We've all felt like we don't have enough time. We don't have enough time to read that new book, catch up with a friend or even eat breakfast in the morning.
As Christians we may feel that consistent daily time with God is out of reach. I believe this may mean we don't completely become the person God means us to be.
Not enough hours in a day?
When studying for finals at the end of each semester I like to write a list of all the things I want to do during my holidays, and I pin it up somewhere I can see it so I am reminded that after exams are done I have heaps of exciting things to look forward to.
One of the items on my list last semester was to spend more time with God by reading my bible everyday and starting the day with prayer. While I had all the time in the world during my holidays, looking back on the last three months I have realised I didn't spend any more time with God than I did during the semester.
I was easily distracted by other things: reading magazines, going to the beach, and shopping. God fell into the background... again.
The fact that I did not spend any more time with God during my holidays than during the semester tells me that time is not my issue – my willingness to spend time with Him is.
I think we often underestimate the value of spending time with God. We often feel like it isn't going to dramatically change anything in our lives; but think about how close relationships with your friends and family have shaped your life and your attitude.
Can we say the same about God? Has He influenced the pathway of our life? Has He changed your views or how you act towards others? Or have we not spent enough time with Him to allow these influences to occur?
People often think that when someone becomes a Christian, their attitudes are instantly going to change, but unless we spend time with God these Christ-like qualities will not develop and shine through to others. We have to work towards becoming more like God by investing our time in Him.
The value of time
After reflecting on how I spent my time during the holidays, I came across this quote from Rick Warren, which made me appreciate the value of time:
"When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time."
Although this quote seems to be aimed at our relationships with other people, it gave me a whole new appreciation of what it means to 'give our lives to God.' I'd always just felt these words meant to simply obey God's commands, but finally I have realised giving our life to God means giving Him our time so that He can shape us and let us become more like Him.
I also found there was no shortage of bible verses to emphasise the importance and wonder of spending time with God, in particular this verse from Psalm 27, verse 4:
"One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple."
It is not that we are too busy for God, it is that we are not motivated enough to spend the time with Him.
If we really want this relationship with our Saviour, and to become more like Him, I truly believe we will make time for Him.
Perhaps you could wake up half an hour earlier or schedule in a time every week where you simply sit and meditate on God's words? However you choose to make time for Him, remember that in giving Him our time, we are giving Him our life so that we may become more like Him.
Kelly Bingham is a University student with a love of animals amongst other things and is studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. She lives on campus and loves to socialise and get with the other University students and the elders at her church near university and at home. In her free time she likes sewing, reading, running by the beach and taking photos for her own fashion blog.
Kelly Bingham's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/kelly-bingham.html