Week 2 - Wednesday
Bible Passage
Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one [j]cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Commentary
From the Life of Antony
“He used to say that one should give all one's time to their soul rather than to their body. It is true that a little time should be given to the body, because it is necessary... but on the whole we should give our first attention to the soul and look to its advantage. It must not be dragged down by the pleasures of the body, but rather the body must be made subject to the soul.”
Week 2 - Tuesday
Bible Passage
1 Corinthians 15:31
“I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”
Commentary
St. Antony the Great
“'Wherefore, children, let us hold fast our discipline, and let us not be careless. For if in our discipline, the Lord is our fellow-worker, as it is written, "to all that choose the good, God works with them for good. But to avoid being heedless, it is good to consider the word of the Apostle, "I die daily" For if we too live as though dying daily, we shall not sin. And the meaning of that saying is, that as we rise day by day we should think that we shall not live till evening; and again, when about to lie down to sleep, we should think that we shall not wake up.”
Week 2 - Monday
Bible Passage
Matthew 19:21
“Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Commentary
Beginning of the Life of Antony
“He was eighteen or twenty years of age when his parents died, leaving him guardian of his younger and only sister. One day, about six months later, he happened to enter the church when he was struck by the reading of the Gospel in which the Lord speaks to the rich young man: If you wish to be perfect, go sell all that you have, and give it to the poor; and come, follow me and you shall have treasure in Heaven”. Applying this to himself, he went home and distributed his land, a fertile farm of more than two hundred acres among the townspeople. He sold all his other belongings. He did not wish the goods of the world to hamper himself or his sister, and so he also disposed of the money received, giving it to the poor. Only a small sum was kept to provide for his sister.”
Week 1 - Saturday
Bible Passage
James 4:7-10
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Commentary
St. Moses the Strong on Holding Judgement for the Creator
Do evil to nobody nor keep any evil in your heart against anyone. Do not belittle a wrongdoer; do not be influenced by one who wrongs his neighbor and do not rejoice with one who does wrong to his neighbor.
Do not slander anybody, but say: “God knows each one.” Do not agree with one who slanders; neither rejoice with him in his slandering nor hate him who slanders his neighbor— this is the meaning of “judge not that you be not judged” (Luke 6:37). Do not be at enmity with anybody and do not foster enmity in your heart; do not hate one who is at enmity with his neighbor, for this is peace. Console yourself with this: there is labor for a short while then repose for eternity, by the grace of the divine Word. Amen."
Week 1 - Friday
Bible Passage
James 4:11-12
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
Commentary
St. Moses the Strong on Exodus
The bottom line in all this is: do not judge one’s neighbors. When the hand of the Lord killed all the first born in the land of Egypt, there was not a house there in which no one had died." [Ex 12.29-30]. [Abba Poemen] said to him: "What does this mean?" [Abba Moses] said to him: "If we took the trouble to see our sins we would not see the sins of a neighbor. It is foolish for a person who has his own dead to leave it and go and weep for his neighbor's. To die with respect to your neighbor, means to worry about your sins, and to refrain from judging every other person saying “This one is good”, and “that one wicked”.
Week 1 - Thursday
Bible Passage
Galatians 6:1-5
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.
Commentary
St. Moses the Strong on Freeing Oneself from Judgement
Abba Moses said: “If a person does not have it in his heart that he is a sinner, God does not listen to him.” [Abba Poemen] said: “What does it mean to ‘have it in his heart that he is a sinner’?” The elder said: “If one is carrying his sins he does not see his neighbor’s."
Week 1 - Wednesday
Bible Passage
Ephesians 4:29-32
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Commentary
St. Moses the strong on Empathy before Judgement
Abba Moses said [to Abba Poemen]: “A person must die with respect to his companion in order not to judge him in anything. A person must detach himself with respect to every evil matter before departing from the body, so that he wrongs nobody.”
Week 1 - Tuesday
Bible Passage
Mark 15:3-5
And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!” But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.
Commentary
St. Moses the Strong on Keeping Silent through Persecution
A directive was once issued at Scete: "Fast this week.” It came about that some brothers from Egypt visited Abba Moses and he cooked them a little food. Seeing the smoke, his neighbors told the clergy: "Here, Moses has broken the directive of the fathers and cooked himself some food.” The clergy responded, "We ourselves will speak to him when he comes”. When Saturday came, the clergy, well aware of the great discipline of Abba Moses, said to him before the company: "Oh Abba Moses, you have broken men's directive, but fulfilled God's."
