Knowing Jesus || His Love Language – Quality Time

So I wanted to skip this study and move unto something else. This was what I was going to write on about two weeks or so ago barring valid and not so valid reasons for not putting it up.

I already had the study for today but this won’t leave me be.

My reason for not wanting to post it is based on the fact that I am busted in this area. I haven’t quite gotten to where Jesus wants me to get to on the quality time topic and so I figure that I would rather write on something that I won’t be convicted the whole time I am writing but oh well, this is what He says to share so we obey.

I have been studying (or trying to study) the book or Mark for a while now and I haven’t been able to move past one particular verse:

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”

-Matthew 6:30-32

Quick background to this story: Jesus had sent the disciples out in twos to preach and perform signs and wonders to the people (please read the whole chapter for context).

They came back excited about all they had done and wise Jesus’ reply to them was “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

So I have been so tired since we had our last NGO programme in Delta State. I don’t know why but the last programme took a ton out of me. I am back in Lagos but I have been trying to rest. i.e, not go anywhere, sleep and just try to refresh. But the more I do this, the more I feel empty and feel like something’s missing.

I haven’t been resting right. I have been resting without Jesus. The rest that I need isn’t more so a physical rest but a spiritual rest that springs forth from within.

So notice that Jesus said “Come with me by yourselves…”

Sometimes, we only go alone to rest without Jesus so no matter how many hours we rest we still feel empty.

There are a few principles on the kind of rest that can refresh us in that passage; this kind of rest can only be found in QUALITY TIME with Jesus.

Spending QUALITY TIME with Jesus is a love language of His that no one who belongs to Him can bypass.

The moment you come into Jesus you get introduced to this love language that has been even before we were born.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

-Genesis 3:8-9

It was the Lord’s habit to come spend time and speak with Adam before the fall. And even through the Israelites time of being cut off from God because of sin, there were men like Moses who understood this love language of God.

“Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.

And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.

As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses.

Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent.

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.”

-Exodus 33:7-11

I won’t talk about the lesson on how most of the Israelites were spectators and only Moses and Joshua spent time with God and guess who were leaders in Israel and men uplifted by God? You guessed right.

The principle really is that God’s love language of QUALITY TIME is non-negotiable.

He loves it. It makes Him joyful to see His sons sit at His feet just to learn from Him and listen to Him.. but more than that, He has made it so that that is the only way by which His sons can survive.

We as God’s children thrive and survive on God’s presence.

As food is to the physical body so is God’s presence to our spirits (which is the real us). When our spirits are starved of God’s presence or not getting His presence in the right dosage, we become malnourished and if care is not taken, such a spirit can wither and die (John 15).

Sometimes, it may not even be that we are not getting the right dosage, it may just be that we are expending the dosage we get in the duties and responsibilities that we have to carry out in our day to day lives and so we need to be refreshed more often to be able to give out and have reservoirs left on the inside of us.

So we can even say that every believer’s love language has to of necessity include QUALITY TIME WITH JESUS.

 

Few principles on spending time with Jesus from the Mark passage:

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”

-Matthew 6:31-32

1. Your “rest” has to be with Jesus:

   And Jesus is His word. Your rest and scheduled time to refresh has to include you digging into the Word of God.

   If you rest your physical body without resting your spiritual body which feeds on God’s word, you will keep feeling empty and wondering why till it hits you.

   I have been resting all wrong. Yes, I have been studying the word but only in bits and pieces. The rest I required after my time of working for God needed massive dosages of the Word’s renewal power in my life.

2. Your rest has to be done in a solitary/quiet place:

   Sometimes we try to spend quality time with Jesus with all sorts of distractions lying around; phones, calls coming in, TV on, working on our laptop, etc.

   No, true quality time includes barring distractions and sitting at Jesus’ feet just like Mary did all those years ago.

   We must of necessity have a place we go to where it is just Jesus and us alone and where we pull down even the distractions in our minds to concentrate on Jesus.

Even as much as quality time is a love language that Jesus thrives on, with us too, this is one spiritual discipline that we cannot do without.

Remember when I wrote “when your appetite for spiritual things start to wane and you don’t even know it?”

I was supposed to do a follow up video on Youtube on suggested practical tips on how to we get our spiritual lives boosted up again. I am sorry I have not done it. I owe some Youtube videos currently and by God’s grace I will get to them.

Meantime, let’s do the thing that can help us better than any man-made help can; let’s pray:

Father, we come to you today… we need your help. We are struggling with placing you as our first priority. We are struggling with spending quality time with you. We ask for your grace Lord, reignite us with your Spirit, place fire in our hearts for you. Grace to pursue and pant after you again, more than all earthly distractions and things.

Help us Lord, in Jesus name we have prayed, amen.

I would love to hear from you. It’s a Bible study. Any contributions?

Please comment below.

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Our ladies ministry “The women at the well” will be starting a series soon on “Guide to spending time with Jesus”.

It just may be of help to you. You can follow it here

It seems like this study on knowing Jesus would run on the blog for a while. Remember our anchor verse:

“[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly],…’
-Philippians 3:10, AMP

Weekly, try to be intentional about letting Jesus be your greatest desire.

Till our next Online Bible Study,

Love,

Frances