Sunday, March 3, 2013

The 20-Minute Challenge




Step 1:  (Preparation)
Turn it off, we're taking a mini-vacation from counting our "likes" on Instagram. Let's silence our phones, and lay them on a surface with screens facing down. This step is for anyone, like myself, who may twitch at the sound of an alert.
·      You may also want to clear the area around you in case this is distracting for you as well. Find a quiet place, and close the door if you can.
·      If you have a favorite devotional book, you can pull it out to read a small portion, or follow the one I will provide in this challenge. Pull out your Bible too.

Step 2:  (5 minutes of prayer)
Close your eyes and tell the Lord why you’re taking this “break” from distractions. Take as much time as you need to tell Him if there are any troubling thoughts, worries or concerns on your mind at the moment.
You may find this takes more than 5 minutes, and that is perfectly fine. In fact, open communication between you and the Lord is worth the time spent, so don’t rush the conversation. Ask Him for clarity, peace, and wisdom as you begin to listen to what He has to say in His Word.

Step 3:  (10 minutes of reading)
Read John 1:1-18
Read John 16:16-33
Read 1 John 3:1-10
·      Underline what stands out to you.
·      Write down any connections you make.

Step 4:  (5 minutes of reflection)
Take a minute to comprehend the plan of God, aside from thinking about your own life. Try to understand the perspective of His will and Christ’s work for the world and for believers. Now, bring your own life to the table.
·      How important are your plans compared to God’s?
·      Whose plan have you been working to accomplish?
·      How big is God’s plan of salvation? How much did He choose to love you?
·      And what do you think you might do about that today?

Congratulations on completing the 20-minute challenge! By now you have probably realized that the time spent in prayer, reading and reflection went quickly because you have tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness. It becomes less of a challenge to avoid distraction and more of an annoyance to keep a 20-minute time frame. But before you open the door and grab your phone, remember that feeling of quiet rest and make a choice to come back soon. It could be the same day, tomorrow or the next, but know that it is never wasted time to be refreshed by the Spirit and the Word. And when you do come back to this place of rest, good luck keeping it at 20 minutes!

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