Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that another year has ended and another year is beginning. It is time to take inventory of our lives and make our resolutions to live better, more devoted lives to God in 2015.
What does your daily calendar look like? Do you make time in your busy schedule for God? Or are you too busy with work, family obligations, errands and your To-Do List? These activities are not bad but cause problems when we fill our calendars so full with stuff that we leave no room for Him.
Going to church on the weekends is a great way to connect to God but that should not be your only way of connecting with the Creator of the Universe. If you do not have a regular time alone with Him, now is a great time to get started.
Do not know what to do when you are alone with Him? There is no particular formula or set of rules to follow when you spend time with God. I encourage you to pray about what He wants to do with your time together. Here are some suggestions of activities that you may want to try.
- You can read a chapter from the Bible. Do not know where to start in the Bible? Google Bible reading plans. Do not feel like you have to stick to a rigid reading schedule. Give yourself some breathing room if you have to miss a day or two. Once your schedule gets freed back up, get back to your time with God. Remember, read the Bible at your own pace. It’s not a race to the finish. It’s all about quality and not quantity that matters.
- You can pray. Make a list of people that you would like to pray for. While it may be difficult to pray for everybody each and every day, you can divide up the week so you can pray for different people on different days of the week.
- Listen to and if the mood strikes you, sing along with worship music.
- Read a study book or a Bible study. This helps if you are new to studying the Bible or want to study a particular topic. I have some Bible study ideas on my Author page at http://lifeconquering.org/author-list/
- Study and memorize scripture. The Bible says for us to hide His Word in our heart. You can pick out a verse from the selection you read that morning. I like to memorize no more than one verse a week so as not to get overwhelmed. I like to write my memory verses on index cards and carry them with me. That way, I can work on memorizing the verse anywhere and anytime I have a free minute. Some people like to put their memory verses on the bathroom mirror or on the refrigerator. As long as you put the verse in a place where you will be reminded to look over it for memorization. Be sure to review each week the previous weeks’ verses that you memorized so as not to forget what you already memorized.
- This is simply taking some idea or concept and thinking on it or dwelling on it. You can consider it a kind of reflection. You can meditate on what you read that morning, the verse you are memorizing, or maybe God is working in you and through you in areas of your life that need to be worked on.
- Listen for God. I saved the best for last. You must take time to listen. Just in any conversation, you do not (hopefully) have a one-way conversation where just one person does all the talking. You do not want to get into a habit with God where you do all the talking and you do not listen for His voice.
Pick a time during the day that you are most alert and focused. Also, you need to find a location that is free from distractions.
Slow down during your busy day and make some resolutions to take time to spend with God this year. It will be the best decision you will make in 2015!