Blog

by Ami Samuels

Recently I found myself frustrated with a situation. I wanted to react without thinking and lash out. However, I caught myself and began to think about how I had wanted to react. As I thought about my reaction, I realized that it was a worldly response.

In John 15:19 we see that we are to be in the world but not of the world. This was confusing to me. How do we live in this world but not be of this world? As I contemplated this Scripture passage, I began to think of Jesus’ example. We often find in Scripture that he went and spent quiet time with God.

Think about how much time each day you spend at school, work, on your phone, computer, or watching your favorite TV shows. Now take a second to think about how much time you spend with God each day.

When I recognized how much time I was spending with the world and how much time I was spending with God, it was eye opening! It prompted me to make major changes to my schedule. When discussing this topic of quiet time with God I often hear “I don’t have time,” or “I’m too busy.” But we don’t miss a game when our favorite team is playing on TV. I am not saying you can’t watch TV or sports. What God showed me was that often this is out of balance in our lives.

How much time do we “set apart” from the world to spend time with God? We will act (or react) like whoever we are spend the most time with. Do you find yourself asking, “Where has my joy, peace, hope, contentment gone?” Are you consumed with the busyness of this world? Or are you taking time to quietly sit at God’s feet?

Take sometime this week to evaluate your schedule. Look at how much time you spend at work, on your computer, on the phone, watching TV, and then take a hard look at how much time you spend reading the Bible, in prayer, and in quiet time with God. Spend time in prayer assessing your schedule to see where you can devote more time to God this week.

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