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Chapter 3: Spiritual Prescription

Once I visited with H. M. S. Richards—one of the pioneer radio preachers. He was a godly man, and it was a real privilege whenever an opportunity arose to talk with him.

This particular day we were discussing the lack of power in the Christian church. He said to me, “You know, our greatest problem in the Christian ministry is that so few of us spend even four hours a day alone with God in prayer and study.”

I said, “I beg your pardon?”

He said, “Why, if our ministers were spending even four hours a day in prayer and the study of God’s Word, what a difference it would make!”

When Jesus gave His sermon in John 6, comparing the physical life with the spiritual and inviting us to eat the Bread of Life, what was He saying?

How much time was He suggesting?

Let’s go back to John 6 and notice verses 48-51.

I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever.

Since Jesus Himself made the comparison between eating the bread of life and the manna that was given in the wilderness, let’s go to Exodus 16 to see what suggestions we can find as to methods for the devotional life.

The people of Israel had been busy at their favorite occupation—complaining! They were never quite able to give up the idea that they had been brought out of Egypt for the purpose of dying in the wilderness. This time they were worried that their supply of food would soon be used up and they would starve to death.

Let’s begin reading in verse 15, right in the middle of the story of the manna which God sent to feed His people in the desert.

“And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was.”

(If you have a margin in your Bible, you will discover that the word manna means “what is it?” So what they were really saying was, “It is—what is it?”)

“And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”

Now, keeping in mind the analogy of John 6, let’s watch for all the help we can find for a meaningful devotional life.

Verse 16:

“This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating.”

That’s a good suggestion, right to begin with. Verse 17 adds,

“And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.”

For some spiritual giants, four hours a day to spend in prayer and study might be considered minimum! For some baby Christians, to spend fifteen minutes a day might be more than they can manage.

Verses 19 and 20:

And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank.

Partaking of the manna, the bread from heaven, is a daily matter. Yesterday’s manna is no good for today. The manna had to be gathered each day, in order to be of benefit to the people.

Verse 21 says that

“they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.”

Too many Christians have tried to save their devotional time until the last thing at night before they fall into bed. Before long, it seems to be nothing more than asking forgiveness for the sins of the day, or is forgotten altogether. But when they schedule it for the first thing in the morning, before the cares of the day begin, it can make all the difference.

On the basis of John 6 and Exodus 16, let’s put together the factors for a meaningful devotional life, in a spiritual prescription.

TAKE TIME, ALONE, AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH DAY, TO SEEK JESUS THROUGH HIS WORD AND THROUGH PRAYER.

Take TIME. How much time? According to the analogy, it would be well to take at least as much time feeding your spiritual life as you spend eating for your physical life. One suggestion would be to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ.

We are not expected to become hermits or to retire to some monastery in order to be Christians. Jesus did not withdraw from mankind. In His early years, He worked all day in the carpenter shop. After He began His public ministry, His days were spent in caring for the needs of the people. But throughout His life, He found time to lay aside His tools or to withdraw from the crowds and go to a quiet place where He could commune with His Father (see Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16).

Take time ALONE. Psalm 91:1:

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Do you have a secret place where you can be alone with God?

It could be in your bedroom, your closet, or down the hall someplace. It could be out in the fields or among the trees. John Wesley had a special place in his study where he always knelt, and over the years his knees made indentations in the wood of the floor. You can see it in England today, the secret place where he communed with heaven.

Public worship has its place. Family worship is important. But there is no substitute for time ALONE with God. No one can eat for another.

Take time alone, *AT THE BEGINNING*.

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 55:17).

We are told, even in the physical realm, of the importance of eating a good breakfast. In the morning we need to be re-fueled for the needs of the coming day. And while it might be better to eat just before going to bed rather than never to eat at all, the ideal is to begin each day with nourishment for that day. If we are seeking Jesus for His power and grace and guidance, it is best to seek Him before we take up the duties of a new day—not after we have finished the day’s labors, when all we can do is ask Him for pardon for our failures and mistakes.

Take time alone, at the beginning OF EACH DAY. It is not sufficient to eat once a week, or once a month, or a couple times a year. In order to grow, physically or spiritually, we must eat regularly. Jesus said it in Luke 9:23,

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Sometimes people have trouble with this idea. They ask, “What happens if I miss a day?”

Well, what happens if you miss a day eating your meals? Contrary to what some children may think, you will NOT starve to death in twenty-four hours! What do you do with that information?

