What’s the whoo-ha about this question?
Aren’t the answer as simple as laziness?
A wiser answer says, due to lack of understanding of the Bible.
But the real reason for not having quiet time is that
it is not necessary.
Brothers and sisters, for everything that is necessary,
we will find time to do however busy we are.
Can you ever imagine a person not going to toilet,
because of laziness or not knowing where the toilets are?
No way, because he must use the toilet.
Similarly, you will never say you are too lazy to sleep, nor not knowing how to sleep,
because it is necessary, you will have to sleep.
Therefore, if a Christian knows he *should* do his Quiet Time
(or personal Bible Study, personal devotions, to pray and to read Bible),
but he does not do it,
the only explanation for that, is that “he does not feel the necessity to read and pray”.
Churches always teach that Quiet Time is like spiritual breathes;
prominently, you have a pair of nostrils to breathe,
but have no specialized organs for Quiet Time —
all you have is your “spirit and truth” to encounter God.
Why did God not create some organs dedicated for us to communicate with God?
Why would He want human to *believe* Him?
The question is as amusing as asking parents,
“why is there not a button on their children dedicated for filial piety or obedience?”
The relationships among people are not laws of science, but some amazing interactions.
When the two are related, they keeps this relationship;
when the two are not, the old relationship will subside or even disappear.
For example, “classmate” is a relationship, but not equivalent to lasting for a life time.
After graduation, this relationship might disappear altogether.
Many years later, one may find out somebody was your primary classmate,
but you might forget completely even though you were in the same class for six years.
Same goes for colleagues. When you are in the same company, working, having meals,
or even sharing the train ride home, but after changing a company,
you may suddenly lose touch with the person, as you are no longer related to the person.
Spouses are the even clearer example. When they were so in love, they got married.
For a long time later, they may slowly have less and less to talk and act romantically,
lazy to do them, but more so feeling “not necessary” to do them.
If the same argument were to apply to faith, when a person was seeking faith,
all his Bible studies and prayers were needs, because he wanted to know God;
but as time passed by, those became just habits to him.
It’s not like failure to do devotions will cause him breathing difficulties or illness or poorness,
so long as having no imminent dangers, he feels them unnecessary.
The couples feeling a sense of unnecessary are called “old couples”,
those believers feeling a sense of unnecessary must be called “old Christians”, right?
After thinking these through,
not doing Quiet Time is not something you should blame yourself or get scolded,
but rather, you should realize that your relationship with God is having a problem.
If you do Quiet Time with a guilty heart, it sounds more like paying a penalty.
Not speaking to your families does not entail that you are wicked;
it is just a signal that you became distant to your families.
Not speaking to your spouse does not entail that you have a moral issue,
it is rather a relational issue.
Not speaking to God on daily basis,
but only wanting to have some thrills once a week at Sunday Service,
what does this say, it’s a question only you can answer on your own.
Quiet Time, is really not a religious act.
Translated from 劉曉亭, (15 March 2015). 為什麼不靈修？. https://www.fhl.net/main/question/question67.html
Writing this post to encourage all my brothers and sisters to continue to walk closely with God even in our busy schedules.