would dare say that we are bad at it, and don't want to develop that discipline within ourselves. Just imagine if you were sitting on your couch, or in your chair at work, quietly quoting a Psalm to yourself, letting the Spirit guide your thoughts, for about 4-5 minutes. How focused on the Psalm would you be? I would imagine that you would have all kinds of thoughts intrude and distract you from it. On top of that, what if someone saw you doing this. Would they think you were taking a nap? Bored? Needing more to do?
Quiet reflection time is precious. If you ever get a chance to read all the way through Psalm 119 (all 176 verses), one theme you will see is that of reflecting and meditating on God's Word and Law. How do we do that, though? What is gained by doing so? Well, we do it by taking a verse or two, reading them (sometimes even multiple times), and then considering the areas of our lives where these speak. We let the Spirit guide us to see where we may be doing this, or to correct us when we aren't doing it well. We may uncover sin issues that need to be confessed and dealt with. And as a side benefit, we also start to develop discipline in our thinking, which benefits us outside of our reflection times.
For this Advent season, I simply want to encourage you to consider taking 2-5 minutes daily for a reflection on a Scripture reading of some sort. Make it short, so you can remember it (or maybe even memorize it). Then let that Word work on you, your heart, your soul. If you find that you are not focused, take a deep breath and start again. Don't be frustrated with yourself over your lack of ability, especially if you haven't developed this discipline before. Start small, and work your way up. Maybe start with two minutes, with the goal of four or five by the end of the season. And let God's promise fill you as you reflect and develop this discipline.
Taking time to reflect on God's Word is not easy for us in the Western world. We have been raised and taught that we are to be busy, active, and focused on all sorts of things. When at work, we are taught to focus on our work. We rarely take time to slow down, to stop, to think things through. I remember hearing from a number of pastors over the years that many in the congregations they served would view their personal study time as something to be questioned. Why? Because the pastor wasn't "doing something". His personal time of devotion and growing was seen as a waste because there was no activity to it.
It's difficult for us to slow down, to think, to reflect. In fact, I would dare say that we are bad at it, and don't want to develop that discipline within ourselves. Just imagine if you were sitting on your couch, or in your chair at work, quietly quoting a Psalm to yourself, letting the Spirit guide your thoughts, for about 4-5 minutes. How focused on the Psalm would you be? I would imagine that you would have all kinds of thoughts intrude and distract you from it. On top of that, what if someone saw you doing this. Would they think you were taking a nap? Bored? Needing more to do?
Quiet reflection time is precious. If you ever get a chance to read all the way through Psalm 119 (all 176 verses), one theme you will see is that of reflecting and meditating on God's Word and Law. How do we do that, though? What is gained by doing so? Well, we do it by taking a verse or two, reading them (sometimes even multiple times), and then considering the areas of our lives where these speak. We let the Spirit guide us to see where we may be doing this, or to correct us when we aren't doing it well. We may uncover sin issues that need to be confessed and dealt with. And as a side benefit, we also start to develop discipline in our thinking, which benefits us outside of our reflection times.
For this Advent season, I simply want to encourage you to consider taking 2-5 minutes daily for a reflection on a Scripture reading of some sort. Make it short, so you can remember it (or maybe even memorize it). Then let that Word work on you, your heart, your soul. If you find that you are not focused, take a deep breath and start again. Don't be frustrated with yourself over your lack of ability, especially if you haven't developed this discipline before. Start small, and work your way up. Maybe start with two minutes, with the goal of four or five by the end of the season. And let God's promise fill you as you reflect and develop this discipline.
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