Are you Making Time?
The Bible teaches us that the sabbath is important. In the beginning, it was about a day of the Sabbath. It was part of the Law of Moses. Even the Pharisees later had a specific day, in keeping with the Law of Moses, and had strict man-made rules around the Sabbath. But God taught us about the sabbath to teach us how to rest. This turned into teaching us how to make time for others, like ourselves and our family, and most importantly, make time for God outside of our busy lives.
Jesus later taught us that it’s not about a specific day of the week, but rather that we make time to rest, whenever that is. But what do we do when we rest? What should we be doing? Making time to rest doesn’t necessarily mean sleeping in and not doing anything at all. This is a time to spend with God and spend time with family, like having a game night or going on a walk. It’s a nice time to do projects around the house, mow the lawn, or just sit and enjoy the fruits of your labor. The Sabbath really is about making time to spend with God. A prayer, devotional, and Bible reading routine is good to have daily, but on the sabbath, allow yourself time to read a book that will help build your spiritual life, or read more of the Bible. You can never go wrong with reading more of the Bible.
“‘This is God’s Message. Be careful, if you care about your lives, not to desecrate the Sabbath by turning it into just another workday, lugging stuff here and there. Don’t use the Sabbath to do business as usual. Keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. They never did it, as you know. They paid no attention to what I said and went about their own business, refusing to be guided or instructed by me.”
Jeremiah 17:21-23 MSG
Do you make time for God?
I believe we take for granted everything God does in our lives. We go about our days sometimes, distracted by our surroundings, and forget to give Glory to God. We get stuck in situations that are not fun or enjoyable and just complain instead of reaching out to God, giving the situation to Him, and giving Him the Glory for the struggle.
Our own creator of heaven and Earth, does so much for us, and for everything around us, yet we forget Him at times we should be thinking of Him the most.
So, to help with making sure you are doing your best, feed yourself with Christian, edifying music, listen to audiobooks about growing your spiritual life, or listen to devotionals. Make time in the morning, to start your day with God in it. Make a point to be in a habit of prayer and thanksgiving. Surrender your day to Him daily, while you are brushing your teeth first thing in the morning, getting dressed, or better yet before you even get out of bed. Make God the center of your actions. Get beyond these behaviors as just a habit, and make them second nature, a part of who you are. As a child of God, this should be your desire.
Making time for God is like your tithe to the church. If you give more time obediently and cheerfully to God, He will make sure you have the time you need for everything else in life. Trust God with your time. Just like with your tithe, the more you obediently, and cheerfully give to the church, God will make sure you have everything you need in your life, and give you the joys of your heart. Trust God with your tithe.
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”
Matthew 6:30-33 MSG
“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?”
Galatians 5:13-15 MSG
“But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 MSG
Do you make time for your spouse?
“Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.”
Ephesians 5:25-33 MSG
These verses in the Bible clearly instruct us as married people how to treat one another. Just as making time for God is important, so is making time for your spouse. This includes intimacy, or just having conversations, planning sessions, sharing dreams of your future together, planning date nights, or spontaneously taking a date, making weekend trips to someplace special to you two, reading the Bible together, praying together, and even spending time with other Christian couples. Make time for each other. Plan as much as you can, and also allow time for spontaneous things. But most importantly, love one another.
Do you make time for your children?
“Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep.”
Psalms 127:3-5 MSG
Children should be cherished, even if they are not being obedient. Be patient with them and love them. Show them they are loved. Because their attention spans are a bit more sporadic these days, be flexible. When they speak to you, make eye contact with them. Show them that you are listening, even if you are in the middle of washing dishes. Children should be able to look to parents and see positive examples of how to be. If a child doesn’t have that exposure at home, that is where church leaders, friends’ parents, and teachers have the opportunity to be that example.
We should never miss an opportunity to make time, even if it’s a minute here and there, for children, especially if they are our own. The effort may not seem appreciated at the moment, but long term, it makes all of the difference.
“The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.”
Mark 10:13-16 MSG
Do you make time for your family as a whole?
Making time for God should teach you how to make time for everyone you care about in your life. God will help you make time for those you love. As your challenge as a spiritual leader in your family, or amongst your friends, you get the opportunity to speak out. Make time to say a prayer. It can be a quick prayer, like before a meal, or it can be a quick prayer before a meeting, or it can be a long prayer where the needs may seem greater.
“Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness that no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.”
Ephesians 5:11-17 MSG
Good stuff! Thank you. These reminders are always welcome. 🥰