Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7 NLT
Our Problem
It seems that Christianity is miles and miles wide and only an inch deep. Our faith is shallow. We have no depth. How did this happen? Where did we go wrong? There are many things we could talk about that cause this shallowness.
However, one of our biggest problems is we don’t have time for God. At least, that’s what we think. We have so much going on, so many distractions. We try to do everything. It’s true that we all have busy lives but are we too busy for God?
Our Need
What we need is a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus that is consistent and continually growing. But for that to happen, we have to find time for God.
My Story
When I became a Christian at thirty-two years old, I began to attend a church that had a fertile environment for growing as a Christian. Not only did the Pastor preach great sermons, but there were also good Sunday School classes for everyone.
But one thing that helped me the most in the area of spending time with God was the discipleship classes they offered. The classes had worksheets to complete every day of the week, teaching on prayer, scripture to interpret and meditate on, and verses to memorize weekly. Those classes taught me the discipline of meeting God every day and it has stuck with me all these years.
I started meeting with God every morning. It wasn’t easy, I was working an eight to four-thirty job every day, later pastoring a church too. I had a family to care for. My son Matt had a car accident that left him a quadriplegic.
When I wasn’t working, I was helping care for him. I had to take off work often to take Matt to Doctor appointments and many emergency room visits and stays in the hospital. So, I had a lot going on and not a lot of time.
How Can We Do It
When we don’t have a lot of time we have to be committed and creative. During the week when I was working, I would try to get up early enough to spend thirty minutes, sometimes less, in prayer and reading my bible. I would read scripture or books and pray at other times throughout the day. On Saturday and Sunday mornings I would spend extended time preparing to preach which were great times of communion with the Lord.
Some Ways to Find Time with God
You have to find your own niche for spending time with God.
· You may spend time with God the very first thing in the morning, if you are a morning person, like me. The morning is a good time when it’s quiet and your mind is fresh. But some people have told me their mind is in a fog in the morning. Some people are kind of grumpy in the morning and don’t want to do anything except what they have to do until they wake up. Sometimes there is just too much going on in the morning, especially with kids and work, so another time is better.
· For some, nighttime is the best. They have finished their day, the kids are in bed, and now they can relax, read the word, pray, and spend time with God. Some may do morning and night.
· Other times we can spend time with God is during our commute to and from work. I sometimes pray or listen to Christian music when I’m driving. Other times I’ll listen to sermons while I’m going.
· Lunch at work is another good time to spend time with the Lord. You may have only thirty minutes as I did but you can read a devotion or scripture and spend some time meditating on that.
· Make sure to go to Church on Sunday morning. This is like the foundation for everything else we do. We build on that foundation throughout the week as we spend time with God on our own learning and worshiping.
We Waste Time if We don’t know what We are going to do in our Time with God
Consider this scenario: I’m planning to spend thirty minutes with the Lord before I have to leave for work. I get up the next morning and it’s Monday. I left my bible in the car after coming home from Church. After
I go to the car and get my bible, I get my coffee and sit down at my desk. I open my bible but I’m not sure what to read or where to start. I finally decide on what to read and I start reading. I look at the clock and twenty-five minutes have passed.
I think, there are some people that I was going to pray for and I don’t even have time to finish reading, much less pray for them. Frustrated, I get ready for work, grab my lunch, and jump in the car to get to work.
We must prepare to spend time with God. Know what you are going to read or do before you get there. Have a bible reading plan or devotional, or whatever you plan to use ready. Have a prayer journal or something similar to record things that you want to pray for or about.
Keep your bible, your prayer journal, songbook, or whatever else you use in the place where you meet God. That may be your dining table, your desk, or a reading nook. You not only need a time but a place.
Consider a much better scenario: I get up in the morning early enough to spend thirty minutes with God. I sit down at my desk, open my bible and read a chapter in Psalms, a chapter in Proverbs, and a chapter in the New Testament book of Matthew in my bible reading plan.
As I’m reading, I write down insights from scripture. I pray about how the scripture should change my life. I write down commitments I need to make based on the scriptures I read. I open my prayer journal and pray about the names mentioned at Church or in my prayer group. I get ready and head to work.
I spend the first few minutes of the commute in thanksgiving to God. Then, I put my earbuds in and worship through songs of praise to God. At lunch, I either eat with the person I have been trying to build a relationship with, or I read a short devotion and pray about what I’ve read. On the commute home I pray about goals I’ve been trying to set where I think God is leading me.
I also listen to some more praise music and worship Jesus before I pick up the kids then play some more for them on the radio. After dinner and baths, I spend fifteen minutes with the kids reading a short book and praying with them. At bedtime, I spend five minutes praying with my spouse.
This scenario could be changed to fit your own schedule.
In this scenario, I have spent about one and one-half hours of quality time with the Lord on a busy day with work, spouse, kids, and everything else.
The Enormous Blessing of Spending Time with God
It’s worth it to carve out time with God in our busy lives. The result will be a deep and abiding love relationship with God. Our worldview will be Christ-oriented with an eternal perspective and a lot less stress. Love, joy, peace, and hope will be ours in abundance.
Prayer
Lord, help me make the commitment to spend time with you during my busy day. The blessings are too great to miss. Help me to work it out for your glory and my good and the good of all those around me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Robin Martin is a Pastor who loves Jesus, preaching, teaching, writing, and the great outdoors. He and his wife Tammie enjoy time with their large blended family.
