We’re in the second of five episodes in our Jesus in the Love Languages mini series where we look deeper at the ministry of Jesus. Tune in to hear ways Jesus showed words of affirmation, quality time, giving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Today’s episode 26 is 4 Ways Jesus Prioritizes Time. Learn how love looks through quality time with scripture reading, prayer, Christian community, and Outreach.
CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN: EP 26
Priorities
If you walk me through a regular week in your life I can probably tell you about the things you love. How? Priorities. More specifically, your priorities when you don’t “have” to be doing something. Yes, you spend 40 hours a week at your job, so what are you doing in your non-required free time, and who are you doing that with? Hint: There’s almost always an underlying reason behind why you’re doing what you’re doing, and who you’re doing it with in said downtime.
- Chores: You prioritize the function of your home. Why? For sanity’s sake, and for a more peaceful, inviting home for you family and guests. Plus, if I trip over one more toy, it may be the death of me. Death by LEGO; sounds terrifying.
- Kids sports: You prioritize your kids being active and involved in something bigger than themselves. Why? So they can develop grit, teamwork, and other necessary skills needed in life.
- Netflix: You prioritize streaming shows at night. Why? Maybe it’s because you love stories or a good laugh with your spouse in the evening.
- Spending time with loved ones: You prioritize your close relationships. Why? For friendship, fellowship, and for someone to plan your death-by-LEGO funeral when God calls you home.
Tell me what you do with your time, who you spend that time with, and why, and I’ll list out your priorities. “Wait, Brooke. Is it really that simple?” Yes, it is. And before you come at me…Yes, there are circumstances of hard seasons too. No, your kids won’t be in diapers forever, and you’re spending what feels like a million hours constantly changing them. So why? Because you care about the health of your children. That looks different as they grow, but the why and who behind it doesn’t change.
Pro Tip
None of these examples are bad ways to spend your quality time with people you care about. It’s when these examples take precedence and priority over the most important relationship of all; your relationship with God. This is why looking at these 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time is an excellent model for how we can live our lives today.
Pro Tip: When we optimize time management alongside our desired priorities and passions God’s called us to, we’re more productive and on mission with our purpose in Christ. Happy byproduct, the fruit of the Spirit develops more and more. Who needs a little more joy? We all do! This is why we’re looking into Jesus’ ministry and how He spent his quality time. Specifically, his heart behind why he chose to spend time with certain people.
We’re going to walk through 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time, and within each way, we’ll look at an example from the ministry of Jesus. This will help us find regular rhythms that will help us grow our relationship with God.
#1: Time with God Through Scripture (Read)
Spending quality time with God will help us grow closer to Him, learn more about who He is, and develop trust in what He guides us to do. Remember, we are all designed on purpose, for a purpose. By spending quality time with God, we will be able to step into our roles with confidence and strength.
40 Days in the Desert
We’ll be in the book of Matthew chapter 4 for our first example. Let’s have a Brooke Breakdown of the book of Matthew up to this point so we can gain a bit of context (bonus points if you go read Matthew 1-3 on your own sometime this week):
- The ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, shout out Rahab (episode 7) and Ruth (episode 12)!
- The birth of Jesus (shout out Mary, episode 2)!
- The wise men meet Jesus, and Mary and Joseph are told by an angel to flee to Egypt because Horrible Herrod was coming after them (shout out episode 19)
- Joseph, Mary, and Jesus return to Nazareth after the threat is over
- John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus and baptizes Jesus (shout out episode 3)
Here we are, chapter 4, the moment right after Jesus was baptized, and we see the father, son, and holy spirit all in the same place at the same time. After that very encouraging moment, the Holy Spirit leads 30 year old Jesus into the wilderness to be temped by the devil…for 40 days with no food.
“Wait, Brooke. How does this count as quality time?” Glad you asked, because we’re about to see evidence that quality time had taken place through Jesus knowing scripture. Read with me in Matthew 4:3-11. Let’s look at how knowing God’s word comes in handy.
During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Matthew 4:3-11
We can’t know scripture without spending time in God’s word. One of the best ways to have quality time with God is through reading the Bible. When we prioritize reading our Bibles, the more truths we know. The more truths we know the easier we can spot lies. The easier we can spot lies the quicker we’ll be able to capture our thoughts. The quicker we can capture thoughts, the more our mind focuses on the truths of the Bible. The more we focus our minds on the truths of the Bible the more we’ll prioritize reading our Bible. And the cycle begins again. Pretty cool, huh?
