In my book on pre-marital counseling I quote a song by The Beatles that says, “Money can’t buy me love.” My point is too many people spend all of their time at work trying to provide material things for their family, but what the family really wants is more of their time. A lot of couples end up getting a divorce, and a lot of families end up drifting apart because somebody in that relationship stopped investing their time. They got caught up in work, or in being with others outside of the family. Strong family life is the backbone of a strong society, so take time to take care of your home.

However, as important as it is to take time for our head, for our health, and for our homes, it is even more important to take time to maintain a holy lifestyle in this sinful world. No matter how busy we may be, we need to take time to be holy. In our Friday morning Bible study we are currently reading the book of Jude. That short, one-chapter book falls into two simple sections. The first section of Jude describes the sinful behaviors that are present in the world, and it talks about the people who might be right around us whose lifestyles may be immoral, illegal, ungodly and sometimes even inhumane. That not only described the world in which Jude lived and wrote, but it describes our world today as well. There are people all around us whose behaviors are immoral, illegal, ungodly and inhumane.

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The second part of the book of Jude is instruction on how to keep on living as a Christian who loves and fears God while still living in the midst of a sinful and wicked world. Listen to the advice that is given; “Build yourselves up in our holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” The only way to stay strong in the faith in a world like this is to take time to build yourself up in the faith and to take time for a strong and regular prayer life. The world around us does not appear to be getting any better. Worldly temptations that have the power to destroy our lives, sometimes before they can even really begin, are awaiting us at every curve in the road. The only hope we have of surviving with our souls in tact is to build ourselves up in the faith and to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I do not know about any of you, but I need to spend some time with God every day. I need to talk with God through prayer in the morning. I need to listen to God through the reading of scripture in the evening. I need to check in with God at various points throughout the day through spiritual music or quiet times of reflection. I enjoy being in church on Sunday morning, but that is not enough time with God to sustain me through the week. I enjoy the Wednesday night prayer meeting and Bible study, but that is not enough time with spiritual things to strengthen my soul for what comes at me every day.

I will confess to you that even though I am a pastor, I do not always succeed in this area. I can allow myself to get so busy doing the work of the ministry that I leave no time for my own spiritual formation. I am so busy looking after the souls of others that I leave little or no time to look after my own soul. I find myself being inside the church, but not always in the spirit. I am inside of God’s house, but not necessarily in God’s presence. If I am going to be of any spiritual value to you then I need to quench my own thirsty spirit, and I need to refresh my own parched soul.