Do you say, “Oh good! I’ll only eat three times a week from now on?”

Do you say, “I wonder how many days I could go without eating before I would starve?”

Or do you recognize that life must be sustained by regular eating, and plan for it in your schedule?

You might ask the same question in a marriage. Do you have to talk to your mate every single day in order to stay married? No? Oh good! Let’s stop talking Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If we don’t have to do it in order to be married, why bother? But love doesn’t think that way.

The issue in a marriage, in your physical life, or in your Christian life, is not to seek for the minimum possible to “get by.” The question is, What will promote the greatest health? Through contact and communion with Christ, the greatest Christian growth can take place. Why settle for less?

Take time, alone, at the beginning of each day, To SEEK JESUS THROUGH HIS WORD. If you would learn to know God, the best place to look is in the life of Jesus. That is where the character of God is most clearly seen. In John 14:8, 9 Philip asked for a look at the Father. And Jesus replied,

“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”

Jesus is the center and focus of the whole Bible. From Genesis, where He is presented as the seed of the woman who will bruise the serpent’s head, to Revelation, where He is promised as the coming King, Jesus is uplifted. However, there are some places in the Bible where He is seen more clearly than in others. In the four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—His life is recorded for our meditation and understanding.

By beholding Him, we will be changed into His image, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Throughout the Bible are some writings that are instructional and some that are inspirational. There may be prophecies and history and genealogy that can be studied at some other time. But for the devotional time, focus on Jesus. The uplifting of Jesus is what draws us to Him (John 12:32).

Take time alone, at the beginning of each day, to seek Jesus through His Word, *and THROUGH PRAYER.*

Two friends were discussing a particular crisis. After describing the problem at length, one said, “I guess there’s nothing left to do but pray.”

To which the friend responded, “Alas! Has it come to that?”

Prayer is probably the most neglected source of power in the Christian church today. But we have been told to pray without ceasing (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17). As we have already noticed, prayer has been called the breath of the soul. No one will live very long without breathing. It is one of the most critical needs of the human body. The same is true for the Christian. Circumstances may separate you from the body of Christ, from the privilege of fellowship with others who share your faith in Him.

You might be blind, unable to read His Word for yourself. Throughout the centuries, God’s heroes have at times been imprisoned and had their Bibles taken away. But the privilege of prayer is the one most important life support system for the Christian. It is available to every person. No one can take it away from you. Each individual has unrestricted access to the God of the universe.

Prayer is sometimes thought of as a sort of heavenly Christmas list, where we come to request the fulfillment of our particular needs. But prayer is for more than just getting answers—it is for communication. True, we are invited to bring our needs to God in prayer. But much more is available than that. We can talk to Him as a Friend. He knows all about us anyway, so nothing we could tell Him would cause Him to reject us. He never gets bored or tired of hearing from His children.

The Bible promise is that God hears and responds to the prayers of His people. As we talk to Him within the framework of our devotional time with Him—and then throughout the day as well—we come to know Him better and trust Him more.

Take time, alone, at the beginning of each day, to seek Jesus through His Word and through prayer— and *SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE GAINED WITH SOMEONE ELSE!*

Anyone who only eats, and never exercises, will not continue in good health for very long. There are many different methods for exercising. But some form of exercise is vitally important, spiritually as well as physically.

It is not enough simply to sit at the table, talking and listening, in fellowship with Christ. We must also go places and do things with Him. And the method for that is to go and tell and serve and share, in the Christian witness and outreach.

Each of the four gospels ends with a command for service. Matthew says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”

Mark says, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel.”

Luke says, “Ye are witnesses.”

And John says, “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.”

As we seek to minister to others, we become even more aware of our own need of the grace of Christ, and we are motivated to seek Him. The more we seek Him, the more we have to share. And so the circle continues.

We will find it impossible to shut up the truth of God to ourselves. If we try, we will lose it. It’s like trying to shut up your parakeet in a Tupperware container. If you attempt such a thing, it won’t be long until you have no parakeet left. All you will have is a pitiful little heap of feathers.

In the ongoing Christian life, it is only that which we give away that we are able to keep. That which we try to keep, we lose (see Mark 8:35). In order for our relationship with Christ to flourish, we must continually share Him with others. As we introduce Him to others and tell of what we have found Him to be, we will come to know Him better for ourselves.