Claims Upon Our Time
Hebrews 12:1 says: "Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles." The author is saying that there are things that hinder us and entangle us as we try to run the race of faith. We need to throw them off! In particular, now as the year begins, we want to start it without being weighed down, don't we?
W.E. McCumber, a Nazarene preacher of years past, suggested a few things we might need to throw off in our Christian race. I want to expand on his thoughts this week.
He begins by saying that we need to be careful of "the claims upon our time that leave us too busy to serve Christ". We live in a busy world, don't we? The town I live in is quite a busy town. People here get up early to drive to work. They come home late. They live a go-go-go lifestyle, and I am certainly no different. I am asking myself this week, are there things that have a claim on my time which will leave me too busy to serve God?
Staying Spiritually Nourished in Ministry
You might be thinking, but you're a minister, your whole life is about serving God. Well friends, you'd be surprised at how easy it is for ministers to become so busy with the work of the church that we forget to actually serve God! Perhaps that sounds impossible, but it is the honest truth. We can get so busy writing, preaching, visiting, counselling, attending meetings and all the rest, that we end up missing God Himself in all of it.
For me, the important thing is to maintain a deep devotional life. As much as I try to do everything with the awareness that God is with me, I desperately need those moments alone with Him in the quiet, praying deeply, listening for His voice in silence, reading the Word.
In fact about a month ago I tried something quite radical - I decided to stop using my phone for my Bible or my prayer lists or my to-do lists. I took out a printed Bible and I bought a few little notebooks - one for prayer lists, and one for to-do lists. And I did it because I was so sick of reading my Bible on my phone and getting a WhatsApp message that threw my concentration. Or checking my prayer-list on my phone but getting pulled away by another notification. Or trying to maintain a to-do list for the day on my phone, and constantly seeing messages or apps or other things on my phone that distracted me.
So I went old-school! I carry a small pocket Bible with me and my two notebooks, and I try to only use my phone for things that only phones can do - messaging, phoning. And friends, my devotional life revived in a beautiful way. My mind and heart are no longer divided as I read His word and pray. I feel that I have almost received time back, because I am not constantly wasting time on my phone when I could be praying and reading Scripture.
Reclaiming Time for What Matters
Do you need to make a change this year, getting rid of things that waste your time, and finding more time for being with God?
Maybe this week, before the year really kicks off again, you might sit down and put some things in place to help you claim back the time that trivial things are taking from you. It could be TV, YouTube, social media. It could be other pursuits. Throw off those weights! Don't let them hold you back in your race any longer!
Maybe this is the year that you find the time you never thought you had to spend with your God, by making some simple changes.
Our schedules can become so crowded that we lose touch with God, even in ministry. Examine what is claiming your time and consider making radical changes to protect your devotional life and connection with Christ.