Week 1 - Monday
Bible Passage
Matthew 7:3,4
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
Commentary
St. Moses the Strong on Judging the Brethren
In the monastery, a brother once erred and a council was held. They sent for Abba Moses but he was unwilling to come. So the priest sent to him, saying: "Come, for the company is waiting for you." He got up and came; he took a basket with many holes, filled it with sand and carried it [with him]. Coming out to meet him, they said to him: "What is this, father?" and the elder said to them: "My sins are running out behind me and I do not see them– yet here I have come today to pass judgment on the faults of another!" They said nothing to the brother who sinned when they heard this, but forgave him.
Getting Started with Quiet Time
Select a Specific Time
The best time to have a quiet time is when you are at your best. Morning is recommended, because that is the example that Christ Himself set for us. It shows that God is your top priority and my mind is not yet cluttered with the day's events. Whatever time you select, be consistent.
Choose a Special Place
"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed."
Mark 1:35
Gather the Resources You Will Need
Have this quiet time guide handy, and you may also want a journal. Your journal should be used to write down what the Lord speaks to you about, and to keep your prayer list.
Begin with the Right Mindset
Reverence: "Be still, and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10
Faith: "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law." -Psalm 119:18
Obedience: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." -Matthew 6:33
Structure your Quiet Time
Structure your time to get the most out of it, even when you don’t feel like it.
Relax (1 Minute)
Slow down your thoughts, and be still and quiet. Prepare your heart. Take deep breaths and ask God to:Meet with you
Help you stay focused
Reveal to you His Word for today
Bring comfort and clarification to your life.
Read a Passage (4 Minutes)
Read and re-read the passage slowly, perhaps repeating a verse several times, expecting God to make it come alive with relevance for your situation. Read until you feel God has told you something.Reflect on the Verse (4 Minutes)
Here are 6 ways to help you meditate on a verse:
Picture it! Visualize the scene in your mind.
Pronounce it! Say the verse aloud, each time emphasizing a different word.
Paraphrase it! Rewrite the verse in your own words.
Personalize it! Replace pronouns or people in the verse with your own name
Pray it! Turn the verse into a prayer and say it back to God.
Probe it! Ask the following 9 questions. Is there any:
Sin to confess?
Promise to claim?
Attitude to change?
Command to keep?
Example to follow?
Prayer to pray?
Error to avoid?
Truth to believe?
Something to thank God for?
4. Record What God Did (2 Minutes)
In your journal, write out the verse that spoke to you most personally. Then write out a personal application statement that is practical and measurable:
What does the passage say generally (What is it teaching me?)
What does the passage say to me personally (What should I do specifically?)
Refer back to your verse and application several times throughout the day. Try to memorize the verse and meditate upon the application all throughout your day.
5. Request (4 Minutes)
Conclude your Quiet Time by talking to God about what He has shown you and making requests from your prayer list.
Overcoming Problems with your Quiet Time
The Problem of DisciplineYour first problem in establishing a quiet time will face you the moment you wake each morning: Am I going to get out of bed? Suggestions:
Go to bed on time
Beware of things that can rob you of your Quiet Time (social media, texting / phone calls, etc.)
The Problem of Distraction
Satan will try to use anything to get your mind to wander during a quiet time. Don't worry about your mind getting distracted, but gently bring it back to focus on God, and the area you were praying about.The Problem of Dryness
Sometimes you will feel like you're not getting anything out of your Quiet Time. Never judge your Quiet Time by your feelings. Possible causes of spiritual dryness include:Your physical condition
Disobedience to God
Rushing your quiet time
Not sharing insights with others
The Problem of Diligence
Your greatest problem will be your struggle to stay consistent. Satan fights nothing harder than your Quiet Time.
Suggestions:Agree on a plan with your Father of Confession.
Schedule it on your calendar.
Be prepared for Satan's excuses (too tired, too busy, etc)
Leave your Bible or Quiet Time guide open at night to the passage for the next day!
If you miss a day, don't become guilty, legalistic, or give up.
It takes at least three weeks for you to become familiar with a new task. Then it takes another three weeks before it becomes a comfortable habit.