Too Busy Not To Pray

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The Christian life is a process. I don't think anyone would disagree with me on that aspect. Anyone who is alive realizes that who they were in Christ one, ten, twenty, or even fifty years ago is the not who they are in Christ today. As believers in Christ as Messiah we should always be growing in our faith. This means at least taking time out of our day to read Scripture, pray, or even fellowship with other believers and with God.

Now, I will be the first to tell you all that I don't always follow my own advice. There are days that I don't want to read Scripture or pray because I have too much to do. Or as a fellow pastor told me yesterday, "We're too busy not to pray." Yes, that's a Bill Hybels book title. But he is so right. Is my life really so busy that I cannot spend even thirty minutes with my Savior? He is the one who created me and saved me, you know.

But many of us in the Church (universal church and local church) don't miss a beat when we ignore God the entire day or week. But if we were to miss a meeting with the leadership of the church it would be a disaster. Or if we miss a meeting with a client then the stress level raises. Or if the crops didn't get harvested until a week later then frustration sets in. But why do we not feel such urgency with our relationship with God? Is it a spiritual maturity issue? Is it a priority issue?

2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that it is God who does the transforming of our lives. When I yield to Christ then He begins to put my priorities in place. So, what does this reveal bout my own life?

Ignoring God on Purpose

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Luke 5:16 (NIV)

Oh, how often I have read the stories about Jesus and his mighty works and thought, "Man, He did such awesome deeds. I wish I could do that, but of course He is God and can do anything."

It is true. Jesus is God and I am not. Thank goodness for that. But there was more to Jesus than His divinity. He was also fully human. He got tired and needed to sleep. He got hungry and needed to eat. He got thirsty and needed to drink. He got overwhelmed by His surroundings and needed some time alone.

Too often I get down on myself because I am not fulfilling the will of God in my life. It seems too much at times to always be fighting my two natures: sinful and righteous. But even though I may never heal a leprous man or bring someone back from the dead does not mean that I cannot do what Jesus did.

Let me explain. The Gospels are filled with situations where Jesus performs a miracle or stands up to the leading "spiritual" leaders of the day and calls them vipers or hypocrites. Oh, how I wish I had that tenacity. But where did Jesus get that tenacity and confidence to stand up to the truth? Yes, He is God, but I feel that Luke 5:16 reveals a major part of Jesus confidence. He often withdrew to be alone and spent time with His Father in heaven. Jesus still relied on His Father for strength and even though the crowds continued to grow where ever He traveled He always took the time to commune with the Father.

Boy, do I miss the mark some times. The worst is that many times I choose to miss my time with the Father. I let emails or phone calls or meetings get in the way. Other times I just don't want to meet with Him and I purposely pull something out to distract me. I feel like the words of Paul in Romans were written for me. "Why do I do what I don't want to do." Do feel that way sometimes?

Learn from Christ. Take time, no matter how busy, to spend a significant amount of time with your Father. Easier said than done. But we will be so much better for it. If it was something that Jesus needed, and He was divine, then how much more we need it as humanity.

Quiet Time

Ah, self-discipline. There are so many things that I do or don't do because I am not self-disciplined enough. I'm sure you know what I mean. We all have those things in our life that we need to be more disciplined about. Maybe it's our eating habits (you don't have to be overweight to have bad eating habits) or holding our tongue in check. But I think a major discipline is a regular quiet time.

Why is it that I can keep my normal appointment with someone in the church, but my regular appointment with Christ seems to be pretty fluid. If I miss one I don't think it's that big of a deal, but if I miss an appointment with a human being I'm worried about causing an issue between us. It's almost as if I use the forgiveness of Christ as a crutch. I know he will forgive me for missing our time together and so I continue to miss it with him because I know he will forgive me. It's a vicious cycle.

A number of blogs ago I was talking about sin and why I do what I don't want to do. The whole Paul thing. I think I've found my answer. No, it's not because I've missed my quiet time. It's because I've missed spending time with my Savior and have relied on my own strength instead of His strength. I can't expect my sins to be conquered by myself. I need Christ to intervene in my life, give me strength, and conquer those sins through me. Yes, Jesus has already conquered death and sin has no hold on me, but unless I trust completely in Christ with all of me I cannot expect to be able to tap into that power. "Christ is the source of power, and meeting with him is essential to our receiving it" (Discipline Essentials, Greg Ogden, 35).

What does Jesus want from me? All of me. What should I want to give to Him? All of me. But I should never expect to give all of me if I'm not willing to keep my relationship building times with Him. I wouldn't even think about missing my time with my wife. I should be even more emphatic with my time with my Savior.