BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO
People make time for what they love. They don’t keep making excuses that there is no time. Because we have limited time on earth, we should not have time for other things without making time for God. Everyone is given 24 hours daily. While nobody has enough time to accomplish everything on earth, people make time for what they consider important.
As Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 reminds us, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted” (NKJV). The chapter lists different times in pairs, and biblical wisdom lies in knowing and doing the right thing at the right time.
Those who say there is no time make time for pleasure, hobbies, sleep, and food, no matter how busy they are. You should intentionally make time for God, your Creator. He created you for Himself. God says in Isaiah 43:21, “This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise” (NKJV). Earlier in verse 7, God says, “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him” (NKJV). God formed us for Himself; we exist for Him. He created us for His glory. Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (NKJV).
Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (NKJV). Making time for God must be your priority, understanding that He is the source of your life. Your stay on earth must glorify Him because that’s what He created you for. This does not mean that it is wrong to spend time on non-sinful things, such as sleep, education, or skill acquisition. But it means that whatever we do, we should do it to the glory of God, recognising that everything we have and all that we are ultimately belongs to Him.
Paul says in Acts 20:24, “I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace” (NCV). Paul rightly identified what was most important to him. For him, to achieve it, he must make time for God, as the mission was all about Him.
You, too, must make time for God. Don’t be so busy that you neglect this. Don’t let the devil keep you so busy that you don’t have time for God. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!” (NKJV). If you are looking for excuses not to do what this scripture says, you will find plenty, but none will be valid before God. Regardless of challenges, you have no valid excuse for neglecting God. However, relying on God’s grace, we are divinely empowered to set godly boundaries, manage our time wisely, and make seeking God our highest priority.
What you must do
1. Make time to worship God. Worship, in the context of this message, is “Homage rendered to God which it is sinful (idolatry) to render to any created being” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary). The King James Version Dictionary defines worship as “To adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration.” This supreme honour must be given to God alone (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7; 6:13; Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8; Acts 10:26; 14:15; Colossians 2:18; Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9).
You must make time to worship God. John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (NKJV). True worship goes beyond external rituals and physical location. Indeed, you must live your life in worship of Him, not just the time specifically set aside for it. The devil desires that humans worship him, devoting their time to the alluring things of this world rather than to God. Whatever becomes more important to you than God or that you rely on instead of God is your functional idol—that’s what you worship.
Psalm 29:2 says to ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name and worship the LORD in the splendour of holiness. Also, Psalm 100:1-2 says, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” (NIV). Make time to worship God, adoring and reverencing Him through postures such as standing, kneeling, bowing, singing, and lifting your hands.
The ultimate expression of worshipping God is acknowledging His absolute Lordship through reverence, loving Him with all your heart, and obeying His commands (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Luke 10:27; Mark 12:30). Show your love for God by obeying His Word (John 14:15).
2. Make time to pray to God, including thanking Him. The more you pray to God and thank Him, the less you worry. The converse is also true. God did not create you to live independently of Him. Instead of worrying about life’s issues, make time to pray with thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (NIV). The only type of prayer some people know is making requests. When you pray, remember to thank God regularly. Always enter His gates with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:1).
Prayer shows your dependence on God. Don’t be too busy to pray. Jesus told a parable to illustrate that we should always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1-8). Never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Ask, seek, and knock; God will answer you according to His will (Matthew 7:7-8).
Cultivate the habit of praying privately and in public fellowship. As busy as Jesus was, He prioritised praying alone, both at night and early in the day (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1: 35; Luke 5:16; 6:12; Mark 6:46). Jesus also habitually thanked God (John 11:41; Matthew 11:25; 15:36; Luke 22:17-19). Emulate Him.
3. Make time to study the Bible and meditate on it. The attention you pay to people’s words shows the regard you have for them. Every child of God must make time for Him by studying His Word and meditating on it, so that they may do what He has commanded. Joshua 1:8 says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (NKJV). The life of a child of God flourishes as he studies, meditates on, and obeys God’s Word, for only the doers of His Word are blessed (James 1:22; 25).
