Devotions this week based on the Message: “Counterfeit Gods: The Heartbreak of Love”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Tim Keller entitled, Counterfeit Gods.
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.)
“It’s not quantity; It’s quality.”
I haven’t seen a ton of research to prove or disprove this statement. However, it seems to come from those who are very busy in life and seek to bring “quality” to the few moments they have with someone to alleviate the guilt of not spending a “quantity” of time together. I also remember reading that the quantity of time we spend with our children, our spouse and those we love IS important.
It’s quantity AND quality.
Especially for someone who has the love language of quality time. It is about sharing a moment, sharing a conversation, undistracted by cell phones. It’s about focusing on the person, not the many things you could be doing. It’s about slowing down to notice the person, spend time together, and enjoy an experience together.
In our busy world, we can easily (or let me speak for myself) focus on the “agenda” or the “things that need to get done.” To sit still can feel like a waste of time or unproductive time. To stay focused on a conversation is hard when you are thinking of the many other things you need to get done. As a result the moments we have together are still distracted and disengaged.
To spend quality time with someone is to set aside any other agenda but to be with that person, take an interest in them, listen to what they have to say, take in the moment and enjoy nothing else but being with them. For someone with the love language of quality time, this speaks volumes.
As we journey through the love languages, it is interesting to see ways God expresses his love in these ways. Consider the quality time God spent/spends with us…
At the beginning he designed time to spend with Adam and Eve. He has always desired to spend time with us. (Note: we haven’t always wanted to spend time with him!)
Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
One of his names indicates his desire to be with us.
Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Jesus promised that he would be with us always:
Matthew 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Struggling to love with quality time? Perhaps it’s going back and spending time with Jesus. Remember Mary and Martha? Martha was busy, and upset her sister Mary wasn’t helping host their guests. Jesus gently reminded Martha, spending quality time with him was more important.
Luke 10:41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
When I spend quality time with Jesus he reminds me of the quality and quantity of time he gives to me. He listens to my prayers. He gave up time to spend on earth to live, die and rise again for me. He desires to spend every day residing in my heart and eternity dwelling with me in heaven.
He certainly has many things and people he could focus on, yet he chooses to focus on me. As he has loved and continues to love me this way, I can love and continue to love the people in my life by giving them both quantity AND quality time!
Apply: Here’s some ideas to spend quality time together: https://www.ftd.com/blog/celebrate/love-language-ideas
- Try out a new restaurant or cook together
- Go on a walk together after dinner
- Plan a romantic picnic—without phones
- Buy tickets for a movie or play they’ve been wanting to see
- Schedule a weekly date night
- Play board games or video games with them
- Take them on a lunch date without any other siblings
- Bake cookies or something else sweet together
- Play catch in the yard together
- Take a road trip or overnight trip together
Prayer: Jesus thank you for always being with me. The quality time you spent for me and with me fill me with your love and encourage me to spend quality time with those you put in my life. AMEN