Daily devotion – How much time we waste being busy!
Time Wasting… on Trivial Matters
As children, we can be so easily distracted. A child may be happily playing with one thing when suddenly a bird flies past, a plane appears in the clouds, or they spot a little bug crawling across the ground—and immediately their attention is drawn away to something new.
Sadly, we can be much the same in our Christian walk.
Satan continually seeks to fill our lives with distractions. If he can capture our attention and draw us away from the things of God, he will keep placing something new in front of us—something else to occupy our time, our thoughts and our energy.
Last Sunday evening, as we have been working our way through the Gospel of Matthew, Pastor Israel taught from the Parable of the Sower. Jesus spoke of four types of soil into which the seed—the Word of God—fell. Only one produced the fruit God desired.
One of the soils that produced no lasting fruit represented those who became “choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14). The seed was there, but the distractions of life became so dominant that they prevented the Word from producing fruit.
How sobering that is.
Over more than 45 years of pastoral ministry, I have conducted many funeral services. I have stood beside the graves of people and witnessed, in hindsight, lives that had spent years pursuing things that ultimately had little eternal value. Time was consumed by distractions, ambitions, possessions, entertainment and countless other pursuits, while God and sometimes even the people closest to them—husbands, wives, children and family—were pushed to the side.
We have one opportunity to live this life, and the Bible is very clear about where our primary focus should be: living for Christ and serving Him.
The first commandment could not be clearer:
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
— Exodus 20:3
And Jesus reaffirmed this when He said:
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
— Mark 12:30
All our heart. All our soul. All our mind. All our strength.
Yet many Christian families today are struggling to live out that first commandment because their lives have become filled with so many competing distractions. We have allowed things into our schedules that consume our time, clutter our minds and leave little room for the things that matter eternally.
I love order. I like things organised and in their proper place—and the Bible reveals that our God is a God of order:
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.”
— 1 Corinthians 14:33
If you constantly find yourself saying, “I just don’t have enough time,” perhaps the problem isn’t that you need more time. Perhaps you need to examine what is consuming the time God has already given you.
We can become like that easily distracted child—moving from one thing to another, constantly occupied but accomplishing little of eternal value.
Consider the example of Martin Luther during the height of the Reformation. He was overwhelmed with work—translating the Bible, writing theological works, pastoring, lecturing and dealing with constant controversy. Yet when faced with an exceptionally demanding schedule, Luther is famously reported to have said that he would spend three hours in prayer before beginning his day’s work.
He would rise at 4:00 AM and spend those first three hours seeking God.
What a remarkable perspective!
For Luther, prayer was not something to be squeezed into the day if there happened to be time left over. The busier he became, the more he recognised his need to depend upon God.
Then consider John Wesley (1703–1791). He travelled thousands of miles on horseback, preached tens of thousands of sermons and carried an extraordinary workload. Yet prayer remained a priority. Wesley was known for rising at 4:00 AM and spending the first two hours of his day in prayer.
Think about that.
These men were not people with nothing to do. They were incredibly busy, yet they understood something that we can so easily forget:
Being busy is not the same as being fruitful.
Prayer was not a distraction from their work—it was what prepared them for the work God had called them to do.
What a lesson for us!
I am so thankful that the God who runs the world, holds the universe in His hands and sustains everything that exists never says to me, “Sorry, I’m too busy for you today.”
He is never too busy for us.
The question is: Are we too busy for Him?
If you do not take control of your busyness, something—or someone—will control it for you. And the devil would love nothing more than to keep you so occupied with the trivial that you have no time for the eternal.
So, starting today, put the Lord first.
Look honestly at your schedule. Cull out the things that are consuming your time but producing little or no eternal fruit. Put aside the distractions that are choking your spiritual growth. Make time for prayer. Make time for God’s Word. Make time for your family. Make time to serve Christ.
Don’t allow the trivial things of today to rob you of the eternal things that matter forever.
You only have one life. Don’t waste it on distractions.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
— Matthew 6:33