{"id":17667,"date":"2014-02-08T00:01:06","date_gmt":"2014-02-08T05:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=17667"},"modified":"2014-02-07T22:29:49","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T03:29:49","slug":"christlife-intentional-quiet-time-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2014\/02\/08\/christlife-intentional-quiet-time-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"CHRISTLife — An Intentional Quiet Time (part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_1391\"<\/a>Each Saturday for the next four weeks, we will look in-depth at a few of the most important aspects of having a quiet time<\/em>—or as some folks call it—a devotional time<\/em>. \u00a0What comes to mind when I use those words “quiet time or devotional time”? \u00a0(I would love to hear your responses below in the comments section!)<\/p>\n

Awhile ago, I had talked with a few friends about their own quiet time.\u00a0 Gathering from their experiences, there seem to be a few basic components which include:<\/p>\n

Bible Reading<\/span>
\nPrayer
\nPraise Songs
\nMeditation
\nSeeking the Lord<\/p>\n

This week \u00a0we will focus on one of the most important components of a devotional time\u2014spending time\u00a0reading the Bible<\/b>.\u00a0 If we are to come to know God, we must begin to seek Him where He has made Himself known\u2026and that is in His written Word, the Bible.<\/p>\n

I would venture to say that almost every single one of us owns a Bible (at least one).\u00a0 Did you know that the Bible continues to be the\u00a0best-selling\u00a0book in the world?*\u00a0 One reason the Bible is so popular is that it is God\u2019s Rule Book. \u00a0He reveals Himself within the pages of the Bible.\u00a0 In the words of His written Word, we find that:<\/p>\n

The\u00a0law<\/b>\u00a0<\/em>of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
\nThe\u00a0testimony<\/b><\/em>\u00a0of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
\nThe\u00a0precepts<\/em><\/b>\u00a0of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
\nThe\u00a0commandment<\/b><\/em>\u00a0of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
\nThe fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
\nThe\u00a0judgments<\/b>\u00a0<\/em>of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
\nThey are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
\nSweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
\nMoreover, by them Your servant is warned;
\nIn keeping them there is great reward.
\nPsalms 19:7-11<\/p>\n

So, we learn in this passage that the Bible\u2014which contains the Lord\u2019s\u00a0law, testimony, precepts, commandments and judgments<\/b>\u2014is to be desired! \u00a0The Scriptures can be to us, as the Psalmist wrote, more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey!\u00a0 And, in keeping (obeying) the words of the Bible (the Lord\u2019s law, testimony, precepts, commandments and judgments) there is great reward!\u00a0 Such encouragement there is then to spend time\u00a0reading the Bible<\/b>, wouldn\u2019t you agree?<\/p>\n

One of my oh-so-very favorite Scripture passages is Psalm 119.\u00a0 (And, yes, it directly correlates to the psalm we just read\u2014Psalm 19!\u00a0 You noticed that, hmmm? Watch, you\u2019ll see!)\u00a0 Psalm 119 is the longest chapter contained in any of the 66 books of the Bible; \u00a0it totals 176 verses.\u00a0 Each of these 176 verses communicates a different truth about the Lord\u2019s\u00a0law, testimony, precepts, commandments and judgments<\/b>\u00a0along with His\u00a0ways, statues, and ordinances<\/b>.\u00a0 I find it so amazing (our Lord IS so amazing!) that every single verse tells us something new and different!\u00a0 Reading and considering and meditating upon the dynamic truths contained in this ONE chapter could be a continuing study for your quiet time.\u00a0 Perhaps these three verses would be a good place to start:<\/p>\n

With all my heart I have sought You;<\/strong>
\nDo not let me wander from Your commandments.<\/strong>
\nYour word I have treasured in my heart,<\/strong>
\nThat I may not sin against You.<\/strong>
\nBlessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes.<\/strong>
\nPsalm 119:10-12<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our heart’s desire—is to seek God!\u00a0 He is what we yearn for\u2026just to be with Him!\u00a0 And these three verses express that desire so simply.<\/p>\n

Here is a link to a cd that I think you\u00a0will find a useful tool for your devotional time.\u00a0 It is called\u00a0Psalm 119 in Song<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0by Susie Kimbrough, \u00a0a compilation\u00a0of the 22 songs from Psalm 119 all of which are original musical compositions.\u00a0 Listen to each of the selections and meditate on the Scriptures being sung.<\/p>\n

Every day, perhaps every morning, set aside a dedicated time to spend simply reading the Bible. \u00a0My own experience has taught me that unless I determine to intentionally pursue spending time each morning reading…it just escapes me through the busyness of the day. \u00a0And, yes, during most seasons of life that means setting my alarm a bit earlier than I would prefer. \u00a0But it is so worth it! \u00a0And maybe you simply start off with 10-15 minutes; could you squeeze that in? \u00a0Some people like to read through chronologically. \u00a0Some prefer to read a particular book through, and then move on to another. \u00a0There are many different Bible reading plans\/schedules<\/a> out there. \u00a0You can even choose one through an app and then, automatically, every day you will be sent a portion of the Scriptures to read…how handy is that?!?<\/p>\n

Keep seeking for and desiring Him…your heavenly Father has MUCH to show you about Himself through His Word, the Bible! \u00a0Enjoy your quiet time with Him. \u00a0As you do, He will keep you from wandering, help you not to sin, and will teach you His statutes (Psalms 119:10-12). \u00a0Praying for each of you!\u00a0 I know that the Lord will answer your heart\u2019s cry as you seek Him\u00a0with all your heart! \u00a0(Know how I can make that absolute statement? \u00a0The Bible tells me so!)<\/p>\n

The Bible is the best-selling book in the world:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.booksellerworld.com\/bestselling-booksever.htm<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.guinnessworldrecords.com\/world-records\/1\/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each Saturday for the next four weeks, we will look in-depth at a few of the most important aspects of having a quiet time—or as some folks call it—a devotional time. \u00a0What comes to mind when I use those words “quiet time or devotional time”? \u00a0(I would love to hear your responses below in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":7262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5040],"tags":[145,5390,235,5392,5389,1287,425,5391,1404,5388,5387,861,1290,5386,1141],"class_list":["post-17667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christlife-bible-study","tag-bible-reading","tag-bible-reading-plan","tag-coleen-hayden","tag-dedicated-devotional-time","tag-desiring-god","tag-gch","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-intentional-quiet-time","tag-psalm-119","tag-psalms-11910-12","tag-psalms-197-11","tag-quiet-time","tag-seeking-him","tag-susie-kimbrough","tag-womens-online-bible-study","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/IMG_1391.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-4AX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17667"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17673,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17667\/revisions\/17673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}