So . . . let me make sure I have this straight: you have the 1 hour commute to work, the 9 hours at work, the 1 hour commute home from work, family dinner to cook and eat at the table, a 30-minute bedtime routine with the kids, followed by a 30-minute workout, followed by cleaning the kitchen, and taking a shower, checking emails and homework, at least waving at your spouse, just before crawling in to bed—and somewhere along the way you hear that daily Bible reading and prayer and worship as a Christian is a thing??
What?!?
How?
Better yet, WHEN?!
How are we supposed to balance it all? Taking care of our homes, our bodies, our families, AND keep our commitments to growing in our faith?
These are the times when I need to be reminded that all He asks of us is to love Him.
That’s all.
Sometimes we confuse the demands of the world in which we live with the commands of the God for which we live.
According to Matthew 22:37 our greatest commandment is to love the Lord God with all of your heart, mind, and soul.
The long list above are the things we do.
He is concerned with the condition of the heart from which we do it.
Is that heart His?
We are encouraged to turn our attention, intellect, emotions, and energies toward God and allow the things that please Him to be the driving force behind our cooking, cleaning, working, checking, and waving.
The purpose of passages like Joshua 1:8, which reads, “keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night . . . ,” is not to add more “to-dos” to our already overwhelming list.
The purpose is to keep us God-centered. Otherwise, we will not know what it is that pleases Him and we will lose sight of what really matters.
The purpose is to keep us mindful of His grace—the very gift we need to fuel our efforts.
The purpose is to impart the wisdom we need to discern what on our lists actually needs to be done, what can wait, and what can or should be left undone.
The next time the message of Joshua 1:8 comes up and you feel like yelling, “WHEN?!”
Calm. Down.
And know that, according to the message of Matthew 22:37, He sees your list and knows all that is asked of you. He just wants time to remind you that He’s got you.
That’s all.
P.S. If you are in need of a place to start or resume daily time reading your Bible, simply click here to obtain an ebook or a print book of my devotional entitled 31 Thirst Quenchers. This material has been created, compiled, and made available to help structure your time in God’s Word.
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