Why Even Have a Quiet Time?

In Genesis 1:26-28, God commands mankind to "be fruitful and multiply." God repeats that command to Noah in Genesis 9:1 and 9:5-7.

What, Ed asked us, does that have to do with having a quiet time?

That command is meant in both a physical and a spiritual sense. Obviously, God meant for Adam and Eve to have children and fill the earth with humans. But as Matthew 28:19-20 indicate, we should also have spiritual children. We should "spiritually reproduce."

Just as there might be things that could interfere with physical reproduction, there are analogous conditions that can interfere with spiritual reproduction:

• Just as lack of union between male and female can prevent physical reproduction, lack of unity between a believer and Christ can prevent spiritual reproduction.
• Just as disease or another physical disorder can prevent physical reproduction, living in a state of sin--a spiritual disease--can prevent spiritual reproduction.
• Just as humans cannot physically reproduce if they are too young, believers cannot spiritually reproduce if they are too spiritually immature.

With that in mind, Ed asked us the challenging question: Do we look at the purpose of quiet time as having anything to do with spiritual reproduction? Or do we look at them with a "what's in it for me" attitude?

Based on the NavPress book, Born to Reproduce, Ed gave us the challenge to desire to be a great-grandparent in the faith, rather than a child in the faith. And to do that, we need to invest our lives into another person. The task isn't to influence the entire world at once. It's to find one person (as the Navigators ask, "Where's your man?" or "Where's your woman?") to pour into.

If you're not doing that yet, or looking at the purpose of quiet times as spiritual reproduction, that's no reason to feel guilty. But think about it. Pray about it. And come back next week, as Ed will share more about quiet times.