The devil may try a nasty trick like throwing scripture out of context at you. If we’re not careful, we can fall for the fake. Stay in your Bible. When you surround yourself with truth, the counterfeit can’t camouflage.
#2: Time with God Through Prayer (Pray)
The second way of the 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time with God is through prayer. As we look at how Jesus spent his time during his ministry, we can see that he often spends time in prayer with God. It’s interesting to think about how Jesus, who is God, is spending significant time praying to God…which is Him. Also, Jesus reading and referencing scripture, that He wrote is equally interesting. I think this happens for multiple reasons, but I’ll just give you two for now.
- One: Jesus is fully God, fully man, so in Jesus’ humanness, he wanted to connect to the father in that way through prayer.
- Two: He did it to set an example for us. By doing this, we can see how often he valued prayer over sleep, food, friends, etc…Want to know how to pray? Jesus models it and directly teaches it too (Shout out The Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, Episode 25 shout out).
The Garden of Gesthsemane
We’ll stay in the book of Matthew for this example too, chapter 26. As always, I strongly encourage you to read what we discuss, and to even read the chapters before so you can have better context going into it. The Garden of Gethsemane moment for Jesus is well known and powerful, but in case you need a refresher, here’s a Brooke Breakdown:
- Jesus is in full on ministry mode, he’s been performing miracles, preaching, teaching parables, and the Religious leaders of the day are furious with him and want to trap him (and worse)
- At the beginning of chapter 26, the plot to kill Jesus is coming together, and Jesus knows it
- The Last Supper happens, Jesus predicts Peter’s denial, and it gets intense in some places
Here we are, Matthew 26:36-46, the scene changes to the Garden of Gethsemane. Let’s look at how we can see the second of 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time with God through prayer. I’ll be reading from the NLT, but choose whatever version works for you.
Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
Matthew 26:36-46
Three Takeaways
There are so many takeaways from this moment in the Bible that it could be an entire mini series in itself. Alas, this is not that mini series. Let’s cover a few points that jump out to me as a busy Christian mom.
First, I’m so thankful that God doesn’t sleep, and doesn’t even need it for that matter. When I’m at my worst and in a horrible situation, God sees me, and hears me. He doesn’t miss anything. Even though his disciples fell asleep in this extremely intense moment, God is wide awake and hearing everything Jesus is saying. Humans won’t get it right every time, even though they have the best intentions. Yes, invite them to pray over you, but don’t forget to take those big feelings of yours to a BIGGER God.
Second, he asks for God to remove the burden. My goodness, this is hard. Jesus knows he’s about to undergo crucifixion, the worst way to die at this point in history. He knows the damage his body will go through, and it’s absolutely terrifying for me to even think about. And I thought stepping on LEGOs was hard. It’s natural for us to want God to remove burdens or change circumstances. It’s okay to take those requests to God.
Third, he submits his plans to God’s bigger, better plan. Jesus understands that although he’d like to pass on the crucifixion, he knows that God’s plan is always the best plan. He asks for the circumstance to change, but recognizes that God knows what He’s doing, so trust that plan. Mamas, I know we want to take pain away from our babies, no matter how they are. We want that cure, we want the diagnosis to be different. Take those things to God in prayer, and release those requests to the authority and sovereignty of Christ.
The second of 4 ways Jesus spent quality time is by talking to the Father. There are so many times Jesus spent time in prayer throughout his ministry. He made it a habit to go off to a quiet place and pray. Sometimes he exchanged sleep for prayer. Jesus gives us so many examples in the Bible with times he modeled prayer and taught how to pray.
#3: Time in Christian Community (Talk)
The third of 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time is through spending time in Christian community. There is verse after verse in the Bible that talks about the power of fellowship with other believers. Jesus wonderfully models this throughout his entire ministry.
The 12 Disciples
You probably know or have heard about the 12 disciples of Jesus. When these 12 decided to follow Christ and call him rabbi, this meant their acceptance of Jesus as teacher. Did you know that it was common practice in the Jewish culture for disciples to spend 24 hours a day with their rabbi. This likely meant that the 12 disciples were constantly in community with one another and with Jesus.
