Is Jesus in your circle of 5?

(You might have seen my short form version of this on Instagram the other day, but I wanted to share it here where I could add more details and offer you some time to reflect on how this might apply to your own life!)

Have you ever spent so much time with someone that you start acting, thinking, or talking like them? Once during a golf tournament, I was playing with a girl who had a southern accent, and by the end of the 18 holes I was starting to talk with a southern accent. So it goes without saying that the people I spend the most time with (more than a 4 hour round of golf) really shape who I am and impact the way I live. For me, there is definitely accuracy in the saying I’ve heard many times in my life, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”, credited to Jim Rohn. You’ve probably heard this saying once or twice, too. Every time I come across this quote, it makes me think about who I spend the most time with, and I come up with a list of the BEST family and friends. But up until recently, I’ve never thought about Jesus being in my circle of five people.

Jesus should absolutely be one of the five people we spend the most time with because our aim as Jesus followers is to be more like Him and less like the world, which we see everywhere in scripture.

1 John 2:6 says that “whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked”.

1 Peter 2:21 states that Jesus Christ left us “an example, so that [we] might follow in his footsteps”.

Romans 2:12 tells us “not to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test an approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will”.

1 John 2: 15-17 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and it’s desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever”.

So if scripture tells us to be more like Christ, and we know that spending time with someone is one good way to become more like them, then spending time with Jesus isn’t only a good idea, but it is necessary!

Here are some practical ways we can spend more time with Jesus:

1) Read the Bible – We read the Bible to learn about the story of Jesus (from Genesis to Revelation and everything in between!), to better understand God’s will for us through the scriptures He crafted for us, and to examine the accounts of Jesus’ life to see how he lived. If we don’t read the Bible, there is no other way for us to ensure that we are living like Christ and following God’s will.

2) Pray – Spending time with Jesus in prayer will help us grow closer to Him. It’s an opportunity for us to sit in His presence, talk honestly with him, and listen for a response.

3) Worship – Worship a unique opportunity where our primary goal isn’t to learn, nor is it to present our requests, (although those things may happen during worship), but our primary goal is to to let go of everything else and simply praise and admire our God with un-contained joy. What a special way to spend time with Jesus!

4) Bring Jesus into your conversations – We can spend time with Jesus as we spend time with others if we bring Him into our conversations. This might look exchanging testimonies, hearing about what others are currently learning through their walk with Jesus, sharing how God has showed up for you recently, or opening up about a struggle you may be going through that you need the help of God to get through.

5) Look for Jesus in the everyday moments – Keeping our eyes on Christ when we’ve just finished reading our Bible, praying, or worshipping is one thing, but keeping our eyes on Him when our day gets busy, challenging, and overwhelming is another. A good way to keep our eyes on Christ even amidst the daily hustle is to look for Him in the everyday moments, whether that’s a conversation with someone, a fun memory you’re making with your family, a beautiful tree you see on your way to work, or a great meal you’re enjoying. This is a great way to spend small moments with Jesus.

6) Allow Jesus into every facet of your life – Don’t confine Jesus to your time in the word or time in prayer. Allow Him to come with you as you work, as you interact with your spouse, kids, or friends, as you workout, as you grocery shop. Wherever you go, let Jesus come too. If we are spending a lot of time with Jesus, He won’t be just a part of our lives, he becomes our whole life.

When I look at my own pursuit of making Jesus one of the 5 people I spend the most time with, I see how much of a difference it makes. When I make an effort to spend time with Jesus throughout the day, whether that’s reading the Bible, praying, worshipping, talking about Him, seeing Him in the small moments, or bringing Him with me into every part of my life, I can literally feel a difference in how I live. I am more patient in my waiting for answered prayers, I’m more selfless with my time which allows me to better serve my son and husband. I actively pursue God’s will for my life and am better able to discern what His will for me is in the everyday.

Reflection Time!

1) Would you consider Jesus to be one of the five people you spend the most time with? Explain why or why not.

2) How do you think spending more time with Jesus would positively impact your life?

3a) What is a practical way you can spend more time with Jesus this week? It can be one of the 6 opportunities I listed, or another that you’ve thought of on your own.

3b) Write up a game plan for how you are going to prioritize this into your schedule this week.

I’d love to hear your game plan of spending more time with Jesus in order to get Him into your top 5! This could be the perfect way to keep you accountable, and it might teach me a new way of bringing Jesus into my circle of 5! You can send me your game plan here! 🙂

I love you, I’m praying you find some genuine joy today, AND you spend some time with Jesus!!

– Jenn