Wednesday, July 2, 2014
By: Gwen Hitt
Constantly Devoted
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
The original Greek word for "devote" in Colossians 4:2 means "to be devoted or constant." When reading this definition, my attention was immediately drawn to the word "constant" ... the name of our daily devotions. I truly believe that God is definitely trying to tell us something - He desires our CONSTANT attention - our complete DEVOTION.
I began to reflect on the things that I am constantly doing or devoted to in my life. These priorities for me are my relationship with God, my family, my career, my church, and my desire to be a good friend. My list of obligations and duties could go on and on just as it would be the case in your life.
If I would take the 24 hours in my day and subtract 8 hours for sleep and a minimum of 8 hours for work, only 8 hours would remain. In those available 8 hours, I personally would still have to subtract my time for commuting, getting dressed, preparing and eating meals (sadly my poor husband does not get many home-cooked meals LOL), and additional house chores. I am left with very little time to devote my energy to the things that are my priorities. Can anyone relate?
Based on these calculations, we could easily say that there is NO time to pray. However, I want to remind you that in today's scripture, we are told that we should be DEVOTED to prayer - to pray CONSTANTLY....
How do we find time to pray with such crazy busy schedules?
My challenge to you is to make good use of every second of your day. For me, praying during my commute to work would yield 90 minutes in prayer! We can all find creative times to pray even if it's while showering, drying our hair, or getting dressed. The bottom line is that we all make time for the things that are important to us. While it's certainly vital to spend time alone with God free from all distractions, I encourage you also to talk to Him CONSTANTLY throughout your daily routine just as you would with those closest to you.
Dear Lord, We are told in Your Word to DEVOTE ourselves to prayer. I ask that You help me to keep WATCH over my day. My desire is to make spending time with You a priority.
I also thank You, Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen
Reflection: Are you making time with God a priority in your life?
