Thomas à Kempis wrote, ‘If you wish to grow in your spiritual life, you must not allow yourself to be caught up in the workings of the world. You must find time alone, away from the noise and confusion, from the allure of power and wealth.’ Does that mean God doesn’t want us to set goals and achieve things in life? Not at all – in fact, it’s just the opposite! The Bible says, ‘In His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper’ (vv.2-3 NKJV). The secret of a fruitful tree is having deep roots that are connected to life-giving streams of water. And as the demands on your time and energy become greater, you must discipline yourself and be committed to spending even more time in the Scriptures, not less. When your inner life isn’t in order, your outer life becomes dysfunctional and can begin to fall apart. And working harder will only make it happen faster. So what’s the answer? David said: ‘I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word’ (Psalm 119:14-16 NKJV). Read the Bible as much as you can each day, think about what you’ve read, let it soak into your mind and heart, and trust Him to reveal new insights and new ways of understanding His Word.
