Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: Isaiah 15:1–18:7 | Galatians 1:1–24 | Psalm 58:1–11 | Proverbs 23:12

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Time With Jesus Is Never Wasted

There are plenty of ways we can spend our time then later wish we had spent it differently. We can lose an hour scrolling through our phones and wonder where the time went. We can spend an evening watching television, working on something that probably could have waited, or worrying about something we can’t control. None of those things are necessarily wrong, but time has a way of disappearing quickly, and once it’s gone, we can’t get it back.

Maybe that’s why this simple Gem the Lord gave me feels so important:

“You will never regret giving Me your time.”

I don’t think I have ever finished praying and thought, Well, that was a waste of time. I’ve never walked away from genuine time with God wishing I hadn’t bothered. Even when I don’t hear anything profound or experience some overwhelming spiritual moment, I always feel good afterwards.

And lately, the Lord keeps bringing me back to this subject. He asked me, “Aren’t I worth it?” as He spoke about investing myself and my time in seeking Him. He has reminded me to seek His Kingdom first, learn His ways, and begin seeing life from an eternal perspective. It all seems to keep coming back to the same thing: make time for Him.

Maybe that’s because time with God isn’t only about what happens while we’re sitting with Him. It changes what happens after we get up.

Time with Him changes the way we think and the way we respond to people. It helps us recognize His voice and gives Him room to correct us, comfort us, teach us, and redirect us. Sometimes He gives us an answer. Sometimes He gives us peace before the answer comes. And sometimes nothing dramatic happens at all—we simply spend time with the One we love…and that in itself is enough.

In Proverbs today it says, “Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge” (Proverbs 23:12 NLT). Listening carefully requires our attention, and attention requires time.

That’s becoming increasingly difficult in a world where everything seems to want a piece of us. Our phones want our attention. Work requires it. Our families need it. Responsibilities demand it. Many of those things are good and necessary, but if we aren’t intentional, God can easily receive whatever time happens to be left over, if any at all.

Paul’s story in today in Galatians 1 reminds us what can happen when a life becomes surrendered to God. Paul had once been running passionately in the wrong direction, persecuting the church and living according to what he believed was right. Then he encountered Jesus, and the entire direction of his life changed. The man who had once fought against the Gospel eventually devoted his life to proclaiming it.

Our time with God may not always produce something we can immediately see, but time surrendered to Him is never wasted.

Someday, I don’t think we’ll wish we had prayed less, listened to God less, worshiped Him less, or spent less time enjoying His presence. There may be plenty of things we look back on and wish we’d given less of ourselves to.

God won’t be one of them.

So don’t wait until you have extra time. Give Him some of the time you already have. Five minutes. Fifteen minutes. A quiet drive. A walk. A morning when you get up a little earlier or an evening when you put your phone down.

Not because you’re checking off another spiritual obligation, but because He’s worth your time.

You’ll never regret giving it. He always makes it worth your while. 💎

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Action (5 Minutes with God)

Take 5 minutes to be with the Lord today. Ask Him:

• “Lord, what do You want me to know about this personally?”
  • Journal what He gives you through His Holy Spirit.
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Journal what He reveals – then do it!

Set aside some undivided time for God today. Put away whatever normally competes for your attention and simply tell Him, “This time is Yours.” Pray, worship, read His Word, listen, or simply sit quietly with Him.

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Prayer

Beloved Father, thank You for wanting to spend time with me. Help me remember that time with You is never wasted. Teach me to give You my attention, listen carefully, recognize Your voice, and enjoy simply being in Your presence. I don’t want to give You only what’s left over. You are worth it all, and I gladly give it to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

To read more 5 Minutes with God devotionals click here.