#SpreadTheGospel

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The alarm goes off. You check the time only to see that you snoozed 20 minutes more than you’d anticipated! Yikes!!

You jump out the bed and rush to the bathroom to prepare before you hurriedly leave the house.

“How about devotion time?” The Holy Spirit nudges you.

“Well, once I settle, I’ll read the Bible/pray/worship.” At least that’s what you tell yourself

But…

There is no settling.

There’s a call here, a meeting there, an errand to run, a flight to catch, a deadline to beat, a child to feed, an email to respond to and the list is endless.

God understands, right? I am serving Him after all. I am working as unto the Lord- the very Bible says so; right?

Well, let me paint you a picture:

Jesus had classes to teach, children to play with, travel arrangements to make, people to counsel, a team to manage but not once did Jesus ever lack the opportunity to spend time with His Father.

Let’s have a sneak peak into the life of Jesus:

“One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus was extremely busy indeed and from the Scripture above, we see that He was so engaged that He barely got time to eat!

“… Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

From early in the morning to late in the night; the four Gospels give us an insight on the kind of schedule that Jesus had. So packed was Jesus’ schedule that He needed not one, not two but a baffling TWELVE personal assistants, commonly referred to as His disciples, to help him out. That’s a clear indication that Jesus had and did a lot of work.

“And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.”

John 21:25 NKJV

So, if you think your program-for-the-day has you praying for more hours; guess what? Jesus did waaaaay more, with the same twenty-four hours, yet He still had time to spend with His Father.

What is it that’s stealing your time away from God? If you introspectively analyze your day, you’ll see that there IS time available to spend with God.

We often hear terms such as “first love” or “only love” in the context of a deep, committed relationship. When you love or are in love with someone; you spend your time, attention, affection and dedication to nurture the relationship. So why do we say we love God yet get so wrapped up in our schedules? Yet our very first commandment is to love the Lord our God?

“Yes, I’ll pray but only after I finish this assignment..but only after I submit my report… but only after this …but only after that.”

Everything else seems to get our attention save for God. After all, God is omniscient, He knows everything; right? God understands. He knows that you’re working two jobs while still attending evening classes; He knows that you have three young kids that need to be put to bed before 9pm; He knows that you have a business pitch to present to the venture capitalists who will be flying in the next day and the list goes on…

God knows that you do want to read the Bible/pray/worship but… [insert reason here]

Does that rhetoric sound familiar to you?

You may console yourself by thinking, “But the Bible says, “…. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ‭‭”

Folks, let’s call a spade a spade. All these so-called “reasons” are merely excuses.

Say it with me… Excuse.

Say it again… Excuse.

E-X-C-U-S-E

There will always be something to do, someone to visit, a fire to quench, a task to accomplish but when God is at the center stage in our lives, we will PRIORITIZE our time with Him.

P-R-I-O-R-I-T-Y.

What or who is your priority?

We make time for what/who we love.

Period.

That call can be put on hold till later. That task can be delegated. You can wake up earlier than usual. Set boundaries. Say no when you have to. You have the power to control these variables.

There’s always enough time for what you purpose to do.

Jesus cherished His relationship with His Father in heaven and He made the effort to spend time to deepen their relationship.

“And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14:23‬ ‭NKJV

Jesus sent the multitudes AWAY so that He could spend time with God… alone.

Jesus Himself, the very Son of God, would MAKE TIME to pray & fellowship with His Father everyday while He was on earth. How much more us?

God wants us to BE with Him, not merely DO things for Him. Nothing and I repeat… nothing can ever substitute our private time with God. No church service, evangelist missions, outreach programs, no activity under heaven can compensate your private, intimate time with God.

That quiet time with the Lord is a place of deep intimacy. God loves us very much and He has betrothed us, the Church, to Himself. We are the bride and Christ is the bridegroom and you know lovers get intimate with each other.

I am by no means discounting the power of fellowship with brethren; but when it comes to doing what lovers do, you only need you. It is very personal. No one can spend time with God for, with or on behalf of you. It’s only you.

God loves you immensely and wants to spend time with you so… make time for Him.

XO,

That Lady.