John 15:4 (NLT)
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”
“Life is just life-ing right now.” That’s what we hear, and honestly, sometimes that’s exactly how life feels. Work. School. Kids. Sports. Family. Bills. Appointments. Responsibilities. Something is always demanding our attention. But here’s the question we have to ask ourselves: How is it that we can find time for everything else, but somehow God keeps getting whatever is left? We can spend hours handling everybody else’s business and then tell God we were just too busy today to pray, to read His Word, or quiet ourselves to spend 10 minutes with Him. But if we are serious about following Christ, we have to make room for Him—not because He needs our attention to prove that He is God, but because we need Him.
Matthew 6:33 (NLT) says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Jesus already knows we have responsibilities. He knows we have jobs to do, families to care for, school to get through, and things that have to be handled. He isn’t telling us to walk away from our responsibilities. He is telling us not to put those things in His place. Sometimes life really does get messy. Things fall apart. Plans change. We don’t get everything done. And when that happens, we need to know where our faith is anchored. If God is first, everything else doesn’t have to be perfect for us to have peace. We can trust Him even when our lives aren’t going according to plan.
And that’s where being intentional matters—a lot. We already know how to be intentional about the things we care about. We set alarms. We make appointments. We check our calendars. We make lists. We remember what time the game starts, what time we have to be at work, and what needs to get done before the day is over. So what happens when it comes to God? Do we give Him our attention, or do we give Him whatever time is left after everything else has been handled?
Most of us probably don’t wake up in the morning and decide we’re going to ignore God that day. It happens little by little. One thing turns into another, and before we know it, the day is almost over. We may have thought about God. We may have even talked about God. But did we actually spend time with Him? There is a difference. And when this becomes our normal pattern, we can slowly get accustomed to living our lives without much awareness of His presence or dependence on Him.
Jesus says in John 15:5 (NLT), “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” That’s not complicated. A branch cannot live disconnected from the vine, and neither can we live the life God has called us to live while staying disconnected from Him. Life is going to keep life-ing. There will always be something that needs our attention. But we cannot get so caught up managing this earthly life that we forget the One who gave us life in the first place. Jesus is not supposed to be squeezed into our schedule. He is supposed to be at the center of it. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“So Busy Living, We Forget to Live for God”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
