I’ve been going to church my entire life and I have been fairly serious about following Christ since I was 14. In the past 20 years, I have learned that being more committed to Christ means spending more time with Christ. That’s obviously not an earth-shattering observation; it’s actually rather simple. However, regardless of its simplicity, we still have a hard time following through on it.
Jesus’ disciples were a ragtag group of fishermen, tax collectors and zealots. Most of them were uneducated and others used their abilities to exploit their neighbors on behalf of the Roman Empire. But, because they spent time with Jesus, day in and day out, they were transformed. They became committed to Jesus even to the point of death.
Sometimes we may think that the disciples had it so much easier than we do. They actually got to walk with Jesus, talk with Jesus and share a meal with Jesus. We may think to ourselves, “If I got to hang out with Jesus that way, then I’d definitely be more committed.” Jesus himself, though, said that we have it better than the disciples. We have the Holy Spirit with us and, because of him, we have access to God wherever we go.
We can spend time with God in our living rooms.
We can spend time with God on our commute.
We can spend time with God in between classes.
We can spend time with God waiting to pick kids up from school.
We can spend time with God in the shower.
We can spend time with God while taking a walk.
The disciples were limited because they could only be with Jesus wherever Jesus was. Now we can spend time with Jesus literally whenever we want. And it’s that time spent with Jesus will deepen our commitment to him and our desire to serve God’s kingdom.
A fully realized commitment to Jesus begins at Jesus’ feet. That time should always include the Bible and prayer, but it can also include any number of other activities. The important part is setting that time aside, even if it’s just some quiet reflection and conversation with Jesus during your morning shower.
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