Yes, You Do Have Time for God

You have family worship every day?
You reading the Bible every day?

"I can't, because I am too busy."
"I can't, because I am too tired."
"I can't, because I don't have time."

With varying reasons from too many school assignments, too tired from class or work, too many chores at home, and too many family events.

These are the most common excuses for Christians not being daily in the Word, and not worshiping God as a family every day.

"I can't."

Translation: "I will not."
"I choose not too, probably because it's inconvenient or difficult."

You have time. Everyone has the same amount of time every day, every week, every month, every year. You have as much time as I do.

That may sound like a slick retort.

I recognize we all have different demands. Different vocations, functions, responsibilities. You may work more hours. You may have more people to care for at home. You may have more leisure. You may need more rest because of a physical condition.

At the same time, you have the responsibility to use that time to the glory of God. We all have duties, responsibilities, labor of some sort, and even recreations. How we spend the time is a matter of choice.

When you do not read God's Word, that's a choice you made.

And maybe you have chosen not to make time for the Bible, because you don't consider it a responsibility at least equal to the others (like work, family, etc.).

YOU HAVE TIME TO EAT

Approach consistent Bible reading like eating. If you deceive yourself into thinking you "don't have time" to eat then you will starve and die. Of course, you can choose to give all your time to other things and no time to eating. And you'll suffer the consequences. So, you will choose to give time for eating, so you don't die.

Likewise with consuming God's Word. You choose to give time, or you don't. Don't act like the victim. Don't act like God hasn't given you a choice. There's no gun to your head, here.

And to continue with the eating metaphor: you need to eat daily. Reading the Bible daily is a good and reasonable rule of thumb.

The Word of God is to be the matter of our Meditation, and of our Discourses at all times, and in all places, I mean, in the Morning, and in the Evening, at home, and abroad. This alone is excellent Food, and to other discourse it is an excellent seasoning. Paul in his Epistle to Timothy speaks of his having known the Scriptures of a Child, ab incunabulis, almost from his Cradle; he did, as it were, suck them in with his Mothers Milk, but how came that to pass? By means of Parental Care, the Teachings and Instructing's of his Parents, for certain, of his Mother in that young and tender Age. (Samuel Slater)

YOU'RE NOT THE EXCEPTION

Here's what I have learned after years of ministry: you probably think you are special. That you are somehow in exceptional circumstances. That yours is an unusual case. Thus, you are exempt from the rule, have an excuse from the normal duties of Christians. Indeed, an entire society can have this mentality: "It doesn't apply here."

That's just avoiding confrontation.

You think the challenge is unique to you, your place, your time? Think again. James W. Alexander, who lived from 1804–1859, addressed this very objection:
“I have not time for family worship.” In the hurry of our great cities, it is painful to observe the preference given to Mammon over God. Look at the living tide which rolls every morning down such a thoroughfare as Broadway! A stranger might be forgiven if he supposed that the life of each breathless banker, merchant, or clerk, depended on his reaching the commercial latitudes within a certain minute. But how many of these have prayed with their families? Some, we rejoice to believe; but the mass have no time for any thing but the world. Unless men will lose their own souls, and jeopard the souls of their children, they must take time for God. And the more busy, exhausting, and absorbing, any man’s days are, the more does he need the deliberate abstraction of a quiet devotional hour, such as that of family worship. Were you formed for this world only, there would be some force in the objection, but how strange does such an objection sound in the heir of an eternity? Pray, what is your time given to you for? Is it not principally that you may prepare for eternity? And have you no time for what is the great business of your lives? Again, why do you not plead too, that you have no time for your daily meals? Is food more necessary to your bodies, than religion to your souls? If you think so, what is become of your understandings? Further, what employment do you follow?

Your priorities, your time, reveal which lord you truly serve.

EXAMINE YOUR HABITS

Besides, I bet you that your cellphone would tell a different story.

Altogether, how many hours a day do you spend scrolling?
How many hours do you spend on frivolous videos?
How many hours do you waste looking at pictures of other people's lives?
You're even on your phone when you are physically with other people.
It's no wonder you can't give God attention.

And then you spend time on your hobbies and recreation. Play, fun, parties, outings, bonding, traveling—every social event imaginable and every mediocre excuse for a celebration.
How much time would be better spent in Divine company?

And you don't even want to talk about how many shows and movies you watch.

My simple point is: you have all the time in the world.
How you spend it is your choice.

Will you choose to spend time with God?

NOT MUCH TIME

It doesn't even take that much time.

It takes an average of only 15 minutes per day to read the whole Bible in one year.
Pick a plan and stick to it.

Family worship only need take 15 minutes too, if that. Do it at the time of day when everyone is alert. Sing a Psalm. Read the Bible. Ask a question about the reading. Pray together. The end.

30 minutes a day, each day of your labor.
You spend much more time on that on almost everything else in your life.
Is communion with God so worthless too you?

That's too hard? No.
Starting and being consistent is hard.
Like all things worth doing.

You know what would be more hard? A spiritually bankrupt family. A family not formed by the Word and prayer. And you unequipped to deal with it. That's assuming you would care, having neglected these simple spiritual duties.

The days of life are few. Children are rapidly growing into their habits for life. Some of them will soon be beyond your reach. Death will, before long, work strange separations. The night cometh. In prospect of that judgment which is nearly impending, be persuaded to lay aside all frivolous excuses, to take up the cross, and to be in your family, as well as elsewhere, a devout and unflinching servant of Christ. (J.W. Alexander)

MEN: A last word for you. You are meant to be the head of a wife and household. It's on you to set the tempo for your family. And if you can't keep pace with the Word and family religion, it ain't gonna happen. It is your responsibility (for yourself first) as a husband for your wife, and as a father for your children.

And if you don't have a wife or children yet, praise God. You have the chance to start now while it's easier.