Spending Time with God

“It is sadly possible, unless we carefully maintain the habit of spending a long time daily in intercession and prayer, also in study and meditation upon the Holy Scriptures, and upon the books of godly teachers thereon, instead of going on from strength to strength, and experiencing increasing gift and power, to undergo a subtle but deeply real process of deterioration. In this matter more perhaps than anything else, it remains true that “God is not mocked.” If we are faithful and diligent daily in thus giving ourselves to prayer, earnest study of Scripture and meditation thereon, with a view not only to our personal edification such as every believer needs, but in order that we may be equipped for our service of preaching and teaching others, then we may humbly expect to grow in usefulness and power as preachers and bible teachers, as well as fellow-helpers with and wise sympathetic counsellors of our colleagues." ~D.E. Hoste, successor to Hudson Taylor as leader of the China Inland Mission (now known as OMF)