I was reading about the familiar story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. Recap: Jesus was a guest in their house. Martha and Mary were hostesses and as such had preparation duties to perform. Well, maybe Martha. Not Mary. Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him speak. Martha? She got more and more frazzled AND irritated. She even told Jesus her frustration. Unfortunately for her, Jesus commended Mary because “she chose the good part.” In other words, she chose the more important thing at the time: sit and listen to Jesus.
I thought about that in comparison to me. I know things clamor for my attention. I woke up this morning with things on my mind of what I needed to do today-some before I even get to the office. I tend to be pretty rigid about my morning schedule-get up, shower (that’s a good thing), then getting to the office as close to 5:00 as possible. One thing stands in between the shower and the office: my Encounter Time (ET).
It’s not a legalistic thing; it’s a life-saving thing. I have my ET to save me. It draws me to Jesus. I spend time with Him. I could find other things to do for this hour span. Sleep an extra hour. Work at the office. Work out at home, especially in the winter. But I have come to look at my ET as my lifeblood. I have mine in the morning because 1) I am fresher; 2) Less interruptions; 3) I need to start my day out right; 4) I know the distractions that will come later in the day.
I need to be in God’s Presence. I do not speak in hyperbole when I say, “I NEED THIS TIME!” Skipping this time is not a good thing for me! I’ve tried it before and the results were not pretty.
This is not a guilt trip for you. This is an “encouragement trip.” 🙂 Find the time that works best for you and fits your lifestyle. The important thing is to have that private meeting with God.
“Father, I need that time with You. May it always be one I look forward to and relish and draw strength from.”
ET is so important to God’s people. While I’ve been getting up early these days that doesn’t stop me from having ET throughout the day. I love to take time time out every couple of hours and just either read God’s word, or pray.
It’s important to at least have one Ed. I applaud you taking time to do it.
It is encouraging to hear about your “ET”. I must admit, I am not even close to being that regimented. I should be, guilt trip or not, I need to be. Yesterday was a prime example. I would have been much better equipped to handle the failure of my laptop to reboot after a crash. It is back up and running this morning after recovering what data I could, taking a trip to the store to buy a replacement, installing and rebuilding my system. Long day that probably would have at least been framed with the proper mindset to deal with the situation. It really is about priorities… I need to make ET a number 1 in the morning.
That is why I have mine early Ryan. Even if I had one at another time, it would have be interrupted. I’m glad you recognize the need.
You’ve reminded me, Bill, that I need to set my time with God in a more fixed way, before the day gets up and running, and hence, out of hand. I won’t be getting up at five, but I do have lots of quiet here in the mornings, so I will make sure that time is spent with my Father.
Blessings!
Each person’s time is their own as you have said Martha. I’m encouraged that you will find the time.