Quiet Time Cautions
Read: Matthew 6:5-8 Meditation: vs. 7 ("But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions...") Explanation: Chapter 6 of Matthew is in the middle of Jesus' known discourse, the Sermon on the Mount. Here Jesus pulls His disciples apart from the crowd to teach them in some of the weightier issue of the Christian life. Much of the emphasis of His teaching centered on the concept that God is more concerned with the condition of the heart than He is with the actions. He wasn't negating religious actions; He was simply teaching that "externals" are of no value apart from heart-felt obedience. This was a major issue for the Pharisees, and Christ didn't want His disciples to do the same. One of the issues within this discourse was prayer. He was very concerned that His disciples understood the importance of it, and how to do it. One of the instructions given was "...use not vain repetitions..." Christ didn't have anything against repetition; He was concerned with "vain" repetition. Vain repetition is when you are babbling words without a purpose. When this happens, your prayers become useless. Relationship to Quiet Time: Having a Quiet Time (spending time with God every day for the purpose of cultivating a relationship with God that is life-changing) is one of the greatest disciplines of the Christian life. But unlike other spiritual disciplines, it is one that is repeated on a daily basis. You go to church once a week, youth activities once a month, but you have your Quiet Time every day. Anytime we do something on a repeated basis, we are in danger of it becoming "vain" like the prayers of the Pharisees. Knowing that the problem isn't with the principle of Quiet Time, we have to do what it takes to continue this discipline (repetition), while guarding against it becoming meaningless and purposeless (vain). Tips for Avoiding a "Vain" Quiet Time How Can I Keep My Quiet Time from becoming "Old Hat?" Be cautious of a... 1. Quiet Time without a plan. Know what you're doing when you show up. 2. Quiet Time without a tool. A good devotional (tool) helps you with extra insight on a passage, keeps you organized and focused on an issue, etc. 3. Quiet Time without enough time. 10 minutes won't do. Be sure you allow yourself enough time to do it without rush. 4. Quiet Time without application. If you'll give time to meditate on what you read, God will bring to your attention how it applies to you. Be patient. 5. Quiet Time without journaling. Journaling will take discipline, but it is very helpful in "nailing down" your commitments. 6. Quiet Time without variety. Stay out of routine and rut by changing up your plan and your devotionals regularly. Do what it takes to keep it "fresh." And remember, nothing that is worthwhile comes easy, especially when you are dealing with spiritual things. Satan will be attacking you, trying to get you discouraged. Ask God to help you guard against his attacks. We are praying that many of you will make commitments to strengthen your devotional time with God. In Christ, The PC Staff
