I watched a short clip of a comedian act last night. He was talking about Pop-Tarts. The whole thing was pretty funny but I really laughed at one part. He talked about the directions on a box of Pop-Tarts. The need for them, first of all, is funny in itself. But then he mentioned having microwave directions. It takes a minute to put them in the toaster and we need microwave directions? His comment was if you can’t wait a minute for a Pop-Tart you might be booking yourself a little tight!
Everyone I talk to is busy, busy, busy. I have found myself extremely busy lately. Sometimes you get to the point where you have to ask what is going to have to go. Unfortunately my first thought was to give up a commitment I have that is a work for the Lord. Thankfully I soon realized that if I did not put God first then all else would crumble around me. This particular commitment is one that I feel called to do because it keeps me in a disciplined study of God’s Word and gives me the opportunity to share what I learn with high school students. God is the One I need to depend on to help me get everything else done.
I was reminded of this passage this morning:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42 NIV
What was the one thing that was needed? Time spent with the Lord. Martha wasn’t doing anything bad by wanting things to be nice for Jesus but her priorities were mixed up. That flowed forward to having a bad attitude (worried and upset). Mary chose to spend time at Jesus’ feet listening to His teaching. The physical food could wait.
Part of my morning routine is to have some quiet time with the Lord to read His word and to pray. If I am running late, guess what tends to be rushed or skipped? We have time for what we want to do. Heaven forbid we spend a little less time checking email, stalking on Facebook, or watching TV. Again, none of these things are necessarily bad unless they become more important than developing our relationship with the Lord (or others).
When Jesus was here for His earthly ministry He took the time to be alone with His Father. You could say He was a busy guy. He only had 3 years to accomplish God’s plan of redemption not to mention teaching, healing and training the disciples (who each had their own challenges!).
Our time alone with God gives us not only time to learn about Him but to be quiet in His presence. Many people say that they can’t understand the Bible—that could be because they don’t spend any time reading it! Before you begin, ask God to help you to understand what He is trying to teach you.
If you do not currently have time set aside to be alone with the Lord when will you start? I am not going to say what time of day it has to be or how long—that is up to you. The important part is that you do it. Then watch and be amazed at how all the other details fall into place! Yes, God does care about the details—and He cares about You!
Have a great day!