Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them. [Isaiah 55:10-11 (MSG)]
When asked why I exercise every day, I often reply, “If God gives me the privilege of waking up this morning, I owe him the exercise.” Since I want my senior years to be more golden than rusty, I work out regularly. This morning, as I left for the gym, it occurred to me that I should be as dedicated to His word and time with Him as I am to working out! If God gives me the gift of another day, I owe him a something more than exercise in return! And, just as I get better physical health with the exercise, I get a better spiritual life with prayer and reading God’s word.
There is a clear correlation between one’s attitude and the time spent in meditation and Bible study: the more time with God, the better the attitude. If we don’t confess, the weight of sin weighs us down. If we don’t talk with Him, our words to others aren’t nearly as kind. If we don’t praise His wonders, the little blessings of our lives go unnoticed and unappreciated. If we don’t refresh at His well, our souls become weary and weak. If we neglect His guidance, we become confused and lose our sense of direction. If we don’t partake of His word, we miss the opportunity to have His light shine the way for us. Personally, when I neglect time with God, I tend to get short-tempered and stressed; patience, humility and even love tend to be in short supply. If we ever hope to be up to the tasks God puts before us, we need to spend time with Him first!
Devotions of the Heart 