While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. (Hebrews 5:7)
Read: Ezekiel 7:1 – 9:11, Hebrews 5:1-14, Psalm 105:1-15, Proverbs 26:28
Relate: I think it was my junior year in high school when I heard a youth pastor challenge us at some rally to saturate ourselves with Jesus. I don’t remember exactly how he worded it but somehow a challenge was issued to read through the gospels, as quickly as possible, seven times. That rally was on a Friday night. By the time I left for school the following Monday I had done it.
Sometime during my day at school I began to write, “Just Five Minutes”. I wish I had kept a copy of it because I would love to read it through now, but the only writing I still have from that time are my journals. In reading the four gospels over and over again nonstop all weekend, the thing that really stuck out to me was how often Jesus went away to pray. Over and over again He was leaving the crowds behind, often He would leave most or all of His disciples behind as well, to get alone with the Father. Not only that, Jesus seemed to have to “work” for His times and places of prayer. He would go on long hikes, He would climb up mountains, or cross lakes to do it. Jesus took prayer very seriously.
React: The main thrust of “Just Five Minutes” was to contrast what He did with what we challenge people to do today. We encourage people to take “Just Five Minutes” to get away and get alone with God. Somehow we have fallen into the belief that if someone can faithfully do a five minute devotional every day they are doing well. The sad truth is, we encourage this because so many of us so called Christians have a hard time even doing that. Just five minutes is not enough. A five minute “Daily Bread” devotional is a starvation diet.
If I were to give God a tithe of my time, that would be two hours and twenty-four minutes every day. While I wouldn’t legalistically hold to that, something along those lines is far more spiritually realistic than an anemic five minute token chore we can check off our morning to do list. Jesus worked for His prayer. He fought hard for His time alone with the Father. He took such things very, very seriously. Do I?
Respond:
God, I come before You now with nothing on my agenda other than to spend time in Your presence. Forgive me for those times when I have made communion with You a chore. Forgive me for the times when I have neglected to do even that. God, I long for more of You in my life. Help me to understand what things need to be cut out of my life that I might be able to devote the time to You that I should. Help me to reshuffle my priorities not just so that You are first, but so that You are the only pursuit of my life.
THE RIVER WALK 
Fantastic post – I love the idea of ‘saturating’ ourselves with Jesus. Thank you for sharing this. God bless x
getting to understand is spending time in the company, fine post, we all need reminders, blessings
A minister reflecting on faith shared the image of standing on the Earth as God reached out to us. I had the thought of acting as an anchor for the love that emanates from Him so that all might be encouraged to reach for it themselves. So I don’t think that your exhortation (“so that You are the only pursuit of my life”) is either self-serving or impractical.
Once again, thanks for this cup of water!
Excellent words of wisdom.
Excellent “5 minutes” spent reading your post:) I never have given the thought of a “tithe” on my time. Not in a “legalistic” way, just never gave thought. I love also how you illustrated Jesus making the effort to spend time with His Father, even to the point of leaving His disciples. Time by ourselves with the Father Who loves us…beautiful picture of what all children desire from their hearts, time with the Father. I guess this is another reason Jesus encouraged us to be like “children”. Climbing on up in the arms of the One Who loves and comforts us:) Nice post.. Thank you:)
Beautiful blog, I hope you don’t mind me reblogging this. It is so perfectly worded for the season that I am in right now. Sometimes a reminder of what someone has learned shows someone to keep going and growing in their relationship with Christ. So for that thank you.
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Beautifully written, words for continuing in going forward with your relationship with God.
Wonderfull article and uplifting prayer
Wow, you spoke my heart. My life has changed so completely in the last few years. First, I simply prayed for a hunger to read and know God’s word; that I would long to spend time in the word so I could love more fully, the one who fully loved me. I also prayed that I would stop seeing life as compartmentalized between sacred and secular, but see every moment of my life as sacred. I have found that five minutes alone before the throne of God, is not even close to what I need to survive the buffeting that takes place on a day to day basis. Thank you for the article.
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I totally agree with you. It’s not much at all compared to how much time and how much of ourselves we must give to him. Everything! Wow! The fact that you wrote about this means God has got his people being prepared for these days. There are still people who are passionate for him. Hallelujah!
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“A five minute “Daily Bread” devotional is a starvation diet.”
THAT should be on a poster or bumper sticker!
What a tasty morsel! Yummy!
Boy, did you nail this one. If we’re to reflect Jesus to a dark world, we need to spend time with His light. And with Him in the Light.
Prayer = Priority One. Unless there is some dire emergency, this is the only way to begin the day. And it is so sweet that the 2 hours 24 minutes is seldom ever enough. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Well said. Now we need to just go and do it!