Emphasising the importance of God’s Word, Jesus, quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, says that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from God’s mouth (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). Just like Job, treasure the Word of God more than your necessary food (Job 23:12). There is no substitute for the Word of God. You must prioritise it in your life. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (NKJV).
Make time for the Word of God. You cannot grow as a child of God without feeding on His Word. 1 Peter 2:2 says that as newborn babes, we must desire the pure milk of the word, so that we may grow thereby. Christians today must emulate the Bereans, whom the apostle Paul describes in Acts 17:11 as of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what he said was true. Believers must not rely solely on preachers to hear God’s Word; they must also personally and diligently study the Bible.
As Colossians 3:16 says, believers must let the word of Christ dwell in them richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in their hearts to the Lord. Hide the Word of God in your heart so that you can align your life with His will and live holy (Psalm 119:11). Let His Word be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105).
The Bible was written for you to learn from. Romans 15:4 states that whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Make time for the Word of God. It is God-inspired (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Making time for the Word is making time for God.
4. Make time to worship with other believers. Salvation is individualistic, but believers grow in community. Regardless of what you do spiritually alone, you must not neglect worshipping with other believers. Hebrews 10:24-25 says not to give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but to encourage one another, and all the more as we see the Day approaching. Jesus says where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there in their midst. Believers are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5).
Don’t be too busy to fellowship with fellow Christians regularly. The early church met daily (Acts 2:46). Acts 20:7 refers to disciples coming together on the first day of the week (Sunday) to break bread,
Make time for God by regularly worshipping with fellow believers. As believers worship God, they use their spiritual gifts to bless others. 1 Corinthians 14:26 says, “My friends, when you meet to worship, you must do everything for the good of everyone there. That’s how it should be when someone sings or teaches or tells what God has said or speaks an unknown language or explains what the language means” (CEV).
5. Make time to share the Word of God with non-believers. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He commanded His disciples not only to preach the gospel but to make disciples. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV). Don’t be an onlooker; join the labour force, because the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few (Matthew 9:37). Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Believers are to deliver to them the word of salvation, lead them to Christ, and guide them into discipleship.
6. Make time to be a kingdom worker. The kingdom work I am discussing here encompasses every type of task or responsibility that needs to be carried out in the church of God and beyond, both public and private, appealing and unappealing. Every responsibility in God’s kingdom holds eternal significance. Nobody should despise any task in God’s kingdom. All must be seen as God’s work and performed to His glory.
Don’t be a spectator in God’s kingdom. Use your spiritual gifts, talents, and skills to God’s glory and the advancement of His kingdom on Earth. While your secular vocation should be a platform for ministry and a form of worship and service to God, don’t be consumed by your business and claim there is no time. Make time for Christian service in any capacity, being a responsible, functional church member. God rewards His workers. However, note that salvation is by grace, and Christian service is a byproduct of salvation, not the price.
Jesus was a worker. He said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (NKJV). Don’t be too busy for God. Emulate those who are workers in God’s kingdom, not loafers. All the apostles in the Bible were kingdom workers. They made time for God. Make time for God.
7. Make time for God in your youth. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (NKJV). Subsequent verses highlight the inevitable natural decline of the body as one grows older.
Make time for God when you are still young, vibrant, and energetic. The glory of the youth is their strength (Proverbs 20:29). Use your strength for God. Don’t wait till you are old. There are things that young people can do that old people cannot do. Invest your youthful years in serving God so that, at your old age, when you look back and see the things you used to do but can no longer do, you will thank God that you didn’t waste your youth. I’m not saying that old people are useless in God’s service. You cannot be young twice. Make time for God in our youth.
Conclusion: Make God number one in your life. Make time for God. Don’t let temporal pursuits make you neglect God. It won’t make sense if you have time for everybody except the most important person: God. Make time for God.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life—your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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