Spending Time With God

Mark 12:30 (KJV) Says, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Psalm 46:10 (KJV) Says, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Luke 5:15-16 (KJV) Says, "But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed."  Isaiah 41:10 (KJV) Says, Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen the; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

The above scripture taken from Mark is Jesus' response, when ask which is the greatest commandment. When we love a person then we have an automatic desire to spend time with them. For some reason, however, the very one that we are to love with all of our heart, mind, and soul, and who has done and given the most for each one of us, often receives the least amount of our time, if any. How can we as Christians proclaim to love the Lord so much, and then fail to spend time with Him after all He has done, and continues to do for us?

Praying, reading and studying God's word, attending Church, and having Christian fellowship are all very important aspects needed in order for us to grow in our personal relationship with Christ. As the above scripture from Psalm tells us it is also important that we take the time to be still, meditating and listening for guidance from Him, and simply acknowledging that He is God.

The above passage taken from  Luke tells us Jesus,' as famous, and busy as He became while here on earth, took the time to go into the wilderness and be alone in prayer with God. This passage of scripture is just one example of Him withdrawing to pray. There are other examples of Him doing so. For instance, when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. If Jesus made time to spend with God, then what are we thinking when we fail to follow suite?  If Jesus needed  time out to pray when He grew weary or overwhelmed, and when He simply desired to talk to God because He loved Him and valued their relationship,  then who are we to ignore God failing to thank Him, and to praise him? Who are we to think we don't need His guidance and direction for our lives? It seems many people wait to spend time with God until trouble comes their way, at which point they race to God in prayer remembering Him immediately. We could avoid some of these troubles, if we would seek God's guidance before making some of the decisions we make without Him.

God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us. He tells us in the above scripture taken from Isaiah not to be afraid that He will strengthen us, help us, and uphold us. He also promises in scripture that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and that He will lead, guide and direct our paths. James 4:8 (KJV) tells us that if we will draw near to God, He will come near to us. Knowing these things for certain, as we do, how could we miss one day spending time with God? I urge you to begin spending time with Him each and every day. If you opt to do so, your relationship with Him will continue to grow, and your walk with Him will be even closer. The benefits of building a close personal relationship with our Heavenly Father are without number, and I assure you they are nothing short of amazing. I encourage you to build and maintain a strong, close personal relationship with God. I assure you it will have a positive impact on every aspect of your life.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.