WHY MAKING TIME FOR GOD IS THE BEST USE OF YOUR TIME

My freshman year of college, I learned an extremely painful but valuable life lesson about time management and priorities. I had a very full class schedule, was overwhelmed and was failing in calculous and chemistry. I was sure I would fail out of college if I didn't spend literally every waking moment studying. I ignored everything else in my life, including God.

Up until that point, I had made it a priority to spend time praying and reading the Bible daily in an effort to grow in my relationship with God. However, with all the stress of school, I was spending less and less time dedicated to my faith.

But then something changed; someone challenged me to put God first, even if it meant failing out of school because I was spending less time studying. They reminded me about the passage in the book of Daniel, chapter 3, where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were told to bow down to a golden statue or be burned alive. They said they would not bow to the idol but would obey God even if it meant being burned alive; they said God was able to save them from the fire, but even if he didn't they would not break his command by bowing to the idol.

I was inspired by their willingness to sacrifice their lives in order to obey God and decided I could at least give him some of my time. From there on out, I set aside 30 minutes a day (no exceptions) to read the bible and pray. I thought that if I fail out of college because I was spending too much time with God than so be it.

But then something strange happened. Somehow, over the next several weeks my grades began to improve; I was spending less time studying but I was no longer failing in my classes.  God is faithful to take care of us when we obey him; but even if he doesn't (for reasons I may not understand), I will still obey and trust him.

Since then, I have decided that no matter what, even at the risk of losing my job or anything else, I will put God first in my life. It doesn't always mean setting aside a particular block of time but there is always something that I have to sacrifice in order to faithfully follow him.

What is it for you? If there is something that is keeping you from putting God first in every area of you life, including work, family or anywhere else, stop and ask yourself what is ultimately more important.  Make a decision today to sacrifice that thing so that you can more faithfully follow God.  Choosing him is always the best choice.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6.

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