Make it A Priority

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve resolved to get in shape out only to let my plans fall to the wayside. Those times I do start rolling, I only slack back off again after a short amount of time.

I’ll go a couple of days exercising in the evenings after work. Then one day I’ll forget, the next day I’ll be tired, and the day after that I’ll have a meeting… Soon, I’m back where I started never fulfilling my desire to get back in shape.

The same theory rings true in my times with the Lord. I’ll decide to spend more quality time with Him, only to wind up being swept away by my day.

I plan to wake up earlier in the morning only to shut off the alarm, roll over and doze off without even sitting up. Plans to read the Word while on my lunch break get pushed to the next day since a co-worker wants to go out to eat. Conversations in prayer scheduled for the commute home get paused to hear an interesting news story on the radio, and before I know it, I’m getting off the expressway and two minutes from home!

Right now I’m bringing in the new year with fasting and prayer. This time of separation and dedication is only underscoring how my days are so filled with ‘other things’ that take up my time with God.

I find myself actively shutting down plans and little pop up distractions in order to fit time with the Lord into my day. The effort I’m putting into prioritizing my time of fellowship with God is alerting me to the fact that I need to put some guards in place now to keep up these times when my fast is over.

Hopefully you too have guards in place that keep your daily devotional time with the Lord sacred. If you’re like me and are easily overrun with other things, put your foot down and make your time with God non-negotiable. You know yourself better than anyone else. Do what you need to do in order to make that time a first priority.

We can’t let the cares of this world keep us from the One who cares about us most of all.

Verse of the Day: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us... Hebrews 12:1a