Having Devotions–Or is a Quiet Time?

The Importance of  Having Daily Devotions or a Quiet Time

(From a four-part talk given at New Life Church, Ukiah, CA; June 18, 2016)

The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.… We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be. 

~My Utmost for His Highest, January 6

Quiet time or devotions?

I can only speak from my own experience.

Back in the Dark Ages when I gave my heart to Christ, I was told that to grow as a Christian, I needed to spend time alone with God.

There, I would learn about Him, listen to him, respond to him, and my heart, mind, soul, and life would change.

I like directions and so I followed what the good folks at Trinity Lutheran Church in San Pedro called “having a daily quiet time.”

I’ve been doing it ever since, with only one alteration in all those years.

Let’s start with a definition:

“Quiet time” suggests sitting quietly and listening—whether to the Bible or to God’s answers to your prayers.

It has a sense of “receiving” from God and can be likened and really, is, meditating on the Bible passages.

It also touches on “listening” to how and what God says in answer to your prayers.

“Devotions” suggests “being devoted” particularly to God and showing your devotion by reading a devotional book, the Bible and praying.

“Having devotions” feels more like an action than having a “Quiet Time.”

But really, they are parts of the same thing, as described in several passages of Scripture:

Mark 1:35 “In the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

Mark 6:31 “Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.”

Matthew 6:6: “When you pray, enter into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly.”

Basically, it’s just spending time alone with God.

It’s you and God, communing, talking, listening—Him to you; you to Him, responding and sorting yourself out until you are at peace with the One who loves you best of all.

But what does it look like? What do you do in a Quiet Time?

There are three parts to a quiet time or a devotional time.

In my life, they boil down to

• Reading three Bible passages
• Praying
• Reading a devotional book to get “in the mood.”

Here are the rest of the posts:

2. Devotions: Bible Reading?

3. Devotions: Prayer

4. Devotions: How to use a Devotional Book.

Tweetables

Quiet time or devotions? What’s the difference? Click to Tweet

Jesus on spending time alone with God. Click to Tweet

What is a daily quiet time? Click to Tweet