Everyone benefits when they slow down, pause, and admire God’s handiwork. In today’s busy culture, it is easy to overlook the purpose of spending personal time with Jesus. However, when Christians do not cultivate a relationship with their Lord and Savior, they will not get to know Him. They will not learn what pleases Him and what does not.
Moreover, Jeremiah 29:13 speaks to what The Lord desires: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” God’s purpose is to connect meaningfully with His sons and daughters. According to many Christians, focusing on God every morning helps them feel His presence throughout their waking hours.
In her book, “Fruit Flies in Our Faith,” Annie Paden wrote, “What happens when we let the Fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — sit unused?”
She says the result is “Spiritual Fruit Flies.” However, Paden explains: “The Fruit of the Spirit, however, never goes bad. Spiritual fruit flies create stumbling blocks, distractions, bad habits, pitfalls — whatever it takes to keep me from nurturing and sharing the Spirit’s fruit in my life.”
If Christians fail to grow spiritually, they do not fulfill God’s purpose. Instead, they provide Satan with an open invitation to destroy their lives.
The Apostle Paul warns against failing to live by the Holy Spirit’s power in Galatians 5:19-21:
“What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions, worshiping idols, and witchcraft. People become enemies, and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these” (Good News Translation).
Despite these factors, meditating on His Word is still not a priority for many, with a lack of time being the main reason. What if there was a way to find time? This post contains tips for finding the time necessary to fulfill God’s purpose for your life.
Finding Time to Fulfill God’s Purpose
There are many methods to find the time to commune with God. For example, Steven Griffith offers several techniques in his book, “The Time Cleanse.” After applying several of his suggestions, I found that spending time with Jesus, attending college full-time, writing articles, and having time to relax was surprisingly manageable.
Christians can use their newly found free time to commune with God.
Griffith approaches time management as the psychology of productivity. Psychology Today says, “An individual’s productivity hinges on mental energy and a sense of internal and external motivation.”
Both sources warn against multitasking, declaring it is ineffective. As Matthew 6:24 explains, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” This verse applies to multitasking in that productivity is derailed when someone attempts to split their attention between two or more things because “it takes time for the brain to disengage from one set of tasks and to commit to another.”
Moreover, technology poses an endless supply of immediate distractions, like notifications. Consider taking a digital detox, which means refraining from smartphone, television, computer, and tablet usage.
Detoxing’s purpose is threefold: the process lowers technology-related stress, people feel rested, and they have a reduced chance of social media-related mental health concerns.
When a person takes a technology break, even for only a few hours daily, they regain lost time. According to Verywell Mind, people who detox from digital devices do so to “focus on real-life social interactions without distractions.”
Mindful Fellowship With Jesus
Being mindful is the practice of intentionally focusing on the present moment. Therefore, taking a walk with the intent of admiring God’s handiwork is a powerful way to connect with The Lord meaningfully.
The Mirror of God says: “Sometimes it is good to put aside all our prayer requests for a few minutes and just take some time to meditate on God, who He is, and what He wants.”
People often describe outdoor walking meditation or mindful walking as their favorite mindfulness activity. There are several approaches to this practice of communing with Jesus. Most Christians favor blocking out the negativity during this activity. Instead, their focus turns to the sun’s warmth; they marvel at clouds, the wind, and the trees. Mindful walkers listen to sounds like birds singing, dogs barking, and children playing.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands. Psalm 19:1-2
Being mindful allows Christians “to actually see the the Glory of God all around us.” It humbles and shifts the focus from life’s circumstances and reminds people that God is their creator, sovereign over all things, and in control.
Additionally, these interactive walks provide time to consider Jesus’s majestic wonders and His plans for the world and you. Moreover, spending one-on-one time with The Lord allows time to appreciate further why He made Adam and Eve — to love and be loved, to know and be known.
In Psalm 139:13-14, David praises the relationship between humankind and God when he says,
“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus 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.”
His second command is to “love one another as He loves you.” These mandates are the foundation for all Biblical teaching.
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, the verses in this article are from the New International Version (NIV).
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Bible Lyfe: 25 Soul-Stirring Bible Verses on Meditation
McGraw-Hill: The Time Cleanse: A Proven System to Eliminate Wasted Time, Realize Your Full Potential, and Reinvest in What Matters Most; Steven Griffith; December 2018
Psychology Today: What is Productivity?
Tangible Faith Publishing: Fruit Flies in Our Faith; Annie Paden; July 2018
Bible Gateway: Searchable Online Bible Hosting More Than 200 Versions of the Bible in over 70 languages.
In the Mirror of God: 30 Bible Verses About Spending Time With God
Mindful: 6 Ways to Enjoy Mindful Walking; By Christopher Willard, PhD
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