All to Myself
By
Jeannine Sawall
"I
want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I
want burnt offerings.”
Hosea
6:6 (NLT)
Two years ago, some
friends and I were talking about our quiet times with the Lord: when it works
best for our schedules (morning versus evening) and how having routine quiet
times impacts not only our daily lives, but our family’s lives as well. As
we continued our conversation, the question came up about quiet times on
Sundays. If you’re headed to church, do you need to have a quiet time on
Sunday, or is your time at church good spiritual nourishment for the day. There
were varying answers; neither right nor wrong. But there was an answer I loved
the best. One of my friends said, “I still have a quiet time on Sunday because
I love having Him all to myself.”
That answer has stuck
with me. Oftentimes, my quiet time gets pushed back in my day due to busy
schedules and getting the kids off for school. Even Sunday mornings are gallant
efforts to move everyone efficiently out the door to church, let alone have a
quiet time before we go. While I know quiet times are a vital part of my
daily existence, sometimes they seem to be one more thing I need to check off
on my “to-do list” before I can get on with my day.
However, after hearing
my friends answer, I’ve come to the conclusion that a change in my
“heart-titude” will affect how I look at my quiet time. When I approach the
throne out of dedication to “doing the right Christian thing,” yes, I get
“credit” for having spent time with the Lord…and, more often than not, in His
great grace, God fills me and meets with me, despite my “Quick! Let’s get it
done” attitude. But when I approach Him out of devotion, with the heart
of one who longs to be with her Lord, I come away not just with enough to get
me through the day, but I come away overwhelmed by His love and overflowing
with His glory.
The Lord desires our
love over sacrifice. He wants us to know Him and love Him more than He wants us
to do our duty to Him. Our heart attitudes should reflect the privilege He
gives us when we come together. Rather than HAVING to have a quiet time, we GET
to have a quiet time because there’s no greater joy than having Him all to
ourselves!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What does your
heart reflect as you make time for your quiet time?
2. How can you
change your schedule to allow time to have the Lord all to yourself?
FURTHER READING:
Jeannine
is a wife and mother of four active boys. She works in the property management
business. Jeannine serves with the Oakwood café and is actively involved in
ministry to those walking through grief.
