Christ at the Center of Your Free Time

This idea often escapes many people in our culture, including myself for much of my life. It's easy to think in the framework that I can go do “church stuff” then unplug and go do the things that I want to do. With this thought process, now we are saying “God I gave you what you wanted, now let me go do whatever I want”, without even considering that this entire framework pushes God away from most of our lives. 

God redeemed you and I. That term “redeemed” gets used a lot, but the weight is seldom thought of. He purchased us, therefore He owns us and is our new master. Who am I to tell God, “I gave you my token time on Sunday or at the prayer meeting, so now I'm going to go watch endless TV, Social Media, video games, or even go do things that the bible teaches a believer should not do in the guise that I deserve some “me time”.

The framework of our mind must change and conform to the reality of Christ at the center of every area of our lives. We are not our own, so why do we so often make decisions about large amounts of our time spent without getting His direction? The true reality of the believer’s walk is that Christ wants to be with us all the time, even as we have leisure time and have fun. This sounds strange to some, but Jesus is actually really fun and He wants you to enjoy free time… with Him. He wants you to be having an ongoing prayer conversation internally with Him while you do everything. And He has the legal right to force Himself in, but He chooses not to. He chooses to “stand at the door and knock” waiting for us to allow Him into these parts of our lives. 

The Kingdom of God is everywhere and Jesus is waiting for believers to latch on to this idea and build His kingdom in every facet of their life. I urge you to start talking to God in your free time more. Ask Him for a healthy holy fear of the Lord. Allow Him in and allow him to change every part of your life. This is how we are conformed to the image of Jesus, by spending time with Him all day everyday.

This week, try inviting Christ into one area of your free time. Ask Him to show you what it looks like to enjoy rest with Him at the center. When you do, you’ll find that leisure isn’t an escape from God — it’s another opportunity to know Him more deeply.