In an age of endless distractions, entertainment and busyness, one of the scarcest commodities we have is time. Even when we spend a lot of our time on distractions and unproductive things, it is increasingly difficult to give God this precious commodity that we have – our time.

Giving God our undivided time and attention in a dopamine-fueled world where we are being programmed to have a very short attention span is a costly sacrifice, as we would rather be “busy” doing things that may or may not be productive.

It is very easy to spend days, even weeks, without praying, worshipping or reading the word, because we fill our time with so many activities that we can barely find the time to sit in God’s presence, and give Him our undivided attention.

Interestingly, this problem is not even unique to us, let’s look at Mary and Martha.

Luke 10: 38-42
New King James Version
38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus had visited Mary and Martha in their house, and while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to all he had to say and learning from Him, Martha was concerned about other things. She was distracted by the preparations that had to be made, even complaining that her sister wasn’t helping. But Jesus’ answer was shocking.

While it may have been valid to be busy, at that moment, it was not important. What was important was the path Mary had chosen— to sit at the feet of Jesus. Not worried about what to eat, what to cook, or anything else. But to just sit and learn at Jesus’ feet.  Martha was distracted; she had so many things on her mind, she had so much to do that she needed help, but indeed One thing was needed. To sit at His feet.

Like Martha, we spend so much time on other things— work, family, other commitments, even entertainment like the endless scrolls on TikTok, random videos on YouTube, movies, hobbies, etc. and sometimes we feel overwhelmed by them. But one thing is needed— to sit at the feet of Jesus.

Where then have we placed the time for God? How much time do we spend in God’s presence? 

If we honestly evaluated our schedules and compared the time we spend in God’s presence through prayer, worship, studying the word, to the time we spend on social media, streaming services, hobbies, work, and other pursuits, the difference would be astonishing.

This isn’t about legalism or trying to earn God’s favour, it is about priority and devotion, it’s about what is needed for our souls. 

We need to make the sacrifice that is needed to spend time with God. Instead of watching that movie, you can read your bible. Instead of scrolling on your phone, you can pray. Sacrificing time sometimes means that you would have to wake up earlier to pray, say no to activities that crowd out fellowship with God, or create time in your schedule for spiritual disciplines. It also means giving God your best hours, not just leftover minutes at the end of exhausting days. 

Psalms 27:4
New King James Version
4 One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple

David delighted so much in the Lord that he desired to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  This should be our desire too, He prayed,  that he would behold the beauty of God and seek him in His temple. 

It is indeed beautiful to stay in the presence of God, like nothing else in the world matters, because it is in His presence that we are built, transformed into the image of Christ. The time you spend with God will not be taken away from you.

Yes, it may not be the easiest every day, but you have to make it work. Check your schedule and reorder your priorities so that you spend time with God daily, so that you gaze on the beauty of God.

Prayer Point
Lord, I reorder my priorities, I put away distractions and sacrifice the necessary time to spend time with you daily.