We’ve made an idol of being busy. Busyness is next to Godliness.

Now, we may not come out and say it like that, but that is how we live. If we are not busy there must be something wrong. Productivity is king. You’re worth what you produce. This is why prayer is difficult for many of us. (And I mean deep, focused, and sustained disciplines of prayer and reflection – not what we do before meals.) It doesn’t seem to do anything.

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus gives us an example of prioritizing time alone with God. Mark 1:35: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

It’s a powerful example for us – but what’s even more remarkable is what comes prior to this verse, and what happened the night before. Mark tells us this in verse 32-34: “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.”

So let’s get this straight – Jesus gets up early to pray, but the night before he was healing THE WHOLE TOWN!

I don’t know about you but if I’m Jesus, I’m sleeping in.

Not Jesus, he knew where his strength came from.

College students are on the verge of flooding the Campus Center and I have a dozen things to get done. At the top of the list should be my time alone with God. I am praying for conviction and discipline to live this out. What’s at the top of your list?