How Much Time in a Day?
Happy are those who don’t listen to the wicked,
who don’t go where sinners go,
who don’t do what evil people do.
They love the Lord’s teachings,
and they think about those teachings day and night.
They are strong, like a tree planted by a river.
The tree produces fruit in season,
and its leaves don’t die.
Everything they do will succeed.
(Psalm 01: 1-3)
One of the early disciplines that we may have to learn in Christian living is to take time to read God's word. As we grow, both physically and spiritually, the love for the Lord's teachings increases in us and we continue to see how miraculous, powerful and meaningful is every word in the Bible is. It was all written for a reason, every word in the Bible, and surely the Bible has intimate synchrony with human moments.
I have personally been so amused and surprised at the miraculous ways in which God has been talking to me through these words. I have always been a failure when it comes to regular Bible reading and it took me time, even years, to discipline myself with everyday reading. Sometimes I feel the struggle continues and it is in such times that I feel that I have to become closer and nearer to the Lord.
I have a good friend of mine, Shadrak Yamarthi, whom I first met at the Youth Fellowship at Koramangala Methodist Church in Bangalore. One of the things that he never forgets to ask when we get to meet is about the quiet times. After the regular "hi"s and "how are you?"s following a long week, he will remember to ask me "how are your Quiet Times, Eby? Are you able to make time to spend with the Lord?" Indeed, Shadrak's this casual question reminded me of the Christian discipline that we may have to follow every day. He was someone who always reminded me of the importance of spending time with God even in the midst of the busy schedule I would have had then as a postgraduate student.
How much time in a day do we spend in appreciating what God has blessed us with, praising Him for who HE IS, thanking Him for what He has done in our lives, giving our worries and anxieties into His precious hands, reading His word and knowing the promises and teachings He has for us for that particular day? How much time? Some people make it a point to give one-tenth of the day's time to the Lord. They make sure that throughout the day, they find time now and then to spend with the Lord. Some believe that it does not necessarily need to be a reserved time and say that they keep conversing with the Lord throughout the day as they face each and every moment of that day.
Psalm 01 reminds us and points out, that whatever timetable, or routine or schedule we have set for the day, we are first asked to "love the Lord's teachings" and then to "think about those teachings day and night." Probably this would be the best advice when it comes to the question "how much time in a day do I need to spend reading and meditating the word of God?" Yes! Not for the sake of reading it. Not for the discipline of being a Christian. And, not for the fear that something bad may overcome you if miss reading it. But, as Children of God, we are invited to having this beautiful relationship with God and we must love the Lord's teachings. It is only then that these teachings make sense in our lives and we begin to live by them. It is not about how much time or how many chapters, but about how much do you love the Lord's teachings and desire to live by them.
The second truth that we learn about our closeness to the Lord's teaching is about what we do the entire day with what we have read. Psalm 01 reminds us to think about, meditate, contemplate what we had read throughout the day. It says "day and night!" We are called to remind ourselves of the promises, teachings and laws of the Lord throughout the day, morning and evening, lunchtime and tea time, as we walk and as we run, as we ride and as we drive, as we laugh and as we cry, we are invited to having this intimate relationship with God through His word.
Let our love towards the Lord's teachings grow day by day, Let us make "thinking about those teachings" a lifestyle of everyday life. Let us see how marvellous and miraculous is the Lord's teachings as they help us to live life according to God's purpose and be a blessing to many in this world. May the power and blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us and help us as continue to love and think about the Lord's teachings in our everyday life and be so close and connected to God's calling in our lives.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
"Jesus my treasure" by Canyon Hills Worship
