Just one hour for the Lord! Is it too demanding?

Mar 14:37  And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 

Jesus was disappointed that the three disciples were sleeping when they were supposed to keep watch. He rebuked the apostle Peter for failing to keep awake for just one hour. I think one reason why He addressed it particularly only to Simon Peter was because of the profession he had made a while ago: “If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise” (Mark 14:31). It is like telling Simon Peter: “Is this the way you said you loved me and would even die for me? Yet, you cannot watch One hour for me?”

Just one hour for the Lord! Is it too demanding? Well, it all depends on what you are doing? For many, one hour at worship is too long but one hour at play is too short. One hour meditating on God’s word is too long but one hour on internet is too short. One hour talking to God is too long while one hour talking to girlfriend is too short. Time really flies when we have fun; doesn’t it?

Spending an hour each day for God seems an impossible and unspeakably boring task. Some could not give God even an hour of undivided attention on Sunday worship; we see them doing something else on their handphones than worshipping God.

Faithful Christians spend time with God each day. Preachers who excelled in their work did so because they spent enormous amount of time studying the word of God. When a young brother Franklin Camp heard that Brother Gus Nichols' needed to study the Bible five hours a day, he responded with a new resolution that he needed to study even more. He started then to spend at least six hours a day in Bible study. He would go to his study at four-thirty or five o'clock in the morning, and began to meditate on the word of God. He believes that his greatest responsibility is to study God's word in order to be able to teach it to others. He did that for twenty-three years!

We cannot grow in grace and in knowledge of the word of God until we start to invest our time in them. But too many are like Martha who are so busy with the earthy affairs to find time like Mary to sit down and listen to God's word (Luke 10:38-42).

Knowing God requires us to spend time searching His word. We cannot know Jesus until we start to read about Him. In order to do so, we need to have a quite time with God. Some asked: “What is a “quiet time”?

A “quiet time” is a time during each day when we remove ourselves from the busyness of schoolwork, secular work, house work, and the ever increasing demands of Facebook, TV, and computer games, to spend time praying, reading God’s Word, and quietly listening to what God has to say to us.

Do you have a quiet time with God each day? Can you give God one hour of undivided attention? The Bible says in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Be still, it’s what we need to do. We are rushing through life trying to do so many things that we do not have time for God. We need to stop and be still: Take a deep breath and focus our thoughts on the Lord. For most people, the hardest part of a quiet time (even after actually finding the time) is fighting wandering thoughts; Be Still!

Spiritual growth requires us to invest our time in it. Start with just one hour each day. I love this hymn, Take Time To Be Holy.

Take time to be holy,
speak oft with thy Lord;
abide in him always,
and feed on his word.
Make friends of God’s children,
help those who are weak,
forgetting in nothing
his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy,
the world rushes on;
spend much time in secret
with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus,
like him thou shalt be;
thy friends in thy conduct
his likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy. Work hard at it. How much time does it take? Jesus said, “Couldn’t you keep watch with me for one hour?”

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.