Page 12 - Good News April 2010 paper

"Very early in the
morning, while it
was still dark, He
[Jesus] got up, went
out, and made His
way to a deserted
place. And He was
praying there"
(Mark 1:35).
It is an exciting
t h o u g h t t h a t
spiritual staleness
need not be so.
Spiritual freshness
is available to us
all; and on a daily
basis.
Maintaining it, however, does not mean that we will the morning, before the day starts.
be exempt from having to face occasional trials and Some prefer the evening or
difficulties. It means, rather, that no matter how dry perhaps - as in the case of busy
and difficult our circumstances, our experience of mothers and wives - the late
God can remain fresh and vibrant. morning is better, when the family
What, then, is the first principle of maintaining has left and the house is quiet.
spiritual freshness? Establish a daily quiet time with Each must establish the best time
God in order to replenish your spiritual resources. according to preference or
Some modern-day Christians balk at this idea. They convenience. I'm merely saying
say, “The Lord is with us all the time. Why do we that a certain time of the day
need to fence off a particular part of the day to spend ought not to belong to the day, but
time with Him? A daily quiet time can soon bring to the getting of resources for the
one into legalism.” I am well aware of this danger, day.
but again I say - it need not be so. There have been Start the day right and you will
periods in my own life when my quiet time was end it right.
nothing more than a ritual, but that was more a Prayer:
consequence than a cause. O God, help me to see that just as I
The best period for a quiet time, in my opinion, is in need to take time each day to feed
myself physically, so I also daily
need to take time to feed myself
spiritually. Help me not just to
acknowledge this, but to act on it.
In Christ's Name I pray. Amen.
[Every Day with Jesus Bible, with
Devotions by Selwyn Hughes,
Holman Bible Publishers, 2004].