How to Grow Spiritually When You Have Little Time
You Can Make BIG Progress Even in the Busy Seasons of Life
Long Hard Days and Real Spiritual Growth
One summer, when I was in college, I stayed to take some extra classes and help with our campus ministry. I worked a construction job out in the summer heat where the average work day was 10–12 hours.
One day we worked 14 long hours in ninety-eight degree heat to get the job done. On top of that I had quite a few responsibilities with this campus ministry including doing some Bible teaching. I came home hot and tired and then did ministry activities until I went to bed.
Even though I was in ministry, I was spending so much time working with people I had little time to study and pray each day. So I had to do what I’m talking to you about here.
It worked. I saw great personal and spiritual growth, even though I had very little time each day to spend along with God in prayer and study.
This is what I did and still do when life is jam packed with little time.
The One Time Per Week and Daily Method
- Study a book of the Bible or a topic of interest to you for thirty minutes to an hour one day per week. Write down the main points that stand out to you in your notebook.
- The rest of the week meditate on and pray those Scriptures to God when you are not working on something else.
- It is amazing how powerful it can be to say short prayers or words of affirmation based on what God is making real to you, throughout the day.
- Lots of solid research has proven that at a physical level, this helps the brain create new connections and thought patterns. This “renewing your mind” (Romans 12:2) is key to lasting growth and transformation. Plus….
- You are staying connected to God and developing sensitivity to His presence as a way of life.
It Works
Because I would take Sunday afternoons and study. Then during the week, as I was hauling brick and mixing mortar I could meditate and pray over what I studied. Despite having almost zero free time I experienced tremendous spiritual and personal growth that summer.
Even today, during my busy seasons of life, when really pressed, I still do this and see wonderful results every time.
Successful Church Planting and Working as a Full-Time Painter
A few years ago I attended a church planting seminar where the speaker said he used this same basic method when planting a new church.
He worked as a painter all week to support himself financially until the church was large enough to do so. He would study one afternoon per week, then meditate on the passage throughout the week. Once he no longer had to work as a painter, he gave more time to the Word and prayer, but using this simple method was powerful enough to grow a strong church from scratch.
You can do it too.
1x per week study
Throughout the week, review, meditate, and pray about what you studied.
For more resources on how to live all of God’s purposes for your life take a look at www.TruVineMission.com
