Prioritizing Regular Time in God’s Word

Are you struggling to spend consistent time in God’s word? Maybe you don’t know where to start or get intimidated by words you don’t understand. Maybe you get anxious just thinking about the fact that you have to show up and sit still for so long to read the Bible. Trust me, I’ve been there!

MY SPIRITUAL GROWTH JOURNEY

If I’m being honest, I’ve been across the spectrum when it comes to valuing God’s Word in my life. Although I grew up in the church and was exposed to hearing His Word from a young age, I have not always understood or appreciated the Bible. In my early childhood and teenage years, I saw the Bible as a rule book that told me how to be a good Christian by explaining what to do and what not to do. In college, I learned that the Bible was instrumental in getting to know God, who wanted a relationship with me and made that possible by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for me. But it wasn’t until my adult years that I really began to understand the power of God’s word in my everyday life.

When my mom passed away in my early twenties, it was the first time my world had been rocked in a major way. I could not understand why the loving God I’d learned about during my earlier years would allow my mom to die at the time she did. It just did not make sense. As I continued to progress into adulthood and experienced other difficulties, I became downright angry with God, questioned His love and care for me, and doubted His power to do extraordinary things in my circumstances. However, the more upset I became, the more I felt a tug in my heart to come to Him, as if there was something more that I needed to know. It was through a process of faith in these difficult times that I truly learned the value of God’s word and began to see it as my lifeline, as sustenance and nourishment for my soul.

It is from that viewpoint that I write this blog post. With all of the devastation and turmoil going on in our world today, as well as the hardships in our personal lives, it is vital for us to cultivate our relationship with God, the true Lover of our souls and the only One who can fill us and make our lives meaningful and complete. Aside from accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, a regular and consistent connection with Him is the one thing that will sustain you and give you life when you feel completely hopeless.

THE NECESSITY OF PRIORITIZING TIME WITH HIM

Prioritizing and cultivating regular time in God’s Word is not at all easy. As women, we wear a lot of hats, and it can be difficult to find time to be still and read our Bibles. It’s easy to get bogged down with all of the tasks we need to complete to fulfill our duties inside and outside of our homes, and by the time it’s all done, exhaustion has set in and all we want to do is rest. Believe me, sister, I get it! So what are we supposed to do?

In Luke 10:38-42, the story is told of two sisters, Martha and Mary. As Jesus and His followers were traveling, they came to the village where these sisters lived, and Martha welcomed Him into her home. She went about making preparations for their visit, and I imagine she was pulling out all the stops because, I mean, JESUS WAS AT HER HOUSE! She had to do better than a quick meal like finger sandwiches and pasta salad! In all her preparations for her special guest, she realized that her sister, Mary, was not around to help her. Instead, Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to what He was saying. Martha got so upset that Mary was not helping her with the preparations that she went to Jesus and said “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” (vs. 40, CSB).

Now, it seems like Jesus would’ve granted Martha’s request because someone had to feed Him and the men who were with Him, but He didn’t do that. Instead, He called her name twice, grabbing her attention, and told her that she was upset and worried about many things. Now that I am a wife and mom, I can totally identify with Martha, and I feel that she was rightfully upset and worried about Mary not helping her do the many things that needed to be done. After all, it looks like Jesus and His followers’ visit was not planned, and no one had stopped by the local diner beforehand to grab a family meal. How else was everyone going to eat if the sisters did not prepare a meal for them? Like I said earlier, with Jesus in the house, it wasn’t a simple feat! I’m sure Martha must have felt that everything had to be just right…from the food to the tableware.

I found it interesting, though, that Jesus went on to say that Mary had chosen what was NECESSARY. Yes, there were things to do, but Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the part that was NEEDED. Mary made it her main concern to sit at Jesus’ feet so that she could listen to what He had to say.

