READ: PSALM 63; JEREMIAH 33:3; COLOSSIANS 2:2-8

I don’t have time for devotions. Not today.

Have you ever had this thought before? I know I certainly have. I mean, who has time for devotions? We’re busy, growing young adults. We have family, friends, school, sports, hobbies, jobs…the list goes on and on. In all the chaos—fun as it can sometimes be—it’s easy to think that we don’t have time for God. That other things are more important, and we can just have our devotions later.

And then it gets put off. Again. And again. And again.

The funny thing is, skipping devotions doesn’t make our lives easier. In the moment, maybe we have that extra couple of minutes to finish that last bit of homework, or stay on social media just a little longer. But we weren’t designed to be alone.

God created us to have a relationship with Him. That’s what our ultimate purpose is—to know God. Or, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. All these other things—sports, friends, school, hobbies, family, you name it—are amazing. They can be crazy fun, and it’s good to enjoy these good gifts from God.

…But when God is first in our lives, everything becomes so much better. We have purpose behind our passion. As we regularly spend time in the Bible, learning about how much God loves us, how He saves and redeems us through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, and how He calls us to follow Him, our lives become rich in meaning and full of hope.

I really noticed the difference when I was at camp last year. We had half an hour for devotions every day. And the more I did them…the more I really wanted to spend time with God.

It doesn’t have to be much. Even just ten or fifteen minutes a day. But as we spend time in God’s Word, we find that it draws us. We start thirsting after Him and yearning to know Him more. It gives a whole new meaning to life. And when we press in to relationship with Jesus, we become more like Him. And life becomes a whole lot more incredible. • Chloe Ludlum

• If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that God is always with us. Yet, He still calls us to spend intentional time with Him, reading His Word and talking to Him in prayer. When is a good time of day for you to set aside a few minutes, maybe even an hour, to spend time with God?

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16 (NIV)