Life is strange. A month ago on the way home from church, you rescued a man from a burning car wreck. Without thinking, you acted on impulse and snatched him from the blazing flames. You just did what you had to do. Then life went on and you never heard from him again. That is, until yesterday when he sent you a handwritten letter of thanks in the mail.
It turns out he’s a well to do restaurant owner who just got out of the hospital. In his letter he gushes with gratitude and wants to thank you in person for all you did. He talks about his sick wife and two small children. How without you, he’d be dead and they’d be all alone in the world. He ends his letter by inviting you to to his restaurant. He promises you “a fine evening meal” and says he wants to get to know his “savior.”
With a tear in your eye, you decide you’ll see him today. You’re ecstatic the man has his life back! A free meal is well and good, but now you’re going to see the fruit of what you did. You get to see a man flourish with a second chance at being alive.
But at the restaurant, you’re ambushed with disappointments. For one, you’re made to wait 20 minutes even though you see lots of empty tables. And once you’re seated, the service is lousy, the food, mediocre.
Finally, the man you saved rushes to greet you. He’s haggard looking and obviously beat down by the day. With a tired apologetic smile, he hugs you and flatly utters a few words of thanks. Then he hurries off to meet other customers and take care of the shop. Throughout your meal, he frantically goes to and fro, always nodding in your direction and always apologizing for being so busy.
You may not like the restaurant owner. BUT HE IS YOU. And me too.
This is how we treat our Savior. This is how we treat our God. Jesus doesn’t want to save you and leave you frantic. He wants to spend time with you. Your breadcrumbs at the end of the day don’t cut it. We are to love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength and all our mind.
God Is A Loving God Who Knows How Busy I Am: Besides, Is It Really Worth It?
Let’s be honest here. Not everyone loves the Lord, even those who are saved by Him. It took me 10 plus years to get there myself. So if you won’t spend time with Him out of love, do it out of self interest. The love will come later. (As it did for me.) But you need to trust Him in this.
Jesus says “Apart from me you can do nothing” and “Come to me all who are weary. My yoke is easy, my burden is light.” He also says “I have come to give you life to the full.”
You only get these things by abiding in Jesus. Finally, he drives it all home by saying I am the bread of life. If you eat your first meal at the end of the day, how well equipped are you to handle the day’s troubles? Is it any wonder you have no fruit? And for some, your first meal is only on Sundays!
How To Guarantee Quality Time With Jesus (And What Works For Me )
I’m at my best in the morning after I’ve brushed, flossed and showered. I need to dry off anyway so I lay on my bed with my praise/prayer journal, my Bible and maybe a daily devotional.
It’s then that I’m most alert and ready to commune with this God who loves me. A God who delights when I talk to Him. I look forward to this time. Often enough after praising Him, I lay silently in awe and He fills me with His peace and clarity.
But even when He doesn’t, I thank Him, for I know He wants to lavish me with good things. And this includes having this special intimate relationship with the creator of the universe. This is the easiest way to make talking and listening to the Lord, part of my daily worship.
You of course may have other routines. But make it a daily habit to spend time with Him. (just as you do with brushing your teeth or taking a shower). The King of the Universe is certainly worth your time.
When we were saved, Jesus gave us a second chance at life. It wasn’t just a promise for the hereafter. He promises us the abundant life in this world too…if we abide in Him. When you abide in Jesus, all other things will fall into place.
For specifics on how you can spend quality time with Jesus and talk to Him as a friend, see Does God Like Us? If God likes us, how is this different than love? Does it change how we spend our time with our Savior?
See also:
Being Stuck In The Desert
Why does God allow us to wander without direction? Is there something we can do on our part to get out of the desert?