Not that long ago, Verizon had a great slogan that people still remember and repeat: Can you hear me now? Their idea and position was that they provided the most comprehensive coverage and made every effort to provide service that wouldn’t drop calls. One of the reasons this campaign was so effective, was that at that time, most everyone using a cell phone had the experience of saying that very phrase while they were on a cell phone call. That said, it seems that today, we don’t worry too much about being heard because everyone is texting instead of talking. It seems that we are communicating more than ever before, and yet just as lonely and isolated as ever, probably more than ever.
The spiritual life of the believer is being greatly undermined by the developments that are impacting our culture in terms of communication. The more we expect immediate responses to our texts, and phone calls, and the more distracted we become with technology, the more we transfer these expectations into our relationship with God and have the same immediate expectations of Him. And sadly, the result of this instant, immediate lifestyle can be detrimental to our relationship with God. You see, God desires a prolonged relationship with us and we have to be careful not to become impatient with God, or to become so distracted in our daily lives that we can’t give Him more than a few moments of our attention in Bible reading, prayer or worship.
Summer time is an especially busy time for most people. The weather gets nice, and the vacations and outings and games start coming at us one after the next. In the disruption to our regular schedules, our time with God can be the first thing to be pushed aside. As a by product of this, Church attendance can suffer and sadly, it can be assumed that our quiet time with God can also suffer.
Jesus was always faithful to spend time with His Father, regardless of the demands of His life. He made His time with the Father a priority, even with all that He did here on earth. In Mark chapter 1, we see a great example of this:
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
Did you notice that….It was early in the morning. Jesus made His time with the Father a priority, rising even before daylight, going to a solitary place and prayed, ensuring that His time with the Father was not impact.
How about you, is your quiet time with God a priority in your life? Do you set aside time each and every day to read your Bible and talk with God?
Are you letting your life push His time away or are you truly making your quiet time with God a priority in your life. Perhaps after reading this, spend a moment in Prayer and ask the Lord to reveal any changes that need to be made in your life, to keep Him a priority.
Remember, Jesus Loves You and So Do I!!
Pastor Jeff