I absolutely love getting to spend a "thoughtful hour" each morning with Jesus--although this morning He gave me more than an hour to spend reflecting on His life, and I am so thankful that the more time we spend with Jesus, the more He will transform our characters. If you have some "spare time" (not that many people have that these days), why not choose to spend "extra time" with Jesus? It is by beholding Him that we are changed into His character. It is His character that we need in our experience to have rest and peace (and all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing--for this is the inevitable result of living by faith upon Him). So if we make investments in our families, in our homes, in our finances, why not choose the most important investment with our time--and spend even MORE TIME when possible that you may fall even more deeply in love with Him? I am finding that communion with God in these precious chapters of Desire of Ages and in the gospel accounts of Jesus' life are "investments in the thought life" so to speak. It is in our thoughts that God speaks to us. He wants our thoughts to be stayed upon Him so we can have perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). If we will fix our eyes upon the loveliness of Jesus, the transformation of character will be constant, because we will remain vitally connected to God by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. This can only happen when we choose to spend this time with Jesus and surrender our whole heart to Him so He can cleanse it from selfishness and sin! Praise the Lord!!
As you read the statement below from Desire of Ages, think of this promise, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Looking unto Jesus, Peter walks securely; but as in self-satisfaction he glances back toward his companions in the boat, his eyes are turned from the Saviour. The wind is boisterous. The waves roll high, and come directly between him and the Master; and he is afraid. For a moment Christ is hidden from his view, and his faith gives way. He begins to sink. But while the billows talk with death, Peter lifts his eyes from the angry waters, and fixing them upon Jesus, cries, "Lord, save me." Immediately Jesus grasps the outstretched hand, saying, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Walking side by side, Peter's hand in that of his Master, they stepped into the boat together. But Peter was now subdued and silent. He had no reason to boast over his fellows, for through unbelief and self-exaltation he had very nearly lost his life. When he turned his eyes from Jesus, his footing was lost, and he sank amid the waves. {DA 381.6}
This is such a practical lesson when it comes to walking above the clamors of our fallen nature (that is unregenerate and justly condemned by a holy God). We retain our fallen flesh at conversion, but what is to be our relationship with the flesh? It is to be "crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20), and it will only remain so if we have our eyes fixed upon Jesus and do not let our minds wander from Him. Peter was walking by faith above the water--he was walking upon the very word Jesus had earlier said--"Come." But when Peter began to feel that he was "something" and looked at the other disciples in "self-satisfaction," he already had fallen spiritually at that point, and the sinking under the water was simply a physical manifestation of the spiritual fall he had experienced by taking his eyes off Jesus and thinking of self. See how Scripture describes this: "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). If we think we are standing on our own, we are self-deceived and have fallen by taking our eyes from Christ. Self is our enemy. We need to look constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith, or we WILL FALL. There is NOTHING GOOD in us by nature (Romans 7:18), and the sooner that we learn how much we need Jesus, the sooner we will learn that only He can keep our hearts and minds pure as we behold His loveliness by fully surrendering to Him moment-by moment. Yes, the lesson needs to be learned--because the sooner we have a consistent, abiding experience in Christ, the sooner we can be a part of helping the great controversy between Christ and Satan come to a close, for Jesus is preparing His people to walk with Him through the time of trouble such as never was (a time in which God's people are sealed and do not fall because they have LEARNED THIS LESSON of their CONTINUAL NEED OF JESUS). This is so important for us!! Jesus is SO SO SOON to return!!! We need this lesson for our lives today. We need to have our focus upon Christ and Him crucified, and not look to self. And it is by spending this thoughtful hour (and more time as you want the experience to go deeper and faster) that we learn how to overcome as Christ also overcame. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, Jesus did not forsake him, but neither did Peter have eternal life while he was selfishly thinking of himself as better than the other disciples. In that moment, Christ was knocking for re-etnreace to Peter's heart, as Jesus does to any of us if we sin and separate from God by our own choice to fail to avail ourselves of the blessings given us in His promises. Thank God for this picture of love we see in Jesus: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:20-21)