#Sunday’s Thought: My Time vs. HIS Time

Okay, so first let me start off by saying – this is definitely not a post to make anyone feel bad about their current “God” status because we all have fallen, made mistakes, still trying to get it together and so forth, however; there might be a couple of tips within the post that could help you pencil God in on your daily schedule….so, let’s go….

Now I know it sounds funny to say “We have to pencil God In” – because in reality I guess we really shouldn’t have to do that or feel as though that’s an awkward comment to say about the “creator of the universe” but unless you’re totally unplugged from the world and the things that are going on in it, then finding a time to pencil God into your busy day, doesn’t sound so bad at all. Let’s face it, we’re all busy and have a ton of things going on as well as a whole bunch of appointments to keep in mind that we all have to make it too.

Sometimes life for me can get so busy with the everyday mundane until all I can do most days is give God a quick “Thank you Lord” in the morning while rushing out the door or going down the highway to work or gym class. I always propose to spend time with him at night, but by the time I get home from a long day – cook, clean, sign a bunch of papers from school, entertain my kids conversations and check homework it’s already 9pm! I get in the bed with every intention on at least reading a scripture but always get stung by that sleep bug…..every….single….time…

Soon, something had to give – It’s not like I don’t realize how important God is in my life and yes, I do love him but….I just couldn’t find the right time in the day to spend the most valuable time with him, outside of going to sleep or having any and every other busy thing to get in the way. I never had a problem with making time with friends whom wanted to do lunch or even going to the gym; I even make time every week to have a fun night with my two kids, so what was missing and how come I couldn’t seem to find the time to do this with God? That’s when I suddenly had an epiphany….I need to put God on a schedule just as I do everything else….I have to be honest though, I really never liked doing that because I always felt like God wouldn’t value my time because it almost felt like I was “giving” him a specific time with every other busy thing in my life but I knew that if I wanted to get that time in with him, I had to come up with a solution to get it done.

So, listed below are a couple of tips that I use to get that valuable time In:

1. Set A Good Time:

Set a time aside for God when you’re energetic and energized. This totally depends on the time of day, some people are morning people and some are night owls – choose which time of day works best for you and stick with it. My time of day is the early morning hours (4:30am – 6:30am) because that’s when I know I can give God my best.

2. Have An Agenda

Plan your work and work your plan! You want to have a set system when you go into God’s presence, I’ll elaborate…You wouldn’t enter a boardroom to give a presentation off the top of your head and you sure wouldn’t go into it unprepared, it’s the same way with God, knowing what you’re going to do is great, in other words – will the first 15min be prayer? 15min of worship and the last 30 minutes will be for reading/studying? The last thing you want to do is sit there and pray, only to fall asleep.

3. Don’t Be Selfish – Pick A Topic

Trust me, God already knows your need, desires and wants and yes, it’s good to share those things with him but you don’t want your whole time to be about YOU! Think of the many things that are going on in the world today, pick a topic to pray for and focus on it, you don’t want to get overwhelmed with all the concerns of the world. God may lead you to pray for the sick children and their parents whom are in the hospital at this time, so allow that to be your prayer focus. You might have a different topic the following day.

4. Turn Off all Devices

In this tech savvy world, I know that’s a difficult thing to do in most cases but hey, look at it this way – if you were eating dinner with one of your favorite celebrities and it was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity that you were only going to get once; would you be on the phone talking, tweeting or so forth? Just as we give our time and attention to people we feel like have value, that’s the same attitude we must have for God. I once told my Sunday School class that Jesus was actually the first celebrity to grace the earth = )

5. Start Small and Work Up!

I think the number one thing that trips people up is the fact that they feel like they have to spend an hour to 15 hours with God; let me tell you – it doesn’t take all that and it’s not necessary. Think of the widow woman in the bible (Mark 12:41-44) that only had two cents to give to God, while every rich person came around and was giving out of their wealth, she gave what she had – which was from the heart. Her two cents became more valuable than those that put in much. It’s okay, you may not can do an hour or two and don’t be intimidated by people whom tell you that, that’s what they do – Do you and do it from the heart because that’s what God judges anyway…the more time you spend with God, the more you’ll enjoy it and increase your own time.

To Sum it Up! Whatever you do, you want to make sure you give God your best YOU which is your offering to him…did you know that the book of Malachi was about this very thing?, For years I always thought Malachi was about tithes and offering because the only scripture I ever heard and read from Malachi was (bring your tithes and offering into the store house) in which is a preachers delight message…wink, wink..lol…

While in church one day my pastor made it known that Malachi was more than about tithes and offering it was about people and their dealings with God and their “not so good” sacrifices they presented to God – Malachi 1:6-14. These people were presenting anything on the altar to God – from blind animals, to ones that were crippled and diseased – I mean, would you fix a bad dinner for a royal and expect them to eat it? I think not, we would go out of our way to make sure they get the best of the best, even if it cost us our last…why? because as a people we are more eager to please people we don’t know and don’t have our best interest at heart as opposed to someone who does and that is God.

Do you set time aside for God, When you go before his presence, are you putting your best you on the altar before him? If not, then say this simple prayer…

God, forgive me for not giving you a part of my day. You deserve more than the scraps of my life. You deserve more than the crumbs that I throw at you. You deserve ALL of me. My mind, body, spirit but mostly MY TIME belong to you! Help me to give place to you before I give that time and space to anyone else. Amen