It’s not a sacrifice

 

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;” Psalm 84:10(NIV)

 

I don’t know about you, but I have caught myself perceiving my time with God as a chore or a checklist. I think to myself, I need to be more disciplined. I need to make this sacrifice. But then one day I heard myself say that word out loud, “Sacrifice.”

If my husband approached me and said, “Jordan, I am going to sacrifice twenty minutes to sit and talk with you.” I would be offended and upset. I don’t view time spent with my spouse as sacrifice because I enjoy it. I realized I was waltzing into the presence of the Almighty God with an attitude of I’m doing Him a favor. Of course I didn’t realize it, but once I did it broke my heart.

Spending time with God isn’t an obligation. It’s an oppurtunity to approach the mercy seat. As Christians, we get to walk in perpetually clean, spotless, wanted. Every. Single. Time. It’s beautiful this interaction that we so frequently take for granted. Psalm 16:11 expresses a clearer image of time well spent when it says, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” There should be joy in the time spent with our Maker. And after all, it’s not a sacrifice if you enjoy it, right?

Don’t get me wrong, you do need to discipline yourself to set time aside to get into the Word and prayer because our lives are hectic and increasingly fast-paced. And no, it’s not always easy. But I never again want to come to God half-heartedly with the mindset of I’m filling some unspoken quota for the day. I want to run to Him. My Daddy. The Lover of my soul. Because I bet if I can change the way I view our time together, there would be more of it. 

Jeremiah 2:32(MSG), “Young women don’t forget their jewelry, do they? Brides don’t show up without their veils, do they? But my people forget me, day after day after day they never give me a thought.” Time with God is valuable, not expendable. It’s cherished, not cheap. 

We need to change our perception on our relationship with God. After all, it is a relationship. Jeremiah 3:22(MSG), “Come back, wandering children! I can heal your wanderlust!” That’s my prayer today. Heal my wanderlust. Because time spent with the Father isn’t the sacrifice, it’s the prize. 

Enjoy some time with the Creator of the whole universe today, I’m sure He can pencil you in. 😉 

Be blessed!

Jordan Smith