Ten Percent of Me
“Just 10%” is the simple statement I was challenged with this past week. (‘The “J 10” Program – Try It’, is the posting I made on this Blog this past Sunday, January 7, 2007.) It was deeply imprinted on my being as I listened to what God was saying to me. I shared it in the sermon of last Sunday also.
If you have read the posting you will remember the encouragement is to take 10% of each hour and give it to God. You will also remember that I pointed to some of the things that steal all of our time.
Personally I have found that taking 10% of my time in prayer, meditation and/or reading the Bible or some spiritually uplifting material has been growing on me. The contrast to taking – or trying to find large amounts of free time at the end of a busy day is great. I have found it far more effective than the other one of hit and miss… i.e. “Sorry God… I was too busy today! See you tomorrow.. Sorry..”
Living in 2007 the week is stuffed with so many things and we are so busy that time with God often gets pushed aside. I suppose that it isn’t really any different than 50 years ago – we still have 24 hours divided into awake and asleep… but the difference is my time has many more things packed into it now – compared to then.
Example…
Yesterday I was alone with God a number of times. At one point I drew away from what I was doing with a long stretch and then focused my thoughts on Him. I pushed back from the computer keyboard, leaned back on the office chair and focused on the Lord. I didn’t pray but rather just was silent and thought about what God was doing in my life at that moment. Then with thoughts that were flooded with encouragement I smiled and started talking to God. Prayer? Yes it was prayer – but more like a conversation than a long list of demands, scripted and salted heavily with great spiritual words. I was talking to my ‘friend’ and he was listening, then speaking to me.
During another hour I was concentrating on a task that had been left undone for a long time. It had to be done – just to get it off my mind. As I was working at the task at hand, my thoughts drifted back to God again. The task was simple and tedious… but was changed as I began to talk with God again, and then listen to what he was saying to me. The hour passed quickly and I found that I had spent close to 60% (not 10%) with the Lord.
Real Life…
Is it always easy? No. I have found that as I draw closer to the Lord in these prayer/fellowship times – I have more battles within and without than ever before.
I have found that the ‘old me’ shows up to remind ‘me’ that ‘I’ am no different than before. I have personally witnessed my actions and entertained thoughts in me – that I don’t want anyone else knowing about. The trouble is that God does notice it and seems to gently point to the issues at hand. But the encouraging thing is he has never stomped out of the room when I do something stupid… unlike people.. he stays and emphasizes that he intends to stay through it all. The J 10 factor increases at that point and goes over the 10% mark making me become aware of even more time needed with God.
How are you doing with ‘J 10’? Have you taken time out of a busy hour and spent it with God? If you have – tell someone about what is happening. You could even tell all of the readers here… with a post at the bottom of this posting.
Prayer and time with God is not isolation from a real world. It is part of a real world – helping real people get through real life.
I would love to hear from you.
Psalm 46:10 & 11 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
~ Pastor Murray ~
murray.lincoln@gmail.com
If you have read the posting you will remember the encouragement is to take 10% of each hour and give it to God. You will also remember that I pointed to some of the things that steal all of our time.
Personally I have found that taking 10% of my time in prayer, meditation and/or reading the Bible or some spiritually uplifting material has been growing on me. The contrast to taking – or trying to find large amounts of free time at the end of a busy day is great. I have found it far more effective than the other one of hit and miss… i.e. “Sorry God… I was too busy today! See you tomorrow.. Sorry..”
Living in 2007 the week is stuffed with so many things and we are so busy that time with God often gets pushed aside. I suppose that it isn’t really any different than 50 years ago – we still have 24 hours divided into awake and asleep… but the difference is my time has many more things packed into it now – compared to then.
Example…
Yesterday I was alone with God a number of times. At one point I drew away from what I was doing with a long stretch and then focused my thoughts on Him. I pushed back from the computer keyboard, leaned back on the office chair and focused on the Lord. I didn’t pray but rather just was silent and thought about what God was doing in my life at that moment. Then with thoughts that were flooded with encouragement I smiled and started talking to God. Prayer? Yes it was prayer – but more like a conversation than a long list of demands, scripted and salted heavily with great spiritual words. I was talking to my ‘friend’ and he was listening, then speaking to me.
During another hour I was concentrating on a task that had been left undone for a long time. It had to be done – just to get it off my mind. As I was working at the task at hand, my thoughts drifted back to God again. The task was simple and tedious… but was changed as I began to talk with God again, and then listen to what he was saying to me. The hour passed quickly and I found that I had spent close to 60% (not 10%) with the Lord.
Real Life…
Is it always easy? No. I have found that as I draw closer to the Lord in these prayer/fellowship times – I have more battles within and without than ever before.
I have found that the ‘old me’ shows up to remind ‘me’ that ‘I’ am no different than before. I have personally witnessed my actions and entertained thoughts in me – that I don’t want anyone else knowing about. The trouble is that God does notice it and seems to gently point to the issues at hand. But the encouraging thing is he has never stomped out of the room when I do something stupid… unlike people.. he stays and emphasizes that he intends to stay through it all. The J 10 factor increases at that point and goes over the 10% mark making me become aware of even more time needed with God.
How are you doing with ‘J 10’? Have you taken time out of a busy hour and spent it with God? If you have – tell someone about what is happening. You could even tell all of the readers here… with a post at the bottom of this posting.
Prayer and time with God is not isolation from a real world. It is part of a real world – helping real people get through real life.
I would love to hear from you.
Psalm 46:10 & 11 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
~ Pastor Murray ~
murray.lincoln@gmail.com
posted by Murray Lincoln at
Thursday, January 11, 2007
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