One thing I love about our church is that we have a good old-fashioned Sunday school. I love to fellowship with other believers, get to know people, and hear everyone’s thoughts and insights about whatever we are studying. Most churches these days do a mid-week small group, and while I totally understand the thought behind that, we have to travel quite a way to our church and wouldn’t be able to participate in a midweek small group. A Sunday morning Sunday school is such a blessing for us.
This morning in Sunday school we were discussing Luke 9, the section about the transfiguration of Jesus. The discussion particularly turned to how Jesus only brought Peter, James, and John to the mountain with Him, and those were the only three that saw Him transfigured. He also told them afterward do not tell anyone else, so for quite a while James, John, and Peter were the only ones aside from Jesus who knew about that event.
Why did Jesus choose to only show Himself in His transfigured state to those three, and not to let the rest of the disciples know about it? Of course there is certainly an aspect that it was simply by His grace, because James, Peter, and John weren't worthy in and of themselves. Jesus calls us to Himself, and draws us, and grows us. It’s not of ourselves but only from Him that we are justified and sanctified. But we also discussed the idea that these three were the three disciples that were the closest to Jesus, from what we can tell in the gospels anyway. He chose to show them more about Himself, but from what we know about Peter and John and James, they also seemed to press in and strive to understand who He was, to follow Him single-mindedly (albeit imperfectly), and to know Him better.
Our Sunday school teacher asked us about how we can press closer in our walks with Christ and the ways that we are doing that in our lives. And one thing that came to my mind was making spending time with the Lord a habit, an same time same place, everyday habit that becomes a default. It’s wonderful when you can get those mountaintop experiences, those times when you can spend hours in the Bible, or praying, focusing your mind on the Lord. But if we are waiting to do that until we have an hour(s) long chunk of time to devote to it, it’s probably not going to happen very often.
I have noticed in my life, in the seasons when I am growing the most in the Lord, learning more about Him, and drawing closer to Him, it’s not necessarily the times when I have large chunks of time to devote to Bible study. I grow most in the times when I am just in a consistent habit of spending time with the Lord each day, even when that sometimes only 15 minutes. The Lord tells us to abide with Him, and abide in His Word, and that’s not a big-chunk-of-time, once-in-a-while practice, but a day-to-day focusing of our minds on Christ.
For me, I have been most consistent with my quiet time when I attach it to an already-existing habit of mine. Right now, that means doing my devotions before the kids get up with my regular morning coffee. Some other ideas I've considered or used have been things like:
-Reading my Bible before I pick up my book at night.
-Listening to a sermon while I fix my hair and makeup for the day.
-Reviewing Bible memorization and pondering the verses while I drive in the car.
Even making this short list has reminded me of some things I would like to turn into a regular routine again!
There have been many times in my life when I have been inconsistent in my quiet times with the Lord, and I end up feeling like I am spiritually floundering. But when I make the Lord my first priority, when I put the effort in to develop and maintain that habit of spending time in His Word - those have been the seasons where my walk with Him is the most fruitful.
When I remember that abiding can become a moment-by-moment habit, it’s a comforting thought. It feels unattainable right now to spend large chunks of time in the Bible study, but the Lord knows we have real jobs, and real children and husbands to take care of, and real homes to manage, all things that take up large portions of our day. But we can make Him our first thought in the morning, we can devote daily time to spend with Him, and we can dedicate the rest of our activities to bring Him glory when we fix our minds on Christ and abide with Him while we go about our day. That’s what I want to strive for.
And I think when we do that, when we draw closer to Him in prayer and Bible study, and seek to follow Him more every day, even when we do it imperfectly, He will reveal more and more to us in His Word. James and John and Peter were nothing special, but they did abide with Him, even with all their faults. And Jesus showed Himself to them in a unique way. That’s something He does for each of us too, when we press into Jesus and His Word.
“'I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing… By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.'”
John 15:5, 8-11 NKJV
Post a Comment