The more I read these verses, I realized that Jesus didn’t tell Martha that her tasks were wrong or bad. Verse 38 says that she WELCOMED Him into her home, so He knew that she wanted Him there. Her problem was that instead of listening to what He wanted to share, she became distracted by all of the work that had to be done. Sure, everyone had to be fed, and that required work. However, Jesus wanted Martha to rethink the order of the way she did things. He wanted her to make listening to Him a priority because His words were necessary to her overall well being and state of mind.

And His desire for Martha is His desire for us. At some point, we can all identify with sister Martha. We want Jesus in our lives, but with all of the things on our plate, it’s hard to “sit at His feet” and listen to what He has to say. We’d much rather quickly read the verse that pops up on our phones each morning or the ones we see as we scroll through our social media feeds, or we may even wait until it’s time to hear our pastors preach the Word on Sundays. However, sister, Jesus is calling us to do more than that. He doesn’t force Himself on us. He simply INVITES us to come and sit at His feet, because actually sitting there and actively listening makes a difference, and He knows how important that connection is to our every day lives.

• He knows that His Word will give direction to our lives and show us the path that He’s already laid out for us to follow (Psalm 139:16, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 119:105).
• He knows from personal experience (Matthew 4:1-11) that there is an enemy seeking with all his might to deceive us and lead us astray so that we don’t accomplish God’s plan and further promote His kingdom (John 10:10). He knows that the only way we can recognize Satan’s lies, live in power, and overcome him in every area of our lives is by reading and knowing His word (Ephesians 6:10-17).
• Most importantly, He doesn’t just want us to know ABOUT Him, but He wants us to actually KNOW, experience, and encounter Him for ourselves (John 17:3). He wants to clear up misconceptions we’ve heard or assumed about Him by revealing His true nature and character to us.

Once we realize how vital God’s Word is to our overall well-being, shifting things around and making room to prioritize Him will be easy.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Now that you’ve learned the necessity and importance of spending regular and consistent time in God’s word, how can you work to develop or strengthen it in your own life? How can you refocus your priorities to ensure you prioritize quality time with God? What activities can you eliminate or how can you repurpose wasted time to intentionally prioritize God?

Don’t let the opportunity pass to get to KNOW your Maker and the Lover of your soul! Spending time with Him doesn’t have to be an obligation or intimidating. Look forward to it like you’re going to hang out with your best friend or significant other. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and sit down to have a really good conversation with your Heavenly Father, who longs to offer you guidance and lavish you with love, refreshment, and hope.

“BUT I DON’T WANT TO DO IT ALONE!” you say?

We’re always more apt to do something if we have a support system, right? What if you had a community of sisters to encourage you every day and show you different ways to engage on a daily basis with the Lord? Well, look no further! That support system is now available to you! I’ve asked some of my dearest friends to join me in helping women find their personal rhythm with the Lord by sharing how we do it despite the struggles we face, the schedules we maintain, and the distractions that aim to steal our focus. We are committed to sharing with you the tools, tips, techniques, and strategies we use for our own spiritual growth.

All you have to do is access the “She’s A Seeker Bundle” by submitting your email address below. What does “She’s A Seeker” mean? “She’s A Seeker” describes a woman who desires to listen to and learn from her Lord by CHOOSING to sit at His feet (Luke 10:38-42) on a regular and consistent basis so that she might know Him (John 17:3) because knowing Him changes EVERYTHING!

If you’re struggling to make time with God a priority or just don’t know how to fit it into your schedule or where to start…or even if you have a rhythm with Him but you need a fresh approach, this bundle is for you!! You’ll get access to Bible reading plans, note-taking tools, and more, BUT the really special part of the bundle is our very own private She’s A Seeker Facebook Group!!!! That’s where you’ll get all of the juicy details on how we do it…from challenges we face in spending time with God to what our time with Him actually looks like.

So what do you say, sister? Are you in? Don’t wait! BECOME A FELLOW SEEKER so that you can learn from other women who are making it work, and not just making it work because that’s what we’re supposed to do, but because we WANT to…because we understand the difference sitting at His feet makes in our everyday lives.

Trust me! You don’t want to miss out on this AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!!!