Some key points about the rabbis and their disciples include being consistent presence, totally committed, and observe and imitate what the rabbi is doing. These 12 men heard the teachings of Jesus, saw how he modeled community, and learned from the best teacher in the history of forever. You can read about how Jesus gathered the 12 and sent them out with authority to do the Lord’s work in Matthew 10. He gives them instruction, a pep talk, and power.
Live it Out
Speaking from personal experience, I love that we get to experience the third of 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time. God is kind enough to teach us that community is an important component to growth in our relationship with Him. When we spend quality time in Christian fellowship, we give ourselves the opportunity to be encouraged and refined by likeminded people who have the same mission: imitate God and point people to Him.
I have countless times in my life I have called on my crew to rally in prayer, lend a hand, or straight up carry me and my family through a crisis. When your community can reciprocate vulnerability, humility, and support, amazing things happen. I know that it takes one text and I’ll immediately have people stop and pray for whatever it is that’s going on. Christian community founded in trust and love is unstoppable because the power of Christ is pulsing through it. Don’t have your people yet? Here’s what to do:
- Pray and ask God to send these people into your life
- Spend time in God’s word and study how Jesus modeled fellowship and what a solid crew looks like
- Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and open your eyes
- Be obedient to when God puts the people in your life
- Be bold, brave, trustworthy, and kind
The third of 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time is through Christian community. Make it your goal to find your people. Once you have them, commit to diving in.
#4: Time with Non-Believers (Tell)
The fourth of 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time is through time with non-believers. Let me start by saying, this, there is a drastic difference between the purpose of Christian community and the purpose of spending time with non-believers. In Christian community you’re walking in fellowship, where spending time with non-believers is walking on mission. When we spend time with non-believers, we should be intentional with our words and actions, and be the light that points back to Christ.
The Woman at the Well
Looking at the life and ministry of Jesus, we can see that he spent quality time with non-believers. He ate dinner with tax collectors, the sick, those seeking truth, and dare I say…sinners. Ha! All with this purpose: to show them the way, the truth, and the life that is Jesus. Let’s look at an example from John 4: Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Here’s a Brooke Breakdown of the backgroud:
- The Samaritans were descended from the northern tribes of Israel
- Over time, these tribes intermingled with pagans in the region of Samaria (physically and religiously)
- The Jews didn’t like how the Samaritans can to be and looked down on them (to put it nicely)
- The Samaritans worshiped a little yahweh and a little their way, and that’s no bueno
Here we are, picking up in John 4:1-38. I highly recommend you read this for yourself in your downtime. You could read it in less than two minutes. Jesus went in the heat of the day to a well (which happens to be Jacob’s well. As in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Jacob. Nice call back, God). It’s the heat of the day, which meant all the regulars went and got their water filled up long ago in the morning time. Here comes the infamous woman at the well.
Through the course of the conversation Jesus has a mic drop moment and reveals he is the Messiah (for the first time ever, and he revealed it to someone “less than” in the eyes of Jews). Here’s my favortire part of the story, John 4:39-42. I’ll read it in the NLT:
Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”
John 4:39-42
Live it Out
I love this example of the 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time because it changed a ton of lives. If Jesus wouldn’t have stopped and talked to someone deemed “less than” or a non-believer, this story could have gone differently. Through his sovereignty, he went to the right place, at the right time, and had the right conversation. Good news, believer, God give you this power too.
God appoints you and equips you. If you’re spending quality time with non-believers here are a few pointers:
- Look at how Jesus modeled converstaions
- Have the right heart posture and intentions behind your time
- Ask God to guide conversations in a direction that points to him
- Obey the prompting the Holy Spirit gives you with a holy boldness
- Trust God in these times to reveal himself
Telling others about what Jesus has done for you is a wonderful way to grow your relationship with God. Put aside your fear, pride, anger, or mis managed emotion aside, and remember that if your heart is still beating, you’re on mission.
Podcast Recap
We’ve looked at 4 ways Jesus prioritizes time, specifically quality time. We can look at his modeling of his time and find ways to better steward our minutes and grow closer to God. We’ve looked at:
- #1 Time with God Through Scripture (Read)
- #2 Time with God Through Prayer (Prayer)
- #3 Time with Christian Community (Talk)
- #4 Time with Non-Believers (Tell)
Links from the Show
- Pinterest: Brooke Collier BCM
- Busy Christian Mom Instagram
- Etsy Shop: Busy Christian Mom
- Jesus in the Love Languages Mini Series (ep 25-29)
