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By
RACHEL Larson
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WHAT are some things that are important to you ? When you meet someone , it doesn β t take long to notice the important things to them . They talk about them , and they make time for them . Sports players , for example , make time for games , practice , and workouts . What do you think He would say if you asked God what β s most important to Him ? He β d say , β You .β Second to none , and He wouldn β t have to think about it .
If you say God is important to you , how are you showing it ? Are you intentionally investing in your relationship with Him one-on-one ? I believe there are many , but here are two misconceptions that could keep us from embracing the real relationship God wants to have with us . 1 . God is too big . Why would the One who created the universe want to listen to me ? Why would He care about my life ? My mundane β¦ You may think , β It β s not important to Him .β
2 . My relationship with God is for Sundays . Time spent with God is for church β you know , when we sing songs together and listen to a pastor preach . And then maybe again during the week at youth group . Isn β t that what we β re supposed to do ? While corporate worship or worshiping God together is essential and has its place , it is not the only
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way to build our relationship with God . When praying before meals and bedtime and going to church on Sunday is all we do , God suddenly turns into someone we only go to when we need something or out of obligation . He wants us to share our needs with Him , but that β s not the only purpose of our relationship . Who , then , are we focusing on ? Are we focusing on God ? Or are we focusing on ourselves ?
Let β s look at Jesus β life on earth . Jesus spent His days traveling , teaching , healing , and performing miracles , but the rest of the time , we find verses like Mark 1:35 ( NIV ), β Very early in the morning , while it was still dark , Jesus got up , left the house and went off to a solitary place , where he prayed .β Or like Luke 5:16 ( NIV ), β But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed .β This is the model of Jesus β whole life . If Jesus thought spending time alone with God was important , we should too .
Notice where it says Jesus goes β to a β solitary β place . Jesus disciplined Himself to remove the distractions around Him , which allowed Him to focus and really listen to God . Take a moment to think of some of the distractions in your life β some things that you might have to remove or remove yourself from before you could have effective time alone with God . I can think of one weighing
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heavy in my pocket right now . We shouldn β t spend time with God simply because Jesus did . But I assure you , once you start spending time with Him , you won β t get enough of it . God longs to be with you . He wants to spend time with you . He β s ready to listen to you . You may think He β s β too big β to care about your problems , but that β s simply not true . The Bible says He knows how many hairs are on your head ; that shows how important the small details are to Him . How important is He to you ? He β s ready to listen and speak to you if you want to spend time with Him .
If you want to change and prioritize your relationship with God , tell God that . Talk to God like He β s your best friend ; be authentic and ask Him to help you take time for Him . Push aside all feelings of condemnation or shame . He β s inviting you to a relationship that never ends , waivers , or fails . He won β t leave you hanging . He doesn β t care about the words you use ; your heart is all that matters to Him . Then , don β t let the conversation stop ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ). He is worth your time .
CMA
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