Sermon Tone Analysis

Maintenance Medicine

My wife and I read a chapter in the Bible every day and journal on what The Lord shares with us, something we picked up in the OSL Discipleship Class offered in our church, and we have tried to instill this practice in our daughter.

But she will hold off on reading until the end of the week, and cram reading all the chapters into one sitting.

We were quizzing her one night on what she read, to get her to meditate and think about how it applies to her daily life, and when we were finished, she asked if there was anything else we wanted.

Never to let an opportunity pass, my wife told our daughter it would be better if she would read a chapter a day.

In typical twelve year old style, our daughter gave us a look that clearly conveyed what she was thinking, "It's the same thing, what's the difference if I read one every day, or read them all at once."

I asked her if it was O.K. if I didn't give her a hug and kiss every day when I left for work, and just saved them up for Friday and gave her five hugs and kisses, I said, it was the same thing.

The light clicked on in our daughter's face, as she realized it is not just about reading the chapters, it is also about spending time each day with The Lord.

When my daughter was younger, she would crawl in my lap and ask me questions, this is how we would spend time together, just her and I.

I would set aside whatever I was doing, so I could give her my undivided attention, and we would sit and talk and just enjoy each other's company.

As she has gotten older, she doesn't come as often to ask me questions, and she no longer sits in my lap, but we still find ways to spend time with each other, ways that grow with her.

I cherish every one of these times, and I believe the eagerness I feel to spend time with my daughter is how God feels about us spending time with Him.

I don't want to cram God into just one day a week, I want to enjoy spending time with Him each and every day, as I create memories and grow and mature in my walk with Him.

A wise man once said, "quantity time is quality time." and the quantity of time I spend with God is of the highest quality, and time well spent.