Spending time with Jesus can easily be put on the bottom of our to-do list as life gets busy. When time becomes limited, so can our time with Jesus. But spending time with Jesus is crucial for every aspect of our lives.
As vacation time was coming up, my to-do list was growing.
I had work tasks that had to be completed, graphics that had to be created and scheduled for Living Revelations, and much more. I started neglecting my morning times with God to work out more in the gym just before my cruise.
When I finally had the time to spend alone time with Jesus, I ran into a passage in my devotional that said: “We are not called to do something but to do it for someone.”
It was at that moment when I realized I had lost my focus on the most important thing – Jesus.
I was getting things done for Jesus but neglected Jesus himself. Without me realizing, I was prioritizing my to-do list over spending time with Jesus.
While Jesus loves us doing things for him, He first wants us to give our undivided attention to Him.
When we spend more of our time doing things for Him and neglect to spend the time to hear what He has to say, we have missed the whole point. Our lives were made to glorify God and that only comes from a life devoted to Jesus in the secret place – the place where you and Jesus are alone.
Matthew 22-37-38 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
We are not showing our love and devotion to God if we are only doing things for Him but neglecting to spend time with Him. Imagine having a spouse who does things for you but doesn’t bother to spend quality time with you. How would that make you feel?
Jesus cares more about us than the things we do for Him.
We see this in the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus came to visit them and while Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said, Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made (Luke 10:39-40).
Martha got upset and asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her. But Jesus replied, “few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42).
Jesus made it clear that Mary has chosen what is better, which is spending time listening to Him. While all the preparations were important, they were not as important than spending time with Jesus.
Will you be like Mary and choose to sit before the feet of Jesus? Nothing is worth cutting our time with Jesus.
Are you like Martha who loves Jesus but is distracted by the things that need to get done? What’s distracting you from spending time with Jesus? Is it ministry for Jesus himself? Is it your workload?
Whatever it may be, know that time with Jesus is worth it and necessary.
Jesus says in John 15:5,”I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Jesus is the key to the success of our lives and ministry. Spending time with Jesus is more important than getting our to-do list done. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. Many times we think we are being more productive by getting our to-do list done first before spending time with Jesus, but in reality, we will be more productive if we start our day with Jesus.
There’s nothing more important than spending time with Jesus. Jesus is the source of joy and strength we need to get through the day, the source of wisdom and creativity for us to stand out in our work, and the source of love and assurance we need to persevere in the midst of a negative world.
What if spending time with Jesus was the solution to your marriage conflicts? What if spending time with Jesus was the key to the inspiration and strategy you needed for your dreams to come true?
We need to start viewing time with Jesus as necessary than optional. It is impossible to reach the plans God has for our lives by our own strength and mind. We need God’s strategies and creativity. Jesus has all the solutions we need for our lives and when we spend time with Him, He will pour out all the wisdom and revelation we need to glorify Him in all we do.
Ephesians 1:17 says, “..the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” The more we spend time with Jesus, the more our lives will look like Him.
Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” God has also given us the Holy Spirit to know Jesus better and to live as Jesus live so that others may witness His love and power through us.
The more we spend time with Jesus, the more we will see Him real and active in our lives. It’s the time spent with Jesus that prepares us to be successful in all we do to glorify God. So remember, spend time with Jesus.
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