Life can get crazy busy at times. We work, we teach, we have families, etc. With everything going on, it’s easy to forget about making time for God on a daily basis.
I want to spend some time discussing why we need to make God a priority and how we can make more room for God in our lives.
First, let’s discuss why we need to make time for God in our lives.
God is everything you need.
God can give us what this world can’t. We are often so busy with things that are temporary. God is permanent and his love for us is permanent. We often try to fill our voids with relationships, social events, social media, etc, but we need to fill our voids with God. With God, we will be whole and not look for others to complete us.
Making time for God allows us to develop a relationship with Him.
I used to go to church on Sunday, then spend no time with God until the next Sunday. If I didn’t make it to church one Sunday, then I would go weeks without spending time with God. Imagine if we used this same concept with our jobs or with our relationships. One thing is for sure, we would be fired and our relationships would fail.
God wants a relationship with us. In order to build a relationship we have to spend time getting to know God on a regular basis. This requires moving from traditional religious traditions, such as going to church, to relationship building.
Spending time with God allows us to be directed, restored, healed, and loved.
Don’t allow God’s blessings to be the reason you forget about Him.
Many times, God doesn’t make it into our schedule because we are so busy. But why are we so busy? Is it because of that job God blessed us with? Is it because of our family that God blessed us with? Is it because God blessed you with the financial means for entertainment and travel? All these things that are filling our day are ways that God has blessed us. I don’t believe he gave us these blessings to stop us from spending time with Him.
You make time for what you value.
I love TV. Grey’s Anatomy, Queen Sugar, This is Us. I’ve never missed an episode. I make time for it.
I love my job. I don’t always love the paperwork that comes with it, but I still find time to manage it. There have been many days that I’ve stayed after school for hours to ensure I was prepared for the days ahead.
I’m into fitness. Well, not so much the eating healthy part (I’m still working on that), but I love to exercise. Again, I’ve made a commitment to workout regularly. It don’t matter how busy my week is, I’ll find time to go to the gym.
Take a minute and insert your “thing” here. What is it that you always make time for no matter what?
How is that we have hours upon hours to devote to our jobs or our entertainment, but no time for God?
This may be a hard one to accept, but if we really value having a relationship with God, we would put more effort into growing that relationship. It’s not ok to allow God in our lives when it’s convenient. We should seek Him regularly, not when we need something.
When we make room for God in our lives our relationship with Him grows. We will hear His voice more clearly and understand where He is directing us. We will be better equipped to handle life’s distractions and disappointments.
So now the question is how to make time for God in your life?
I know we’re all busy and even when we have every intention to spend time with God, we don’t. Something unexpected may come up, or we get distracted. Or we may just be too tired or too busy. Whatever the case may be, here are a few steps I’m taking to help me be more consistent with spending time with God.
Set a time.
It helps to plan when you’re going to study God’s Word. I hear many people say to get up early and spend time with God before you start your day. I think that is a beautiful idea and is probably best, but I’m not there yet. I know myself and when I work and learn best. I’m useless in the morning, but very productive at night. So, that’s when I spend time with God. I am alert and able to think, write, and reflect on what I’m learning. Don’t let not being a morning person be your excuse for not spending time with God. Besides, it’s morning somewhere. It may help to set a reminder on your phone when it’s time to spend time with God. Let’s be honest, until this becomes a habit, it can be easy to skip when life gets busy.
Limit Distractions
Turn off notifications, set your phone to Do Not Disturb, close the door, turn the TV off, go in the bathroom. Do whatever you need to do to help you focus on only God.
Make a study plan.
If I have a specific topic or person I’m studying, I’m more likely to commit to that everyday. That whole “just open your Bible” thing doesn’t really work for me. It works better for me to have a plan of what I’m actually going to study and apply to my life.
Here’s how I make my study plan:
First, I decide what I want to study. It could be a person such as Joseph or David. It could be a study over one of the books of the Bible such as Genesis or Ephesians. I sometimes study a topic such as purpose, faith, or even anger. Now that I know what I’m going to study, I can look forward to learning more about the content and measure my understanding and application of God’s word in my life.
Use the Bible app.
Our generation is so blessed to have easy access to information at our fingertips. With the click of a button, you can have a variety of scriptures or a reading plan related to a topic. I use a Bible app a lot. I have tons of reading plans saved to go over later. I can highlight scriptures and get quick access to those. I can take notes. I can connect with friends. The Bible app also lets me see how consistent I’ve been by showing me how many consecutive days I’ve connected with God’s word.
Journal your progress.
I have a journal I use for Bible study to write my reflections down. I write the meanings of the passages, how I can apply that to my life, and sometimes I even write my prayers. Journaling allows you to keep track of what you’re learning and shows your progress. I love going back through my journals to see what I’ve learned and overcome with time.
Study groups
There’s power in numbers. One reason I suggest a study group is accountability. A study group is also great because you can learn so much from someone else’s perspective.
I want you to continue to grow in your faith even when life gets too busy. I’m sure you’ll see the benefits of making time for God in your life.
