Have you ever felt guilty for not spending as much time with God as you, and he, would like? Of course. We all have…and do.
All too often that feeling has us taking some kind of “God Time Test” to see how we’re measuring up in this regard.
Stop!
Don’t get me wrong, taking stock in this way is a great idea. But believe it or not, the answers to this “God Connection” question have less to do with quantity of time spent and almost everything to do with heart. Our heart.
It would be too easy—and wrong—to focus only on the minutes and hours and activities we spend on “God things” like reading and studying God’s Word, fellowship, ministry and service, and prayer.
No matter how we come out on that evaluation, God is looking at our degree of surrender, our obedience, and our level of commitment to follow him with everything we can muster. He wants us to blow up any thought we may have of punching a spiritual time clock.
This is not about time management. Not about a list of Christian activities. And not about passing some kind of spiritual fitness test to prove our Godly bonafides. It’s about yielding our heart and mind and soul to the Lord of heaven and earth.
The only test I take in this area is regularly checking in on my spiritual goals to see if I am fully surrendered to God. If I am obedient and open to discern his will. And, importantly, if I am acting on his direction in faith and trust.
I want to always probe deeply into my heart to find out if I am constantly challenging my spiritual comfort zone. If we focus too much on being busy and checking items off our to-do list, we’re likely to start thinking self-defeating falsehoods about our life purpose, ministry, and mission in life. We start thinking things like: “I don’t have the time to finish so why even start.”
We never start activating our faith because we don’t think we can finish. We are looking for ideal circumstances that are elusive because they are an illusion.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
God wants us to set spiritual goals that align with his will and purpose for our lives. Our part is to fully surrender to him so we can, by faith, live an abundant and purpose-driven life.
Have you reviewed your spiritual goals with God today?
