“How do you spend time with God?” my small group leader asked. I started to answer but someone beat me to it.
“I love to go on dates with Jesus.” She said.
‘A date? With Jesus?’ I thought to myself. ‘I was thinking more along the lines of a quiet time.’
“Sometimes I’ll go to dinner by myself and read or journal.” She continued. “The point is to invite Jesus into what is fun and life giving to you.”
As her words started to sink in, it hit me. I had been missing out on time with Jesus in a big way.
Colossians 1:16-17 says “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
When God created man, he gave us individual desires, passions and hobbies. All of which bring us life because, they were created by him.
I always thought the only way to spend time with Jesus was to read my bible, pray or worship him in song. Those are great ways to draw near to him but, they aren’t the only ways.
God is glorified when we enjoy his creation.
I can spend time with Jesus when I cook, watch the sunset and go to the river.
In him all things were made. In all things, he can be glorified.
I left that night astonished by the narrow-minded way I had been viewing time with Jesus. As I drove home, I realized there are many ways I’m blinded to the fullness of life in Jesus.
My life is full of the comforts of relationships, convenience and materialism. My vision is clouded by the worldly desires of my heart.
Romans 12:1-2 says “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,”
I am called to a rich life in Jesus. I want to abandon the comforts in my life for Jesus. I don’t want to allow myself or others to miss the fullness of life with Jesus.
And so, I am going on the world race.
