A DIFFERENT TO-DO LIST
I will study Your commandments and reflect on Your ways. I will delight in Your decrees and not forget Your word.
Psalm 119:15-16 (NLT)
Are you a list-maker like me? Right now, I have a lengthy list of things to accomplish. Sometimes, I set deadlines, but for the most part, I check them off one by one. There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with striking items from the list. I feel like I’m one step closer to freedom from having a list and the demands I place on myself. I revel in the accomplishment and the closure that comes with it.
When you read the verses above, do they feel like a to-do list? Here are four things that stand out to me…
- Study > Your Commands (God’s instruction to guide our behaviors)
- Reflect > Your Ways (God’s example of love, forgiveness, etc.)
- Delight > Your Decrees (God’s wisdom, commands, rules and law)
- Remember > Your Word (God’s spoken or written message, Scripture)
What do these four activities have in common? They happen in quiet moments. Studying, praying or meditating on God’s direction for your life takes time and requires focus. Reflecting on His ways and recognizing His handiwork in your life can happen in small moments throughout the day, yet it takes deliberate contemplation. Delighting in or being thankful for God’s guidance can be a short conversation with Him or moments of praise and worship. Reading, recalling and cherishing scripture usually happens in personal moments with the Lord.
This isn’t a checklist to complete and forget. It’s a continuous, repetitive practice that many Christians include in their quiet time. It’s a time set apart to be with the Lord, just as you would make time to deepen a friendship, grow closer to someone, or enjoy their company.
APPLICATION: Have you set aside time each day to meet with the Lord? If so, you might find this different yet powerful to-do list helpful. If not, take a moment to ask Him when and how He might want to spend time with you.
PRAYER: Lord, help me find quiet moments to get to know You better. Give me a curiosity to study Your commands and a renewed love for Your Word and Your ways. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?