by Pastor Mike

It feels like I am either talking to God all the time or not speaking to Him at all.  At least that is just my personal experience in my faith walk at times. My approach to Christ is usually one of convenience rather than one of necessity.  What I mean by that is my day is consumed by my own wants and desires, or the wants and desires of others, but little of it is genuinely devoted to God.  Does this sound familiar to you?

As a Pastor, I have found that I often spend whole moments of the day without connecting with my heavenly Father in a truly relational way.  I’ll spend hours in scripture, or in a theological book, or preparing a worship service, and God seems to turn into a resource to be utilised when necessary, as opposed to THE NECESSARY RESOURCE!  Do you have the same issue?  Do you find yourself trapped in a cycle of simply regarding God in passing glances, or behind glass that reads “break when in need of a miracle?”

Christ calls us to make time for him daily.  Throughout the Gospels, it is written that Jesus took time to pray, to be in solitude, and to connect with His Heavenly Father.  If this is the example that Christ has set, should we not attempt to follow it?  Now, I’m under no illusion that these tasks can be implemented quickly or to perfection.  We will always struggle to make enough time for God in our lives, which are often consumed by the noise of this world.  But what if we took a simple step in the right direction?

Over the next few weeks, I will be writing articles on how we approach God.  We will journey together through what the Bible says about reaching out to our Heavenly Father, exploring what we might get wrong, what we get right, and what we overcomplicate.  However, the first step is to set aside some time.  Here is the challenge I have set for myself, and I present it to you.  Let us all take some time each day, be it 5 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, or more, and set it aside for God.  Now, I don’t know what that looks like yet.  Perhaps it is reading scripture, maybe it is in prayer, or maybe it is listening to music.  But, before you begin this moment, prayerfully dedicate this time to God.  You can pray, “Lord Jesus, this time I give to you, use it to speak to me, guide me, correct me, or sustain me, but above all, be present with me.  Amen.”

Let’s take this step together, friends, and set aside some time each day to spend with God.  Who knows what wonders he may work in those moments?

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Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield, TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston, TX
Cell:  919-935-2513
Email:  pastormike@fumcfairfield.org