No, the title isn't a reference to the annoying but memorable Geico slogan. That's "15 minutes could save you 15% on car insurance." But in some ways I guess you could call this insurance.
When Amanda and I lived in Sacramento, our church home was Horizon Community Church. One of the activities that I participated in there was a 6:30am Friday morning men's group. It may sound a bit odd, but the pastor there, Brad Swope, had a few rules for attending this group. Mostly they centered around being considerate for one another (trying to attend consistently, not being late, being honest in conversations, etc.). The one that stuck with me to this day though was that we all had to commit to spending 15 minutes a day with God. The time usage could take any number of forms, including quiet time, prayer, reading the Bible, etc.
It's a simple concept really - even with everyone's busy schedules, 15 minutes seemed feasible. As important as God is, especially to men who are committed to getting up hella early for spiritual growth, it shouldn't be too hard to set aside just 1/4 hour for Him. Not surprisingly though, it always ends up being much more challenging than it sounds, especially with all of the responsibilities and distractions that adulthood, home ownership, and parenthood require.
At the beginning of each men's group, we would hold each other accountable to this commitment, and discuss how we did for the previous week with regards to it. Very rarely did any one of us accomplish spending this time every single day, but I did find that whatever time was spent was certainly worth the effort.
If you truly believe that there is a God of the universe, and you also believe that we can communicate with Him (through prayer, meditation, reading the Bible, etc.), then doesn't it seem worth sacrificing such a small amount of time to dedicate to Him? So for all you Christians out there, what do you think of this idea? After all, the 15 minutes you spend with God will save you a helluva lot more than just insurance premiums.
1 comment:
Great post. Michael. And a much needed encouragement for me to prioritize spending time with God again. It's so easy to let this slip.
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