By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
Our lives can easily slip into a routine that substitutes Jesus-driven devotion for performance-driven actions. We don’t intend for worldly concerns to take our Lord’s place. Priorities hammer our schedules, and we slip into what others expect of us. We go through our quiet times and church activities as before, but our mindset changes. The transition occurs while we walk through life experiences and meet one disappointment after another. If only we could do more, be more, then we’d have more visibility and our lives would be better. We forget about grace and worship … and how God created us to have a relationship with him and enjoy the earth, not be slaves to it.
Has the light dimmed in our lives? Have shadows replaced hope and blame stalks us?
- We shove aside our faith because in our eyes it isn’t helping or adding value to our lives.
- We push death and how we’ll deal with it later … like when we’re dying.
- We shake a finger at God for the tragedies exploding around us.
- We claim God and His ways are archaic and belief in Him is a myth.
- We look to science for answers and discount the Bible.
- We drift into cynicism.
- We work so we don’t have to think or feel the incessant pain.
I remember a time in my life as a single mom raising boys. They played soccer, and games were played on Saturdays. Sometimes tournaments were on Sundays. Early morning games were the hardest because my day job involved a 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. commitment Monday through Friday. Sleeping was a priceless treasure. I started slipping in church attendance to every other week, then every third week. When I slid into a pew with my sons, my mind wandered. Depression hit me hard. Exhaustion pelted me like I was the subject of a stone-throwing contest. Nothing gave me satisfaction or peace. When day-to-day activities became unbearable, a friend questioned my relationship with Jesus, not accusatory but lovingly. I returned to church and found a relationship with Him I’d never experienced before. I’m thankful He is always faithful, even when I ignored Him. God welcomed me back with open arms and helped me manage my schedule, job, life, and sometimes tough parenting.
Substituting Jesus for the world’s expectations never works. Performance levels and selfish desires drive us away from Him.
What are five ways we can keep Jesus front and center in our lives?
- Schedule time daily to study the Bible and pray. Choose a quiet place that is absent of distractions and where we can sense God’s presence. Refuse to set a timer that shouts back, “Time’s up! God is off duty now.” If we’re angry, tell Him. If we laugh, cry, complain, or express any emotion, it’s okay. Jesus is strong enough to handle our humanity.
- Thank Jesus for the blessings, challenges, tragedies, and victories of our lives. The Bible tells us to count it all pure joy (James 1:2), even the nightmarish moments. We will grow into stronger people when we link arms with Jesus and face the impossible.
- Reach out to others with the same love Jesus extends to us. Christianity isn’t practiced solo; it invites community and outreach. Disciple new believers. Mentor those who need direction. When we daily place ourselves on the altar of service for Jesus, we nurture seeds of faith that blossom into kingdom producing children of God.
- Practice stewardship not only with our tithes and offerings but also with our time and talents. We’re all given gifts to use for God’s glory. These abilities range from the arts, healing, teaching, sciences, wise counsel, encouragement, hospitality, and more. Our God-given gifts and talents allow us to spread our faith at home, work, and play. The Bible reminds us to do everything as though conducting each task for the Lord (Colossians 3:17).
- Worship collectively and privately. When we move away from worship, we distance ourselves from Jesus, the one who gave His life so we may live in with Him in eternity.
Is it time to check our daily routine? Our thoughts and actions show who and what we worship. Commit now to a 24/7 relationship with Jesus and feel His smile on our lives.
Comments 33
This was the reminder I needed this week, DiAnn. Thank you!
I needed this tonight. I was just telling my husband earlier all the things I was trying to balance. (And they were all good.) But even though I had several times of prayer today, I had no quiet time of reading and reflecting, and I realized why I still felt unbalanced. Thank you.
Hi Stephanie, I’m so sorry I missed your comment to the blog post. Balance isn’t easy, but with placing God first, the rest of the day flows so much better. Be blessed!
Amen! The best day always has time for God and Jesus!
We have been traveling recently and I abandoned my early morning routine of reading through the Psalms and a chapter in Proverbs. (I will share the method if anyone would like to see it.) When we got home and I resumed my readings, I realized how much I’ve missed it. Same thing happens when I skip too many days of my walk/run exercising. I breathe a sigh of thankfulness when I’m back in the groove.
