It’s important to pay attention to how we spend our time. It’s precious, valuable, and irreplaceable. We spend hours watching television, scrolling through our phones, checking social media, and keeping up with everything happening around us. Before we know it, another day has passed. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some entertainment or catching up with friends, but we need to pay attention to how we spend our time. What we give our attention will eventually shape how we think, the decisions we make, and the people we become.
This is especially important in our relationship with Jesus. If you’re spending time filling your mind with the things of this world, those things will influence you. If you’re spending time in God’s Word, praying, worshiping, and enjoying fellowship with other believers, God will use those things to change your life for the good! The Bible reminds us that as we continue looking to the Lord, He is transforming us to become more like Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
I love that promise. God is at work changing us. Sometimes change happens gradually, and we may not even recognize how much we’ve grown. Yet as we keep walking with Jesus, the Holy Spirit works in our lives. Our attitudes begin to change. Our desires become different. We learn to respond to difficulties with greater faith and patience. We begin loving people in ways we couldn’t before. That’s the wonderful work God is doing as we spend time with Him.
When the Apostle John began his first letter, he wrote about his personal experience with Jesus.
1 John 1:1 (NKJV) “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life.”
Think about what John is saying. He had heard Jesus speak. He had watched Him perform miracles. He had spent time with Him, walked with Him, and personally witnessed His life and ministry. John knew Jesus personally.
That’s what I want for all of us. I want you to know Jesus personally. It’s wonderful to learn about Him through sermons, Bible studies, books, and conversations with other Christians. Those are valuable ways to grow. But as you continue walking with the Lord, you should be developing a personal relationship with Him through His Word, prayer, obedience, and daily dependence upon Him.
There’s a difference between hearing someone tell you that God is faithful and being able to look back over your own life and remember how He has faithfully helped you. You remember the prayers you’ve prayed, the difficult seasons He’s brought you through, and the ways He’s corrected and encouraged you through His Word.
Your faith grows stronger as you learn to trust Him personally.
One danger in the church today is becoming familiar with biblical truth without letting it change how we live. We can listen to sermons, watch Bible studies online, and gather all kinds of information about Christianity while neglecting to obey what God has already shown us.
I’ve heard this described as trafficking in unlived truth. That’s a serious warning for all of us, especially those who teach God’s Word.
We need to live what we’re learning.
James 1:22 (NKJV) “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
God wants His Word to influence every area of our lives. When He teaches us about forgiveness, we need to forgive. When He teaches us about loving others, we need to love. When He corrects an attitude or reveals sin in our lives, we need to respond with repentance and obedience.
The early church gives us a wonderful example. In Acts 2:42, we read that the believers continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. They learned God’s Word and lived it together.
This is the key to real spiritual growth. With our priorities in order, we will be strong toward God and strengthened together.
Please consider how you spend your time. Don’t give Jesus your leftovers.
Matthew 6:33–7:1 (NKJV) “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
Make time for Him every day.
Keep reading your Bible. Keep praying. Keep following Jesus.
