Quiet Time- Part Two

‘Oh, but my quiet time is my favorite time of the day. I just love spending time with the Lord.’

I know this line. I have said it to myself and others a thousand times- and for the most part, I said it with a genuine heart. I love to study the Word. I am learning ancient languages so I can do so more intimately and carefully. I love to pray. Give me a prayer meeting with close friends and mentors, and I am a happy girl. And for years, that is why I prioritized it above all else- I just loved spending time with the Lord.

I was not only the teller of the analogy of Part One, but also a firm believer in the truth I thought it represented. In order for me to grow in my relationship with God; in order for me to get closer to my Best Friend- I needed to spend long hours studying the Word and in prayer. Problems arose when I realized the selfishness behind this belief and my quiet times.

Of course, I would try to dispense what I learned to others, but mainly- my quiet times were meant for me. It was my time with God; time that I chose to spend for me; time I needed to spend for me.

Red flags should always go up when we hear things like these go through our minds. And for me, those red flags eventually led to a white flag; one that went up as soon as my heart started to grasp the truth of this verse-

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
Galatians 2:20

I realized that the majority of my life was being lived by me and for me- not by Christ and for Christ. My quiet times were no exception. I was choosing to spend that time in a way I wanted, as opposed to the way Christ would want to live through me. And as far as I can see in Scripture, the life of Christ (and therefore the life of a believer) was always other-focused. For Christ to live through me, my selfish desires would have to be surrendered to that which benefited and blessed others.

Take another look at the requirements and recommendations from Part One-

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.
Matthew 7:12

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:37-39

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
Matthew 28:19

I appeal to you, therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Romans 12:1

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:27

Notice a theme? I’ll give you a hint- it is not me. First and foremost- the life of a Christian is marked by sacrifice on behalf of others. Why? Because that is what marked the life of Christ, Himself-

By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
1 John 3:16

I don’t get to choose how I love God- He has already demonstrated and qualified in Scripture what love means to Him. It is the pouring out of my life so that others may benefit and be blessed. As this principle applies to my life in its entirety- my quiet times are most certainly included. They are to be for the benefit and blessing of others- not for me.

You see, if I truly understand my relationship with God (that He is completely sovereign, and therefore I am completely dependent), I am no longer required (or recommended) to live for myself. My dependency on and trust in God for all things frees my heart and life to be emptied of my own concerns and filled with those of others. And like I wrote in Part One, my quiet time is meant only to compel and propel me to that end.

It is my understanding that if I really want to be and live as a friend of God; if I really want to be closer to Him- quiet times are only the pre-game. They are the behind the scenes of faithfulness, not the main event. The show only really begins when we stand up from that time (caps replaced on color-coded pens, and last sip taken), and walk in obedience and faithfulness to that which we just read and prayed. Only then we will really know (and love) what it really means to be a friend of God.

(A rereading of what was supposed to be the second half of a two part post has me realizing there is still a Part Three.)