A CUP OF JESUS…

 

I’m busy too, just like you. Most days I have many meetings and many demands.   I’ve learned that my most important meeting of the day is with Jesus. I’ve learned that I need to prioritize (and put on the calendar) my most important, most Life-Giving meeting of the day.  This meeting is written in my calendar as “Be with God,” it’s a time where I generally use the following plan.  A Cup of Coffee with Jesus or Two Cups of Coffee with Jesus… this meeting always takes place over however long it takes me to drink one or two cups of morning coffee. Sometimes that’s two cups in twenty minutes, sometimes it’s two cups over the course of an unhurried hour.  I start my morning with two cups of coffee with Jesus. It’s my favorite way to start the day. You might want to try it.

 

 

BE WITH GOD PLAN

This is a tool to help you enjoy and grow your relationship with God, to help you abide in Jesus’ love (John 15:9). Central to our relationship with God is listening to God speak to us through his Word. This “Be with God Plan” guides you through the entire Bible at a relaxed pace: two chapters a day (with a day o each week) over the course of two years. The plan moves you through one book of the Bible at a time, following the rhythm of an Old Testament book and then a New Testament or Wisdom Literature book.

 

 

 

SUGGESTIONS

Schedule a daily time in your calendar to
connect with God and enjoy this plan. Pick a
time (morning? noon? night?) and length (15
minutes? 30 minutes? 45 minutes?) that is
sustainable and life-giving for you. Consider
choosing a regular place to enjoy this meeting
with Jesus (a favorite chair, etc.), while also
valuing variety and mixing up what your time
with God looks like. If you miss a day of the plan
don’t worry about making it up, just do today’s
reading and focus on relating with God instead
of checking of the boxes of a reading plan.

 

 

3 STEPS

1. Listen

A relationship with God starts with listening to God. Read today’s two chapters, listening to what God was saying to his people in the chapter’s original context and to what God is saying to you today. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to a verse or a phrase to meditate on, to focus on and absorb more deeply into your mind and heart. Consider memorizing the phrase/verse you meditate on, or writing it down so you can recall Biblical truth throughout your day.

 

2. Pray

Now that you’ve listened to God, talk to God. Let
what God said to you in his Word shape your
conversation with him. Thank God, humble yourself
before God, pester God, be the beloved
son/daughter that you are and cast your full heart
and hopes for yourself and our broken world before
your Heavenly Father in prayer.

 

3.  Rest

Conclude with rest. Before you get on with your
day, take however much time you need to simply
rest and relax in your relationship with God and in
the biblical truth the Holy Spirit spoke to you today.
As you encounter the surprising circumstances of
your day, try bringing your attention and trust back
to the biblical truth you were earlier resting in from
this “Be with God Plan.”

 

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

For growing your relationship with God:
The Relational Soul by Plass & Cofield
Knowing God by Packer

For exploring how the Bible is one big story about Jesus:
The Jesus Story Book Bible by Lloyd Jones
The Big Story by Buzzard

For studying the Bible in greater depth:
The ESV Study Bible
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee & Stuart

Original article posted by JustinBuzzard.net