Oftentimes, life gets busy. Between school, friends, family, and extra-curricular activities, the teenage life can be chaotic and seemingly uncontrolling. Sometimes we find it hard to incorporate time for God in these types of settings. But I have frequently been awed by the amount of time we spend with pointless junk, wasting precious time that could be used for God. It amazes me at how many hours some Christians can spend playing video games, going on Facebook (temptation for me), or watching TV, without spending one second of their time reading the Word of God. When we are constantly surrounded by mind-consuming garbage and neglecting God's word, we are setting up idols. God is supposed to be number one in our lives and we would all like to say that He is, but we need to show that we love Him by getting to know Him through our actions of reading the Bible.
Acts 17:11
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Approach the Scriptures with eagerness! God knows all there is to know about us and it is about time we start trying to know more about Him. The only way we can know about Him is in the perfect, inerrant Word of God. The excuse "I don't have any time," most certainly does NOT cut it. Make time. I think that God deserves it after all He has done for us. He gave us the biggest sacrifice ever known and I think that we can start sacrificing some TV/computer/video game time to spend with our Lord and Savior.
Sometimes it may be difficult getting into the habit of spending time with God, but I have a few suggestions and tips:
1. Cut out an hour or so of time you would spend doing something pointless or dishonoring- I used to be a fan of watching those CSI shows. I would literally watch them every night from 9-10 pm before I went to bed. CSI did not have content that was suitable for my eyes, and I knew it. It was hard, but slowly, I cut it out of my schedule and spent that hour reading my Bible and writing in a journal addressed to God. I have never ever regretted that decision.
2. Accountability- find someone who can help keep you on track with reading or perhaps even read with you. This could be a parent, sibling, or friend to remind you about what is important.
3. You won't miss the time wasted- Really, how much of that stuff are you going to miss? You might miss a TV show, but is that really what you want to be living for? In the end, the only things that matter are the things you do for Christ, not things you do selfishly.
4. Regularity- read at around the same time every day so you can plan events around your quiet time. Make it a time that is easy for you to unwind and be eager to read the word. If you say you will read it when you find time, you won't find time. Set aside a certain time for the most important thing, and then you will find time for the other stuff that is least important.
Acts 17:11
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Approach the Scriptures with eagerness! God knows all there is to know about us and it is about time we start trying to know more about Him. The only way we can know about Him is in the perfect, inerrant Word of God. The excuse "I don't have any time," most certainly does NOT cut it. Make time. I think that God deserves it after all He has done for us. He gave us the biggest sacrifice ever known and I think that we can start sacrificing some TV/computer/video game time to spend with our Lord and Savior.
Sometimes it may be difficult getting into the habit of spending time with God, but I have a few suggestions and tips:
1. Cut out an hour or so of time you would spend doing something pointless or dishonoring- I used to be a fan of watching those CSI shows. I would literally watch them every night from 9-10 pm before I went to bed. CSI did not have content that was suitable for my eyes, and I knew it. It was hard, but slowly, I cut it out of my schedule and spent that hour reading my Bible and writing in a journal addressed to God. I have never ever regretted that decision.
2. Accountability- find someone who can help keep you on track with reading or perhaps even read with you. This could be a parent, sibling, or friend to remind you about what is important.
3. You won't miss the time wasted- Really, how much of that stuff are you going to miss? You might miss a TV show, but is that really what you want to be living for? In the end, the only things that matter are the things you do for Christ, not things you do selfishly.
4. Regularity- read at around the same time every day so you can plan events around your quiet time. Make it a time that is easy for you to unwind and be eager to read the word. If you say you will read it when you find time, you won't find time. Set aside a certain time for the most important thing, and then you will find time for the other stuff that is least important.
In a word: URGENCY. Well said, April!
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