How much more are we blessed, refreshed, strengthened, and nourished when we are in God’s presence and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, “the author and perfector of our faith.” (from Hebrews 12:2)
Thank you for this reminder, DiAnn. You always hit the nail on the head. Bless you.
Hi Karen, like you, I’ve learned that when our routine with God is broken, we develop flabby spiritual muscles. While some might smile at the analogy, it’s true. Thank you!
Thanks for the much needed reminder, DiAnn. The glare from the look in this mirror is so sttong, ican hardly look. Not onyh is this true, I add to the waste, by dreaming of ways to serve greate.
Frances, you are a beloved child of God, and He is using you every minute of the day to serve others.
I’m guilty of this. Thanks for pointing it out.
Betty, we are al guilty of this! We simply ask for forgiveness and move forward.
Thank you DiAnn. This is the very thing that has been on my heart lately. It also dovetails with John MacArthur’s sermon I listened to on my home from work tonight. Both of you have given me a lot to think about.
Sheila, I pray God fills your day with special blessings.
Ouch! Just OUCH!
I agree!
Cindy, I get it! I sensed OUCH when I wrote it!
Beautiful words of hope–Jesus is always waiting for us, ready to hit the re-set button for us so that we can hold His hands through our days. Because of your post, I’m celebrating little victories right now, thanking HIM for what HE has accomplished for me today, not what I’ve done on my own checklist! You are always very encouraging!
Nancy, sometimes I need a reset button – moment by moment. Thank you for your encouragement and insight.
DiAnn,
You hit the nail on the head when you stated that “transition occurs wile we walk thru life’s experiences.” Carrying burdens and enduring difficulty is where we experience spiritual growth. Challenges, trials, and hardship draw us closer to God. Running to God causes besetting sins to drop off because we begin to trust God more, love Him more, and desire purity and more intimacy. As I grow in my faith, I recognize myself to be less interested in my priorities. I desire godly wisdom. I want to know what God requires and I desire to think His thoughts after Him. That’s a miracle. It surpasses my understanding because left to myself, my thinking is stinking and utterly depraved. Walking close with God is remarkably compelling. You’ll find that you will trust God more with your life and you will have no choice but to spend more time with Him because there is hope in no other. Dependency fortifies your relationship. You will begin to look for God not only as part of your daily routine, but moment by moment.
Thanks, Dawn. I appreciate your insight. The best place to be is in God’s arms.
This speaks to exactly where I am right now, homeschooling and raising three kids, constantly driving them to all their practices, etc. My life is not my own, and sometimes it feels like too much to ask. But my life was never meant to be my own, and there’s grace for that when I draw near to Jesus. Thanks for this timely, accurate post.💖
Jessie, I remember those days, and when those kids are grown, you’ll wish they were back needing you. But Jesus is with us every step of the way.
I’ve been guilty. Past disaster and pain can push me really fast into robot mode. Thanks for the words.
Blessings to you and yours.
Tedd, I’ve learned the hardest lessons in life bring us closer to Jesus.
Jesus is strong enough to handle our humanity. Thank you
Louisa, and we are so glad He can and does!
Oh, amen ma’am. How many times do I find myself in the midst of my “God time” and my mind starts to wander. I think about all that’s on my “to do” list for the day, the cattle market, whether to plant or not, and a million other things. When my mind distracts me, or maybe it’s my heart, I’m not giving my best and I’m certainly not giving my all to God. When I catch myself, I recite a poem I wrote many years ago in response to one of those moments. It helps me to quiet my soul and return its focus where it belongs. Great thoughts and great tips to help us “keep the main thing, the main thing” ma’am. Thank you.
J. D. You always word perfectly how God works in our lives. I’d really like to read your poem. Is that possible?
Excellent methods to keep Jesus at the center of our lives!
Thanks, Vera, sharing our pitfalls just might help someone else
Thank you, DiAnn, for getting that all organized so I can refer to it early daily before everything starts heading in all directions. Leave the house with Jesus, and don’t drop Him off at my first stop!
Alicia, I love that! Hook arms with Jesus and take every step with Him.
Thanks, DiAnn. On the target as usual!
Marjorie, thank you for your kind words.