Last year when I worked in the office I
interviewed people to go on the field. One of the questions that I
asked was " Do you have a regular devotion time, and what is that
like?" The answer was mostly the same. It was . . ."well it is
rather infrequent, I have one at least a couple times a week. I'm
excited for when I go on this trip. Because it's really hard for me
to find time now and it will be so easy to find time and really spend
good quality time with him." Unfortunately, quite the op
posite is
true. The longer you are on the field, the more you push yourself
into a life of ministry, the busier you get and the harder it is for
you to find time, by yourself with God. Because everything is
centered around God we feel that we are getting two birds with one
stone, but in truth we are just throwing our stone up in the air and
hoping that it will hit something.
To serve God each day we need to spend
time with just God, no other agenda in our minds. We do this to get
refreshed and refilled. It's hard to spend time, there are so many
things to get done. It is so easy to put that at the bottom of my
list, but the truth is it needs to be at the top. It is the most
crucial part of my day, the most crucial part of anyone's day. How
can we ever hope to do anything for God? Without being in tune with
him, and figuring out where his heart is and what he wants to do.
It's like a day without centering it
first on God is just throwing constant stones up in the air, hoping
to hit a bird, but in the process hitting myself and those in close
proximity to me.
I'm very big on freedom in Christ, and
having things not look like a formula, but at the same time I realize
the importance of being filled, restored, and re-aimed each day. I
think that can look totally different to each person. It might just
be a prayer as you walk out the door, or it could be an hour spent in
deep digging in the bible and intense prayer. I don't really care,
but there has to be something.