But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, NKJV).

It’s become a badge of honor to say, “I’m just too busy.” We wear our busyness like it validates our lives, like the more packed our schedules are, the more valuable we must be. And to be fair, life is full. Between work, family, studies, responsibilities at church, and endless “others”, it’s easy to feel like there’s no time left. But let me offer you a gentle, perhaps uncomfortable truth: If you're too busy to spend time with God, you're too busy. Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the One with the most important mission in human history, made time to be alone with God. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35, NIV). If He needed that connection, how much more do we?

Many of us don’t consciously abandon our devotional lives. We push them to the side for “later” after the meeting, after the kids are in bed, after life calms down. But “later” rarely comes. And in the meantime, our souls run dry, our tempers run short, and our hearts drift further from the One who gives us peace, wisdom, and strength. You weren’t created to live off spiritual fumes with little to no ongoing relationship with God, running on the leftover momentum of past spiritual experiences rather than fresh daily communion with Him. Spending daily time in the Word and prayer isn’t about checking a box or earning God’s favor. It’s about aligning our hearts with heaven, listening for His voice, and receiving what only He can give. It’s about anchoring our lives in Someone eternal while everything else around us changes. Your devotional life is not a luxury for when you “have time.” It is your lifeline for surviving and thriving, right now.

If this stirs something in you but also feels overwhelming, start small. Begin with 10 minutes in the morning. Open a Psalm. Read a short devotional thought. Sit quietly. Ask God to speak. Write one line in a journal. Set your phone down and your soul before Him. And do it again tomorrow. It’s less about length and more about consistency. It’s about relationship. Imagine what would happen if every church member made time with Jesus, the non-negotiable part of their day. Did you picture it? Wouldn’t our worship deepen? Our witness: more powerful? Wouldn’t our families grow stronger? Our burdens would feel lighter not because they disappear, but because we’re not carrying them alone. Wouldn’t you like to be that church? Wouldn’t you like to be those people? Let’s be that church. Let’s be those people. Not perfect, not polished, but devoted. Because when we make time for God, He fills us with His peace, power, and presence.

What needs to shift in your schedule this week to make time with God your first priority?