There are twenty-four hours in each day, no more, no less. We wake up every day knowing this, and we desperately try to fit our schedules into those hours. Some days leave us feeling as though we’ve been cheated a few hours, while other days seem to be endless. Regardless, it can be difficult to find time for God on a day-to-day basis.

It CAN be done when we put real effort into our relationship with God – the most important relationship we can have – by prioritizing our lives. This means setting aside time to read the Bible for a few minutes each day, including church in our weekend activities and simply keeping our faith close to our hearts as we go about daily life.

Reading the Bible

It can seem impossible to find time to sit down to read the Bible, much less any other book. Reading the Bible may feel like a huge task. It’s a lot of information to take in, but it’s so much valuable and inspiring information.

Making the time to read just a chapter or two can contribute so much on a day-to-day basis. In the book of Psalms it says “your [God’s] word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. The Bible can read like a reference manual for our lives, helping to answer many questions and give us peace.

Reading just a few chapters each day only takes fifteen to twenty minutes, maybe even less. Think about when you can set aside that extra time each day – perhaps in the morning before your family is up and going for the day.

Wake up a bit earlier, grab a cup of coffee, and find a quiet spot to spend 20 minutes reading God’s word. Make reading the Bible and praying part of your morning routine. Beginning your day that way will make you feel much more positive compared to waking up at the last possible minute and rushing out the door.

Another time of day that may work better is just before bedtime. Often this is the calmest part of our day. Staying up that extra half an hour after everyone else has gone to bed and reading the Bible can be the most relaxing and satisfying way to end the day.

Instead of jumping into bed and immediately thinking of all we didn’t get accomplished and what still needs to be done tomorrow, we can go to bed thinking about what we just read and how it can be applied to the next day.

The book of Romans says:“for whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope”. Wouldn’t it feel much better to end the day feeling hopeful rather than feeling stressed?

Attending Church

Church doesn’t make it into many of our weekly schedules. In truth, weekends are precious to us. It’s our time to do housework, spend much-needed time with family and friends and simply relax.

Especially during the spring and summer months, it can be hard to choose church over an extra day outdoors and doing other activities we enjoy. However, you really don’t have to choose between the two.

When you find the right church, the time spent there once a week is absolutely worth it! Starting your Sunday morning at a church your really love is a great way to kick off your Sunday “Fun Day” and also a wonderful way to begin your work week.

The book of Matthew says, “for where two or three are gathered in my [God’s] name, there am I among them”. Taking a couple hours and joining a group of like-minded people, praising God and discussing his teachings can be very gratifying. To God, it doesn’t matter if it’s two people or one thousand people meeting, so long as they are all together for the purpose of loving God and learning more about faith.

After finding a church that fits, it will no longer feel like sacrificing personal time. It will feel like a necessity in your schedule. When you miss a Sunday service, you might even feel like your weekend isn’t quite complete.

It’s worth waking up a little earlier and postponing Sunday afternoon activities so that we can celebrate God and exchange ideas with people who share our love for Him. Our attention and devotion to God is more important than watching that football game or taking a trip to the lake. We can still enjoy those things, but God comes first.

Keeping Faith

So, how do we manage to make time for God during the day when we’re swamped with the demands of our jobs, our families and our own personal needs? It seems almost impossible to add anything else to a steadily growing list of to-dos.

Again, it’s about prioritizing. There are subtle ways to create time for God. If you’ve been taking quiet time to yourself to read the Bible and attending church during the weekends, you can refer back to what you’ve learned, and apply it to your daily routine. If the church you attend hands out a bulletin or outline each Sunday, bring it with you to work for the rest of the week, and go over it again whenever you’re able to take a break.

Reminding yourself of what you’ve read and learned can help you apply this wisdom to encounters you have with others and the difficult situations you may experience. Proverbs says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

When we include God in all our decisions and actions, things become easier and clearer. If it’s a particularly hard day at work or at home, you can refer to Colossians, which says:“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” If we do everything for God, our efforts seem less pointless. We can be proud of what we do day to day instead of wondering if it matters at all.

God desperately wants to be a part of our lives and have a relationship with us. He wants to be included in all we do so that we can experience happiness, and show others His love as well. Sharing God’s love is the best thing we can do, and if we build our lives around Him instead of just fitting Him in when it’s most convenient for us, then we will experience the full potential of a relationship with Him.

If we take a few minutes in the morning or before bed to read a few chapters of the Bible, add church to our weekend activities, and keep what we learn in mind as we go about the work week, pretty soon our days will seem less like just a jam-packed schedule and more like a productive life that exemplifies our Christian faith. Everything will have more meaning and significance. Best of all, we will constantly feel God’s love and presence.

~Written by Marissa Clark

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