I have been a critic of the idea of a "quiet time" in the past. It's not, that I don't think we should spend time with God, but rather the idea of reducing our time with god to an item on our checklist, that gets to me. That said, I think properly implemented the concept can be a great one.
One thing that helped to facilitate a proper "quiet time" for me was getting a good devotional to go along with my reading. This served to focus my thoughts, and help clarify some of the more difficult passages I was reading. While there are many such resources on the market, this morning I want to highlight one in particular: For the Love of God by D. A. Carson.
On of the nice things about Carson's devotional is that it follows the Bible reading plan of Robert Murray M'Cheyne. This plan has you reading about 4 chapters a day, and gets you through the New Testament and Psalms twice in a year and the Old Testament once. This feels about right in terms of a manageable reading plan each day, and allows you to dig a bit deeper if you desire.
Another thing that I love are Carson's comments. He is extremely insightful without being too long-winded. He helps bring clarity and understanding to particularly difficult sections as well. I found him indispensable as I read through some of the prophets. D. A. Carson strikes an excellent balance between intellectual insight and pastoral care, and his devotional is no different.
Finally, note that Carson currently has two volumes out of this resource. Used in tandem, you can get Carson's insight on two of the chapters of Scripture you read each day. If you find that to be a bit much, then you can always save the second volume for the second year you choose to read, gaining fresh wisdom the second time through. Overall, I recommend this resource highly. I'll leave you with a bit of Carson's words from the preface to volume one.
One thing that helped to facilitate a proper "quiet time" for me was getting a good devotional to go along with my reading. This served to focus my thoughts, and help clarify some of the more difficult passages I was reading. While there are many such resources on the market, this morning I want to highlight one in particular: For the Love of God by D. A. Carson.
On of the nice things about Carson's devotional is that it follows the Bible reading plan of Robert Murray M'Cheyne. This plan has you reading about 4 chapters a day, and gets you through the New Testament and Psalms twice in a year and the Old Testament once. This feels about right in terms of a manageable reading plan each day, and allows you to dig a bit deeper if you desire.
Another thing that I love are Carson's comments. He is extremely insightful without being too long-winded. He helps bring clarity and understanding to particularly difficult sections as well. I found him indispensable as I read through some of the prophets. D. A. Carson strikes an excellent balance between intellectual insight and pastoral care, and his devotional is no different.
Finally, note that Carson currently has two volumes out of this resource. Used in tandem, you can get Carson's insight on two of the chapters of Scripture you read each day. If you find that to be a bit much, then you can always save the second volume for the second year you choose to read, gaining fresh wisdom the second time through. Overall, I recommend this resource highly. I'll leave you with a bit of Carson's words from the preface to volume one.
This book, the first of two volumes, is for Christians who want to read the Bible, who want to read all the Bible.
The challenge has become increasingly severe in recent years, owing to several factors. All of us must confront the regular sins of laziness or lack of discipline, sins of the flesh, and of the pride of life. But there are additional pressures. The sheer pace of life affords us many excuses for sacrificing the important on the altar of the urgent. The constant sensory input from all sides is gently addictive—we become used to being entertained and diverted, and it is difficult to carve out the space and silence necessary for serious and thoughtful reading of Scripture. More seriously yet, the rising biblical illiteracy in Western culture means that the Bible is increasingly a closed book, even to many Christians. As the culture drifts away from its former rootedness in a Judeo-Christian understanding of God, history, truth, right and wrong, purpose, judgment, forgiveness, and community, so the Bible seems stranger and stranger. For precisely the same reason, it becomes all the more urgent to read it and reread it, so that at least confessing Christians preserve the heritage and outlook of a mind shaped and informed by holy Scripture.1
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1 D. A. Carson, For the Love of God: a Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word., vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998), ix-x.
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