Recently, while scanning my Inbox, I saw a rather unique phrase in the subject line of an email from my executive assistant. It read, “Jesus needs five minutes with you today.”
My first thought was that I had already spent time with Him that morning and try to stay in touch throughout the day. My second thought was that Jesus and I communicate on a personal basis, and we have never used a mediator to get us together. Besides, He is with me all the time and never needs an appointment. I am always ready to give Him whatever time He needs.
That phrase in the subject line has stayed with me and I have pondered it for days. “Jesus needs five minutes with you today.” As one who lives an overcrowded life marked by a demanding schedule, I was forced to contemplate the reality that becomes true far too often. Things, people and circumstances many times are allowed to consume me to the point that Jesus just might need to make appointments to get into my life. What about you?
I have said and heard others comment that our calendars are so full that Jesus will have to give us two weeks’ notice before He returns! We, too often, live under the tyranny of the urgent. In doing so, our time with Jesus, both through a quiet time and in our daily experience, gets pushed aside in favor of dealing with life issues that stand immediately before us. We make no time for Jesus because other things cannot be ignored. The cell phone must be answered; the text or email must be read and an immediate response must be given. In fact, have you ever been in prayer when the phone rings? Have you ever interrupted talking to Jesus to answer the phone? I wish you were the only one who had done that. It’s pretty ridiculous when you think about it—you are talking to the King of Kings and allow a phone call to interrupt?!
Unfortunately, a life lived without time with Jesus is a life lived in fatigue and emptiness. Our wells go dry without the refreshing waters of the Spirit through time with Jesus. We seek to manage the tyrannical pressures that come at us all day long in the strength of our own wisdom and might without consulting the One who knows us, loves us, saved us and is Wisdom incarnate. Life has a way of reducing us into an exhausted heap when we try to deal with life as it is on our own. The Abundant Life escapes us because we were never meant to live on our own and in our own strength.
So, I would like to make a suggestion. Set your appointment with Jesus early in the day, and don’t let anyone or anything interrupt it. Seek His face early in the morning and give Him His five-minute appointment before you face the day. Let Him set your agenda and allow the fresh communion with Jesus to fill your soul before you face the day. Give Him the first of the day and when you get to the end of the day, you will have lived on a higher plain than you thought possible. He will influence your decisions, encourage your heart when faced with tough stuff and enhance your relationships with others. Above all, He will guide you so that you are not overpowered with the tyranny of the urgent. He will enable you to fill each moment with the “right stuff” rather than allow life circumstances and urgencies to rule you.
In short, a regular appointment with Jesus at the beginning of the day will make the whole day better. A few minutes in the Word and in prayer can make all the difference in how you face the day.
By the way, I had my five minutes with both Jesus and Jesus that day. Jesus and I met the first thing in the morning for much more than five minutes. Later in the day, I met for five minutes with Jesús Pacheco, who serves as BGCO ethnic evangelism specialist. Both meetings were very profitable!
