In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Paul said in Romans 10:17 that our faith comes from “hearing through the word of Christ.” Psalms 119:105 says “Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; something we store up in our hearts as to not sin against the Lord. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:13 “the whole duty of man” is to “fear God and keep His commandments,” which can only be done by knowing Him and His commands through His Word. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 the Bible is how we are “complete” and “equipped for every good work.” Jesus says the Word is the truth that sets us free.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17

Really, all of Scripture proclaims our need for Scripture. All of Scripture proclaims our need to pray. Time with the Lord, via our communication with Him in prayer and time spent in His Word, are the most valuable, precious, and significant ways we can spend our time. Jesus knew this. In His earthly ministry, we see how He knew Scripture, preached Scripture, and lived out Scripture. Encompassing all of this was His consistent communion with His Father in prayer. Jesus is the best example we have of prioritizing spiritual discipline over all other disciplines, and we’re supposed to imitate Him. Yet not only do we often fail to imitate Him we also often neglect to even try.

Jesus said in John 14:15, “Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words.” This is not to say you don’t love your Lord and Savior, but do you keep His words? Do you read His Word? We may proclaim, “Lord, I love you!” But do we also proclaim, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8)?

God’s Word is utterly substantial and worthy of being the top priority in our lives. Sadly, we prioritize other things. But don’t you see? The pursuit of spiritual growth is worth putting forth the same effort as we would toward any other form of growth. In fact, it’s worth infinitely more effort — hopefully, you will soon be convinced of this, if you aren’t already.

It’s a perspective focused on the immediate that often drives us to prioritize things other than spiritual growth, and this isn’t surprising. It’s easy to see how working toward a healthy diet, physical activity, or career advancement is beneficial now, and when we focus on these things, we often allow the importance of spiritual growth to be put aside. However, challenge yourself to consider these areas in light of eternity, and you just might see how minuscule their weight truly is.

One day, our bodies and worldly achievements will fade away. If we shove the maturing of our faith to the side, it may be too late before we realize our faith is all that matters. In reality, unlike everything else that will fade away, our souls will go with us to the White Throne judgement by God, which inevitably makes them the most important aspect of our life now. Am I saying you should put aside all earthly ambition to pursue spiritual growth? Certainly not. The argument is that prioritizing spiritual growth is what allows you to then prosper in other areas.

It would be a mistake to think our spiritual well-being only matters when considering eternity. It surely does matter then, but it equally matters now. It’s worth our every effort to grow in our faith now because the effects of such a pursuit will become manifest in both the immediate and what’s to come.

To prove that our faith plays a role in all areas of life. My question is: Is this the perspective you have each day? Do you believe what you do right now counts for eternity? If so, then it should change the way you view your priorities. You just might see the spiritual growth that’s easily forgotten is exactly what you need to get through today, tomorrow, and each day that’s to come.

A heart with the Word of God written upon it can have peace in the chaos, joy in the trial, and hope for the future. A life that prioritizes spiritual growth is one that inevitably leads to growth elsewhere. The way I see it, a strong faith makes for a better friend, spouse, relative, co-worker, athlete, musician — you name it!

We already know as we’ve read from 1 Corinthians 10:31, that “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” What we prioritize should glorify God, as well. And truly, I cannot think of a better way to glorify Him than by making His Word, His truth, and revelation what we cherish.