TAWG. Any ideas? What TAWG is?
Shorthand in the government and in the military is nothing new. I hear our National Guard guests talking in shorthand all the time. Texting has it’s own shorthand, too. LOL, BRB, IMO
TAWG is preacher shorthand for Time Alone With God. It’s a topic so discussed, so written about, so common to pastors, that we have a shorthand for it, TAWG. You must admit, it’s much quicker to type TAWG than it is to type “Time Alone With God.” TAWG is absolutely necessary for Christians, like food, clothing and shelter. A Christian who is not having a TAWG regularly is missing out, acting foolish, even rebelling.
The Psalms speak of the morning as the perfect opportunity for Time Alone With God.
Psalm 5:3 “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.”
Psalm 119:147 “I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.”
Psalm 143:8 “Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.”
Here’s some more shorthand for you: SPACE ACTS. When you have your TAWG, it consists of two parts, Scripture and Prayer. As you read a few verses of Scripture in the morning, look for a Sin to Confess, a Promise to Claim, an Adjustment to Make (or an Attitude to Change), a Commitment to Make, or an Example to Follow. SPACE. Then, after meditating on the Scriptures, pray with this pattern, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. ACTS. This memory trick, shorthand SPACE ACTS, will structure your TAWG and help you hear from God through His Word and speak to God in prayer.
A woman and a man were talking together as they watched their children play at a playground. The man called out to his son that it was time to go home, but the son asked, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes.” The father agreed and returned to his conversation with the woman. A few minutes later, it happened again. “Time to go, son!” “Please, dad, five more minutes?” “Okay.”
Listening to the conversation between the dad and his boy, the woman complimented the man on his patience. The father replied, “My older son Tommy passed away last year and I never spent much time with Tommy. Now I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. I’d vowed not to make the same mistake with Sam. He thinks he has five more minutes to swing. The truth is, I get five more minutes to watch him play.”*
Time spent with our Heavenly Father is precious to Him. He wants to have some time with you every day. Make TAWG a part of your life this Fall. I hope it will become precious to you, just as it is precious to Him!!
Bro Jonathan
*Story from God’s Little Devotional Book for Dads, Honor Books, 2002, pp 216-217
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