Kris Vallotton

One of the most common reasons we don’t hear God on a regular basis is that we don’t “turn aside” from our daily activities to hear Him. Jeremiah prophesied this: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). The heart of the matter is really the matter of the heart. God wants us to value our relationship with Him by not treating Him like a cosmic bellhop or a casual friend.

John Mark Comer

Jesus came out of the wilderness with all sorts of clarity about his identity and calling. He was grounded. Centered. In touch with God and himself. From that place of emotional equilibrium and spiritual succor, he knew precisely what to say yes to and, just as importantly, what to say no to. Hence: as the Gospels go on, you quickly realize the quiet place was top priority for Jesus.

John Mark Comer

What a trellis is to a vine, a rule of life is to abiding. It’s a structure—in this case, a schedule and a set of practices—to set up abiding as the central pursuit of your life. It’s a way to organize all of your life around the practice of the presence of God, to work and rest and play and eat and drink and hang out with your friends and run errands and catch up on the news, all out of a place of deep, loving enjoyment of the Father’s company. If a vine doesn’t have a trellis, it will die. And if your life with Jesus doesn’t have some kind of structure to facilitate health and growth, it will wither away. Following Jesus has to make it onto your schedule and into your practices or it will simply never happen. Apprenticeship to Jesus will remain an idea, not a reality in your life.