

Building on the Basics
Real freedom isn’t won by ignoring the rules, but by obeying them so faithfully that they become second nature. Like a great symphony musician, you’ll find freedom in your Christian life, not by lazily skipping practice, but by perfecting the basics, mastering the fundamentals til your instincts become His, till His will becomes yours.
Spending set-aside time with Jesus
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up. For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is destruction; their throat is an open tomb; they flatter with their tongue. But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield. – Psalms 5:1-9, 11-12
The moments you spend with no one else but Jesus build the best foundation to a Christian’s day.
Don’t expect your quiet time to come along quietly, because you can usually tell how important something is to your Christian walk by watching how hard Satan works to prevent you from doing it. Yes if there’s one thing you need as a growing believer, it’s the early established, hard fought discipline of starting each day with your head in the clouds, the clouds of God’s presence. Jesus did. The Bible says that He “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place” (Mark 1:35). Not that your time alone with God has to be in the morning, but most of us have learned that leaving quiet time off till bedtime usually results in leaving it off altogether, or at least changes it from a season of refreshed commitments and confident resolve into a weepy, discouraging rehash of the messes you’ve made that day. You’ll make time for what matters. And this matters the most.
“If you meet the Lord before you meet anyone else, you’ll be pointed in the right direction for whatever comes.” – Elisabeth Elliot
Tomorrow’s Reading: Hope you’re ready to carve out a spot in your day that’s earmarked for just you and Jesus to enjoy together. But what are you supposed to fill up a quiet time with?