Time is truly a limited resource. It is something we lose and don’t gain back. And as something numbered from the start to the end, time could be the most precious thing we have while on earth.
So, why do we often feel like we waste it, we don’t have enough of it, or we just need more of it?
As humans whose desires outnumber our days, it’s helpful to calculate how much time we have left for what matters. I once did a morbid but revealing exercise. I counted down how many days I had left with my oldest son before he turned 18. It was 2,643 days at the time I did the calculation, even less now. I did not feel like that was enough time.
By his wisdom and grace, God has limited the time we have in these failing bodies on this fallen earth. All the while, his desire for us remains the same as always: to be with us. His intentions in the garden are the same intentions he has now. And he also wants us to share his love with others.
Most of us are already struggling to find time to be with those people we love the most. How do we feel like we are doing with our time with Jesus? And if you knew the exact number of days you had left on this earth, how would that change your time with Jesus? Yes, he has saved us to spend eternity with him, but on this side of paradise, do you truly know him?
“By his wisdom and grace, God has limited the time we have in these failing bodies on this fallen earth.”
I have a suspicion that the most important aspect of discipleship most of us have yet to face honestly is time management. In a world full of distractions, events, and influencers, it becomes key to carve into our time healthy rhythms of discipleship. I also sense that if we align around right rhythms of relationship with Jesus, we will see the same fruitfulness with the other relationships around us.
Healthy rhythms of discipleship mean prioritizing time with Jesus, time with Jesus’ people, and time being Jesus to others. This type of categorization is not new. My college professor Dr. Steven Land presented the paradigm of “Know, Be, and Do” to all of us incoming seminarians. John Mark Comer has phrased it as “Be with Jesus, Be Like Jesus, and Do what Jesus did.” Many other authors have presented similar terminology to capture the essences of what discipleship looks like. Whatever categories we use, remember that they work best as we take honest stock of how we spend our time.
Time with Jesus
How often do we spend time with Jesus daily? The first rhythm we must prioritize is our daily relationship with Jesus. In Mark 1, Jesus commands Simon and Andrew, “Come, follow me.” The narrative tells us that immediately they dropped their nets and followed him.
In the same way, Jesus beckons us to be with him daily. We have to listen for the soft hum of his voice that commands us to follow him, to be with him. The more time we spend with Jesus daily, the more we long to spend it with him the next day and the next. We should feel off when we don’t spend enough time with Jesus. We should also come to feel full when we do.
This may be the simplest yet most demanding rhythm to have. To be with Jesus, to follow Jesus, we must talk with him daily and spend time knowing him through his Word. A disciple of Jesus prioritizes the rhythms of prayer and reading the Bible every day.
We can all acknowledge how important these rhythms are, but do we structure our days around this? If you can prep and have your coffee ready every day on time, I believe you can prioritize having time with Jesus daily in the morning. Why morning? Simply, it is the “firstfruits.” Whether you’re a morning person or not, giving Jesus this time sets the tone because you’re giving Jesus the first of your day. If he does not get that firstfruit, he will rarely have the rest. Make an “appointment” with him tomorrow morning. Have your Bible handy or download a good prayer or Bible app. Invite healthy accountability into these crucial rhythms.
“Jesus beckons us to be with him daily.”
Time with Jesus’ People
A disciple of Jesus also prioritizes spending time with Jesus’ people. In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul invites the Corinthian congregation to “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” What a profound statement! Paul invites the community to follow his lead as he follows Jesus. Molded into this invitation is also an invitation of accountability. If you are inviting others to imitate you, you had better prioritize your imitation of Jesus as well.
Disciples of Jesus find and seek out community, peers who help us to imitate Jesus and empower us to keep our daily rhythms as we share life together. This is the fellowship of the believers we find in Acts 2:42-47. We see them doing this daily in Acts 2—something we can all do as families within our own homes. Iron sharpens iron in these rhythmic relationships that become core to our weekly rhythms. This can be done through small groups, classes at church, or even small gender-based accountability groups. Make time for these regular gatherings, as they provide the soil for growing in habits such as the “one anothers” we read throughout the New Testament (encourage one another, speak truth to one another, bear one another’s burdens, etc.). 
“This is the fellowship of the believers we find in Acts 2:42-47.”
Time Being Jesus to Others
Finally, every discipleship rhythm must include the pattern of serving others. Jesus shares with us that he himself did not come to be served but to serve others (Matthew 20:27-28.) Yes, he had the daily practice of prayer and solitude, but this was to prepare him to serve others. Often, in the Gospel narratives when Jesus spent time alone, it was in preparation for significant ministry events that would follow.
We too need to create these rhythms of serving others and sharing Jesus with them. But how can you take time in your busy day to share Jesus? Well, we come in contact with people every day. It could be an encouraging word to someone at the store. It could a quick prayer with a coworker at work. Or maybe there are weekly opportunities to consider. Is there a local school whose teachers you could bless with a tray from the bakery? A food bank that needs a little extra help? Serving others weekly can have a buffet of options.
And even think globally. Is there are mission trip that God is calling you on, or even a place within the country that would allow you to engage in the kingdom of God in a fruitful way? These types of service/mission trips often deepen our faith as we experience how diverse God’s church is here on earth as it is in Heaven. You can make time to serve others daily, weekly, and even monthly as you follow Jesus.
“Yes, Jesus had the daily practice of prayer and solitude, but this was to prepare him to serve others.”
Time to Give
Your pathway of discipleship is married to your prioritizing of time. When you give Jesus the first fruits of your day, he becomes the priority of the day. When you find ways to be with his people regularly, then your relationship with him deepens even more. When you take time to see and serve others, you reveal the very heart of Jesus to the world. The path you take is set by the rhythms of time you offer for Jesus in the everyday of your life.
