Day 18: Your Relationship With God Needs More Than Sunday

Supporting Scriptures:

• Matthew 6:6
• Joshua 1:8
• James 4:8
• Luke 10:38–42

Devotional

Have you ever gone through an entire day and realized you barely spent any intentional time with God?

You woke up, checked your phone, got ready for work, answered messages, handled responsibilities, and before you knew it, the day was over. You may have listened to worship music in the car or said a quick prayer before leaving the house, but when you think about it, you never really made time to sit with God.

And the truth is, most of us aren’t intentionally avoiding Him. We’re just busy.

Between work, family, relationships, responsibilities, and everything else demanding our attention, it’s easy to keep pushing our time with God further down our list of priorities.

We tell ourselves we’ll pray when things slow down or read our Bibles when we have more time. But somehow, there’s always something else that needs to get done.

I think one of the biggest challenges we face in our spiritual lives is learning how to prioritize our relationship with God when life gets busy.

It’s easy to feel connected to God on Sunday when we’re surrounded by other believers, listening to worship music, and hearing an encouraging message. But what happens on Monday when we return to our normal routines?

What happens when nobody is reminding us to pray, read Scripture, or spend time in God’s presence?

A relationship with God cannot grow if we only make room for Him when it’s convenient.

In Luke 10:38–42, Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary. While Martha is busy preparing and taking care of everything that needs to be done, Mary chooses to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Him.

Eventually, Martha becomes frustrated because she’s doing all the work while Mary is sitting with Jesus. She asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her.

But Jesus responds by explaining that Martha is worried and upset about many things, while Mary has chosen what is better.

I think this story is important because Martha wasn’t doing anything inherently wrong. She was being responsible, serving, and making sure things were taken care of.

The problem wasn’t that she had responsibilities. It was that she had become so consumed with those responsibilities that she was missing the opportunity to spend time with Jesus.

And if we’re honest, many of us can relate to Martha.

We’re so focused on getting things done that we sometimes forget to spend time with the One we’re supposed to be living for.

We can become so busy building our careers, caring for our families, serving at church, or pursuing our goals that our personal relationship with God becomes something we try to fit into whatever time remains.

But what if we started approaching our time with God differently?

What if, instead of treating prayer and Scripture as additional tasks on our to-do lists, we began recognizing them as opportunities to strengthen the most important relationship in our lives?

James 4:8 tells us, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (NIV)

I love this Scripture because it reminds us that God invites us to draw closer to Him. We don’t have to wait until we’re going through a difficult situation or until we feel spiritually disconnected to seek His presence.

We can come to Him every day.

And spending time with God doesn’t always have to look the same.

Some mornings, you may have thirty minutes to read Scripture, pray, and reflect. Other days, you may only have ten minutes before your responsibilities begin.

The goal isn’t to create a perfect routine that becomes another source of pressure. The goal is to develop a genuine desire to know God and make Him a consistent part of your life.

In Matthew 6:6, Jesus teaches His followers about the importance of praying privately. This reminds us that our relationship with God should extend beyond what happens in public gatherings.

Church services, Bible studies, and Christian communities are incredibly valuable, but they cannot replace the time we personally spend seeking God.

You cannot depend entirely on someone else’s prayers, sermons, or relationship with Christ to sustain your own spiritual growth.

At some point, you have to develop the discipline of opening your Bible, praying honestly, and allowing God’s Word to challenge the way you think and live.

Joshua 1:8 encourages us to meditate on God’s Word day and night so that we can carefully follow what it teaches.

The more time we spend in Scripture, the more familiar we become with God’s character, His promises, and His instructions for our lives.

And over time, that familiarity begins influencing how we respond to challenges, make decisions, and treat the people around us.

You may not notice a dramatic difference after one day of prayer or reading Scripture. But spiritual growth often happens through small, consistent decisions that gradually shape our hearts.

As we continue through The Reset, I want you to think about what your relationship with God looks like outside of church services, devotionals, and group challenges.

Are you making intentional time to seek Him, or are you depending on those moments to carry you through the rest of the week?

And if you’ve been struggling with consistency, I don’t want you to become discouraged or allow guilt to keep you from starting again.

God isn’t asking you to impress Him with how long you can pray or how many chapters you can read in one sitting. He wants a genuine relationship with you.

So start where you are.

If you have ten minutes, give Him those ten minutes with your full attention. If you’ve fallen out of the habit of reading Scripture, begin with one chapter. If you don’t know what to pray, start by being honest about what’s happening in your life.

And remember that the goal isn’t simply to complete thirty days of devotionals.

The goal is to develop a relationship with God that continues long after The Reset is over.

Because the more intentional we become about spending time with Him, the more opportunities we create to know His Word, recognize areas where we need to grow, and allow our faith to influence the way we live every day.

Practical Application

Today, I want you to evaluate how intentionally you’ve been spending time with God throughout the week.

Think about your daily routine and identify a realistic time when you can consistently pray, read Scripture, and reflect without unnecessary distractions.

Start by setting aside 10–15 minutes each day. During that time, put your phone away, read a passage of Scripture, and spend a few moments praying about what you’ve learned and what you’re experiencing.

As you develop this habit, focus on being consistent rather than trying to create a perfect routine. If you miss a day, don’t allow guilt to discourage you. Simply make the decision to begin again.

Reflection Questions

1. Have I been prioritizing my relationship with God throughout the week, or have I mainly been depending on Sunday services and group devotionals?
2. What distractions or responsibilities have been preventing me from spending intentional time with God?
3. What practical changes can I make to develop a more consistent habit of prayer and Scripture reading?

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for loving me and inviting me into a personal relationship with You.

Lord, I recognize that sometimes I allow my responsibilities, distractions, and daily routines to take priority over spending time in Your presence. There are moments when I become so focused on everything I need to accomplish that I forget to make room for the One who gives my life purpose.

Forgive me for the times I’ve treated my relationship with You as something I can fit into whatever time is left over.

Help me develop a genuine desire to know You more and give me the discipline to seek You consistently, even when life becomes busy.

Teach me to value the time I spend in prayer and Scripture, and help me recognize how Your Word applies to the decisions, relationships, and responsibilities I face every day.

When I become distracted, redirect my attention toward You. When I struggle with consistency, give me the strength to begin again without allowing guilt or discouragement to keep me away.

Most importantly, Lord, help me build a relationship with You that goes beyond church services, devotionals, and spiritual challenges. I want to know You personally and allow my faith to influence every area of my life.

In Jesus’ name, amen.