RSS
Home
Are you making enough time for God?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
Do you ever feel like a Christian superhero? You know- the Christian who does it all: heads up the youth group trips, teaches Sunday school, sings in various choirs, volunteers at the homeless shelter, volunteers in the church office, drives the van for Meals On Wheels, sits on various committees and boards, organizes fellowship events...the list could go on and on!
While doing good works in Christ's name is wonderful and something we are called to do, we can become burned out very quickly and our personal time with God might even take a back seat. I know what you're going to ask...'How is it possible that I'm not spending time with God while I'm running myself ragged doing these good works in His name!?'
Doing God's work does not and cannot replace spending personal time with Him. We cannot grow spiritually if we do not spend one on one time with God. God wants us to have a very intimate relationship with Him- but it's a two way street. Yes, He comes to us...but do we in turn go to Him? Do we spend time with Him on a daily basis, reading and comprehending His Word? Do we spend adequate time with Him in prayer? Nothing is too big or small for God- He wants us to go to Him with our questions, our hurts, our confessions, our thankfulness and our joys. He wants to know us.
In Matthew 7:22-23, Jesus speaks about this very thing, saying: 'Many will say to Me on that day (Judgment Day), Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].' (Amplified Bible) -Part of the Sermon on the Mount.
There you have it. Could you imagine Him saying that He doesn't know you...that He never knew you? No one wants that to be the case, and it won't be if we take time to develop a personal relationship with the Lord. Maybe you do have a personal relationship with Him already- but is it lacking? Is praying only when you need Him enough? I don't think so. Our faith is personal and no two people are going to have exactly the same relationship with the Father...but we do need to have an actual relationship with Him, and not just when it's convenient for us. It might mean getting up half and hour earlier to have devotions every morning, or getting outside to have a little walk and talk with God after work...we might even have to start carrying our bibles around with us!
Quick story-
A little over a year ago, my husband and I walked to a nearby coffee shop to grab a drink and check our e-mail. I scanned the place as my husband was checking messages and noticed a young man sitting alone, staring pretty intensely at his bible. Before I knew what I would even say, I walked over to his table...all the while, thinking, 'God...why do you have me randomly approach people like this?' After a minute or two of awkward introductions, I asked what he was reading. He told me that he was a new believer and when he woke up that morning, God was telling him to read the Sermon on the Mount. He was reading for the fifteenth time that day. He was at the coffee shop to meet one of his mentors from church so they could talk about it. Seemed a bit over the top to me. He even admitted that to someone else, it might seem a bit extreme, but God was stressing that he needed to read it- so he read it and kept reading because it seemed really important to know. The man told me that he wanted to live the way Jesus told us to live in the Sermon on the Mount, and that he really wanted to know God in an intimate way. He had spent his entire day reading the Word and in prayer.
God didn't send me to that man's table because the man needed me- he sent me over there because my eyes needed to be opened to something. I believe that it was preparation for moving- leaving my family, my church and all of the things I was involved in, in His name...because my calendar would soon be wide open. Filling time slots that were once filled with rehearsals and meetings with spending personal time with God has been amazing for me, because the God I knew through worship, the Word and good works was just the beginning of getting to know God. We're still getting to know each other- I learn new things every day and plan on it being that way for the rest of my days spent on earth. I live for many things, but most importantly, I live to know God more...I never stop asking, seeking or knocking and I hope you won't either.
Is God your number one desire? Do you live to know Him more? If He isn't, and if you don't, I pray that you will start today...it's never too late to have a personal relationship with the Father. If you do have a personal relationship with the Lord, keep at it- like any relationship, it takes work, love and trust. We will never get to a point where we will know all there is to God, so keep asking, seeking and growing in His spirit and love.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
