WHAT IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE AND BENEFICIAL WAY TO SPEND SOME OF YOUR TIME?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord  
rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.
(Psalm 105:3-4)

MEDITATION:
When you wake up in the morning, who or what is the first person
or thing you think about? When you retire at night, who or what is
the last person or thing you think about?

We may have some pressing issues that occupy our mind, but those
will not have an impact on how and where we spend eternity. We
may have a good friend or family member that we think about, but
neither of them has opened the door to spending eternity with the Lord.

There is only One who opened the door for our salvation which impacts
our eternal destination. That One is of course, the Lord. Doesn’t it make
sense that we should think about Him every day?

Not only that, but we should allocate time for speaking to Him in prayer
and for reading about Him in the scriptures. He is the One who supplies
our strength, and He is the One we should worship and praise.

Jerome, one of the early Christians, said,
    “Ignorance of the Bible means ignorance of Christ.”

Job once said,
    “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have
      treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”
      (Job 23:12)

Jeremiah said,
    “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and
       my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.”
       (Jeremiah 15:16)

We can see the importance these individuals placed on learning about the
Lord. If we are going to read the Bible and meditate on what we read, we
need some quiet time. Some people say they struggle to maintain their
‘spiritual high’. It could be because their ‘spiritual high’ is malnourished.
Why? Because they may not have been properly feeding it the nourishment
it needs, which is found in the Bible.

Isaiah said,
    “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
       they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run,
       and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”
       (Isaiah 40:31)

Waiting on the Lord requires understanding His ways and His timing.
Acquiring this type of understanding means spending time reading the
scriptures. And, when we do, we not only learn more about the Lord,
but Isaiah says that our strength will be renewed, we will be able to soar
like eagles, and we will have energy to walk and run without becoming
weak or weary.

Some may say these encouraging words from Isaiah are metaphors, but
believers know we will benefit when we, “wait upon the Lord”. It requires
us to admit that He is in control of all things, and we are not. It also means
that we must relinquish our will and surrender to His will. The more we do
that, the more we are swapping our selfishness for selflessness.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Do I spend time praying and reading God’s Word each day?
       If not, what is stealing this time from me?
    – Do I have a desire to learn more about the Lord and how
       to make changes so I can fellowship with Him regularly?
    – How strong is my desire to receive His blessings?
       Do I feel it is worth the changes I need to make in my life?
    – What am I willing to sacrifice so I can spend more time with the Lord?

If we expect to learn more about Him and reap the benefits, then we
need to have a daily ‘quiet time’ where it’s just us and the Lord. Some
are morning people and others are night owls. Whichever works best
for us, we need to allocate some time to spend alone with the Lord.

In addition, we need to think about Him throughout the day. Ask for
His help as needed and thank Him for the blessings we enjoy. It is all
about building a relationship and fellowship with the One who paved
the way for us to spend a blissful eternity and escape the flames of Hades.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for all the ways You have blessed me
and most of all, for making salvation available for me. Forgive me
if I have been lackadaisical and taken for granted this magnificent
gift You have given to mankind. Help me to spend more time with
You so I can know You better and enjoy the additional blessings You
have for those who fellowship with You regularly. Teach me to wait
on Your timing and to better understand Your will. Show me how to
see things from Your perspective. Teach me to grow spiritually in the
waiting.”

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