WWJD
While I was away this week, in the airport, hotel room, on the subway, at the coffeeshop - I enjoyed many of the technological advances of our day and experienced all the business/busyness and excitement of all this there is to do and see (yes, I stayed up til 2 am EST to watch the Suns beat the Lakers last night!). DC was a busy place - packed with people at all times of the day, and everyone had an iPod, laptop or palm pilot to keep them busy on the subway, in the station, at the coffeehouses. Didn’t see anyone reading a bible the whole time I was there (except for Darius on the plane – D you’re the man!). It was so easy to get distracted and my eyes off the author perfector of our faith, Jesus Christ and spending time with Him, in prayer and in God’s word – whether rushing off to a conference in the morning, too tired to really concentrate on what I read, too many people around to be still and alone. When this happens, we often can open the door for Satan or selfish desires to creep into our lives. We haven’t put on the full armor (read Ephesians 6:10-20), and he comes ready to pounce on us or sin comes knocking and can entangle us when we get busy and let our guard down because we’re not focused on being like Christ.

What would Jesus do today… Would he have a cell phone, email, ipod, Tivo, laptop computer, video games, and all the other things that make our lives so fun and convenient, yet so busy today? Jesus was a pretty busy guy – always on the road and always a full day of activities. I’m not sure of all of the technological distractions of His day, but as I read the Bible, he repeatedly made it a priority to get away from everything and spend both quality and quantity time with His father. What a great example for us.

I can remember growing up – we never had a computer or a cell phone or a video game or an ipod or TIVO, or ________ you fill in the blank. Life was a lot less busy, and probably a lot easier to prioritize. I can’t wait to be back home tonight and to a place where I can shut the door and be alone with God and get back into my daily routine with Him (not to use this busyness as an excuse – I’m just glad to be back to a normal routine.)

Don’t let your life get too busy for the most important thing in life. Set aside your best time for Him 1st, your family second, for other believers who need your support and encouragement, for non-christians who need your witness. God has given each of us enough time in every day to do ALL that HE has planned for us – it just may be that some of the things WE have planned or want to do need to be scrapped for the greater good of HIS will in our lives, and for spending time with Him. These things aren’t bad, but they shouldn’t take priority over our time with God.

Hebrews 12:1-4 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. [2] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. [4] In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.