SEASON OF LIFE

Everywhere we look, we see examples of various seasons of life. Ecclesiastes perfectly describes this fact of our mortal existence.


“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens ...” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV.

I’ve been in a season of publishing this daily devotional for the past several years. After today, I will transition to a weekly post. This particular season started several years ago when the Lord led me to publish my daily quiet time journal, mostly consistently of conversational back-and-forth dialogues with Christ about things God was doing to make me into the man He wants me to be. Then, I started adding posts that were most instructive in nature, with a mixture of transcripts from my daily quiet times, mixed in with lessons God gave me, for my growth, that I shared with you, for your growth.


Today, this changed. I had been praying for several months about going to a weekly cadence, as my posts become longer and more in-depth. They began taking several hours per day to produce. I don’t mind the time, but they started interfering with my quiet times. Today, I sat down to write, with an eye on the clock to get out today’s publication. That is not how to have quiet time.


As you will see from the following prayer transcript from this morning, my attention needs to be returned to intimacy with Christ.


From now on, I will publish once weekly, at the beginning of each week. Here is the dialogue I had with Christ this morning, culminating in this decision. It is offered to inspire you to have your daily conversations with Christ. It has transformed my walk with our Lord, and I believe it will also transform yours. 


TODAY
Monday Early Morning, March 11, 2024
Me: Lord, thank you for Monday. I am grateful to start the week over, and have a new chance at doing an excellent job at work for your glory and your honor. Lord Jesus, the journaling may have gotten out of hand. I don’t know, and I put that at your feet.

Christ: My child, I liked when we had this two-way dialogue all the time. 

Me: I did, too, and I would like to have more of that with you. 

Christ: Let’s do that and not worry about your blog.

Me: I don’t want it to be “my blog.” I want it to be yours. And if you don’t want it, then I should leave it.

Christ: You can do it daily if you want, but don’t let it interfere with our relationship.

A few hours later, after struggling to write today’s Devotional:

Me: Well, it just did. I tried to do one this morning, but it did not work. I am lost.

Christ: You are fine. You are right here with me. 

Me: OK. Well, I need direction, please.

Christ: Enjoy me. Sit with me, without having to perform. It’s too much pressure.

Me: Yes, Lord. I am more interested in producing good work than giving you the time to shape and mold me. That is what this time is for. I’ll go to a weekly format. Is that OK?

Christ: Child, whatever you do is fine; don’t allow your tendency to perform to get in the way of our intimacy. 

Me: Well, it did today, and I don’t like that.
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Christ: Then go to a weekly format.


CONCLUSION
Friends, I have difficulty sharing this dialogue with you because I know this is not a “traditional” form of prayer we are accustomed to hearing from our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I don’t claim some special skill at hearing Christ. I believe the Holy Spirit, in each of us, can impress messages upon us. I have a lot to say on this subject, which will be the topic of my next post. 


Thank you for bearing with me as I published these daily devotionals. I realize it has been a lot of reading, and very personal. Just know I am grateful for you, and your support as I seek to be obedient to Christ. None of us hears perfectly. The good news is that we have God’s Word, the Bible, as our main means of hearing from Him. And we have each other to help us filter out the noise of our own biases. I am grateful for this and more.


Thank you again for being with me during this “Daily Devotional” season. I hope this weekly cadence will also bless you, as I take more time to make it more easily consumable, better researched, and less of a burden for both of us.


Your aspiring servant, Daniel M.
March 11, 2024
POSTSCRIPT: Dear friends, if this transparent “Conversations with Christ” blesses you, please go to www.SOLIDpastors.org, where you will find these posted, and a repository of all, in English and Spanish. If you ever want to chat, you can reach me at [email protected]. May Christ bless you richly as you have your own intimate conversations with Christ.