2013-09-29 01:16:46

Every morning I start the day with a cup of coffee.   I can’t even remember a time in my life when I didn’t drink coffee.  I wasn’t one of those people who started needing the caffeine rush to study for final exams.  By the time I could read and way before I was being tested in school, my coffee addiction was firmly in place.   My daddy taught me to drink coffee when I was a little girl.  I would sit by his chair at the “coffee table” and he would pour coffee out of his cup into a small bowl and give it to me.  Because that’s the way I learned, I take my cup o’ joe  just like he did – black with a little bit of sugar to sweeten the taste.    No cream.  No milk.  No flavorings that sound like candy bars.  Just coffee.

Every morning I also do something that borders on the ridiculous.  Before I pour my coffee, I turn on the faucet and let the water get really hot and then I warm up my favorite coffee mug.   Warm mug – hot coffee.   Then I go sit and meet with God.

It may seem silly to warm a mug that’s going to hold hot coffee.  Maybe it is, but lately I have been trying a different technique in my quiet hour that also seems to be warming up my heart.  If I take that much care with my cup of coffee, wouldn’t I want to enter the presence of God warm and ready to be filled with His Spirit?

See, my problem is simple.  I am too easily distracted.   If I’m not careful, I will let my early morning time with the Lord become fragmented and less than it should be.  I had to learn to FOCUS.  Now, before I read or pray I take a few minutes to warm up with these thoughts:

F – FORSAKE

“Lord, during our time this morning, let me FORSAKE any distractions that might steal my attention and devotion from you.”  (Psalm 27:4)

O – OMNIPRESENT

“Lord, you are right here with me – listening.  Let me be ever aware of Your PRESENCE, not just now but throughout this day.”  (Jeremiah 3:33)

C – CONFESS

“Lord, I CONFESS my sins before you now and ask you to cleanse me to hear Your voice and be willing to obey it.”  (1 John 1:9)

U – UNDERSTANDING

“Lord, give me UNDERSTANDING of Your Word and Your will and don’t let me get caught up in trying UNDERSTAND Your Ways for you are sovereign and have plans I cannot comprehend in my limited scope of reason.”  (Romans 12:1-2 and Ecclesiastes 3:11)

S – SEEK

“Lord, now I SEEK Your glory.  Let nothing I say or do today take away from the glory you deserve.”   (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Like my prayer life, this list is a work in progress.   I’ve been adding verses and quotes to deepen the process and I’ve found this little exercise has made a tremendous difference in my quiet time with the Lord.  It takes a few extra minutes but so does warming my cup.  Perhaps you should give it a try and see if your coffee tastes better and the Word tastes sweeter. (ct)

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”   (Psalm 34:8)