And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place and there he prayed. (Mark 1:35, ESV)
Who likes to improve their golf game as fast as possible? I do, and if something is off in my game, I want to get back on track ASAP, too. This is funny, because whether you’ve just started playing or are a seasoned veteran, we all know it takes time to make lasting changes in our games.
A drill a coach gave me years ago was to do tai chi swings. If you have never seen tai chi, it is a deliberate form of movement, almost like a slow-motion dance. You’re always moving, but not at all fast.
At the time, I was working on making changes in my takeaway and on my downswing. Forced to slow down, I became very aware if I was accomplishing what I was trying to do or not. I would do this for an hour. The ball would maybe go 15-30 yards in front of me, and I was getting a very good workout at the same time, by having my core and muscles engaged and staying fully present with swings that could last more than 10 seconds each.
God’s Word must be where we spend our most uninterrupted time of the day.While tai chi swings may be a bit extreme for most, some players are used to trying to swing at 75-percent tempo or toning it down a notch. When you are learning to play piano or type, you don’t just start by playing or typing very fast. The learning process is slow and calculated. I think there is great benefit to trying to accomplish something in your golf swing at less than 100-percent speed because if you can’t do it at 50 percent, what makes you think you can do it when you are swinging as hard as you can?
Who likes to learn as much about God as quick as they can? I do, and it can overwhelm me when I don’t learn all I think I should as quickly as I would like. It can be easy to slip into reading chapters in God’s Word without really knowing what is going on or reading a devotional only to forget when I walk out the door what was being conveyed. As of late, I have been convinced that a small portion well digested is better than a large portion poorly digested.
Something I have found encouraging (from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth) is to write down two sentences after each chapter that I read in God’s Word—the first summarizing the chapter and the second answering the question, What stood out to me personally? Some of you may naturally do this, but I know I can too quickly read the Word and not truly process what I am reading. God’s Word is living and active, but we must not rush to get through it. No, it must be where we spend our most uninterrupted time of the day.
In today’s passage, we see an example of Jesus’ time with the Father. He rose very early in the morning, while it was still dark, departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Turns out Jesus was gone for so long that Simon and those who had been with him started looking for Jesus. Now if our Savior needed that kind of time with God the Father, how much more time do you and I need to place value on finding time with him? May I suggest today that there is no more important place to spend your time than alone with the Lord and the Bible?
—
Aimee Neff
October 18, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.