10,000 hours with Jesus

 ~Tuesday Thoughts~

The Bible clearly states who Jesus is. He is God (John 1:1), He created the world (Colossians 1:15-16), He is the Messiah (John 20:31), He is the way (John 14:6), and He is King of kings, Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). When we recognize this, it is pretty amazing that God has called us to be His friends (John 15:14-15). He has called us to follow Him (Matthew 16:24). The thing is, sometimes we think we’re so crammed time-wise that we don’t have time to communicate and listen to the Creator of the World.

It is thought that 10,000 hours pursuing something- whether that be surfing, writing, or knitting-  makes you a professional at it. We often spend more time doing something like that than we do getting to know our Savior. Jesus, in His three years of ministry, spent well over 10, 000 hours proclaiming God’s kingdom, pouring into His disciples and others. And He is still alive today (Revelation 1:17-18)! It is time we got more serious about our relationship with Him.

Personally, I don’t spend enough time reading the Bible, meditating, praying, or serving. About half of the mornings, I’ll read the Bible, which takes about 15-40 minutes. I pray throughout the day - mostly selfish praying and crying out - that altogether might add up to about 15 minutes. At 45 minutes per day, I spend 5 ¼ hours doing this a week, about 22 ½  per month, and about 274 per year. What about you? How much time do you spend with Him a day? How much does that amount to in a year?

            Let us consider today the beginning of our counting.  With this pretty slow progression, in 6 months I will have spent about 136 hours doing these things. In a year it would be 274 hours. Looking ahead, when I’m 30, 40, 50, 60, and 75, I’ll be at about 3400, 6200, 8900, 11600, and 15800 hours respectively. To get those 10,000 hours said to be needed I’ll need approximately 36 ½ years! How about you? At the rate you're investing into your relationship with Christ, how long will it take you to get to 10,000 hours? 

            Obviously, this is not the most effective way to invest in my relationship with Jesus. Some things that would be good to change include spending time listening to God, reading more and applying the Word, and serving. I can take steps toward this even now, like helping in church and taking 10-15 minutes a day to just listen to God.

            Even if I only make the 45 minutes per day into an hour per day, that can add up to a lot. 10,000 hours would still take me more than 27 years, which might not seem like a very ambitious goal. However, it’s doable. Like already said, I can find opportunities to serve at church and spend time listening to God. What are ways you can invest more into your relationship with Christ?

            It’s a well-known idea that it helps one change if there is someone(s) he/she is accountable to and that will take the journey with him/her. With this in mind, I might ask my best friend to help me in these areas. Who can you ask to help you?

            Our God and Savior cares about us (1 Peter 5:7). Are we ready to put away our agendas and spend time with Him?