As Americans living in the West, we’re acclimated to a culture known for “doing” and “achieving.” Browse through any bookstore, and you’ll see countless self-help books that promise the secrets to accomplish more in less time. To be sure, there’s a biblical expectation for Christians to use their God-given gifts and skillsets for the good of society in a way that brings glory to our Maker—the Bible refers to it as “bearing fruit.” None of us are called to be couch-sitting underachievers. But in our pursuit of achievement, it’s easy to get so distracted that we ignore our relationship with God—and we neglect the basics of what it means to be a Christ-follower.
In the Scriptures, no one was busier than Jesus. At any given time, He was busy preaching the Word of God, teaching His disciples, and He always had a mob of people looking to Him for healing. And yet the gospels describe Jesus’s priorities this way: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35). Keep in mind, it wasn’t that Jesus didn’t have a crushing schedule—He did. The text says that Jesus was so busy that Simon and some of the others went looking for Jesus, and when they found Him, Simon said, “Everyone is looking for you” (Mark 1:37).
Of course, Jesus knew everyone was looking for Him, but He prioritized His spiritual life over His to-do list. Jesus understood His time “being” with the Father took priority over “doing’— even if that meant ministry had to wait. And this mindset is something He expects from His followers. Just a couple of chapters later, Jesus called His first disciples, and the text says, “And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14 emphasis mine). Notice the first priority was for them “to be with him” and “sending them out” was secondary.
When we fail to prioritize our spiritual lives over our to-do list, we come up empty and have nothing to offer others. Jesus said this would be the case. Just before going to going to the cross, He told His disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
So, how do you know if you’ve fallen into a pattern of neglecting your spiritual life? Here’s a few questions to help access your situation.
- How often do you enjoy a sense of God’s presence or see Him at work in your circumstances?
- When is the last time you felt confident God was leading you in a particular area of life?
- When is the last time you read something in Scripture that impacted your behavior or decision making?
- How would you describe your level of peace and joy?
- How would you describe your relationship with God in this season of life?
Maybe you’ve found that you’re not as close to God as you’d like to be. The good news is that Scripture says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to spend time with God. But however it looks, we need to have a steady diet of God’s Word, prayer, and worship in our daily rhythms. That might mean getting up earlier or staying up later. It might mean putting down our phones mid-day and picking up our Bibles. Bible reading, prayer, and worship might seem like the basics of what it means to follow Christ, but in reality, we can’t thrive apart from these spiritual disciplines because they are what put us in a posture to receive.
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