Welcome to the Christians on College Campuses podcast. My name is Seth from the University of Oklahoma, and today we are looking at Leviticus chapter 23. But before we begin, let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for another opportunity to open your word. Help us to slow down, to listen to you, and to recognize anything that has taken your place at the center of our lives. Let us rest before you, to rest in your presence, and to exalt you before anything else, to make you the Lord of all. In Jesus' name. Amen. If you're in college, there's probably something on your calendar that always seems to demand your attention. There are classes, assignments, exams, work, friendships, campus organizations, clubs, ministry nights, sporting events, and weekend plans. Even when we are not physically busy, our minds can still be busy. And when life gets full, our time with God is often one of the first things to become inconsistent. We may not intentionally walk away from God. We just continue adding things to our schedules until we slowly push him toward the edges. Now Leviticus 23 shows us that God never intended to be squeezed into whatever time his people had left. At the beginning of the chapter, God tells Moses to announce his appointed festivals as sacred gatherings. He begins with the Sabbath. He starts with emphasizing the Sabbath, a day set apart for rest and worship. The rest of the chapter describes specific festivals when Israel would stop and remember what God had done. These days were built into their calendar on purpose. They intentionally set aside time to rest and worship God. God knew how easily his people could become distracted. He knew they could experience his faithfulness and still eventually forget him. So he gave them regular rhythms to help them stop, remember, and worship. The festivals in Leviticus 23 were specifically given to Israel. Christians are not commanded to observe every one of them in the same way, but they still reveal an important truth. If we do not intentionally build our lives around God, we will unintentionally build them around something else. For college students that is something that something else may be our grades, that may be our social life, that may be our relationship, that may be our athletic goals or future career. None of those things are automatically bad. The problem begins when something good becomes the center of our lives. Something we say that God is our priority, but our schedule tells a different story. We find time to study when an exam is coming up. We make time for someone we are interested in. We stay up late watching a game and scrolling through our phones. But when it comes to prayer, scripture or Christian community, we say that we are have been too busy. The question is not whether we have time. The question is what we have decided deserves our time. That does not mean every day with God will look perfect. Some seasons are really busier than others. This is not about creating a strict routine so that we can prove how spiritual we are. It's about creating rhythms that regularly bring our hearts back to God. Maybe that means praying before you reach for your phone in the morning. Maybe it means protecting one night each week for Christian community. Maybe it means setting aside time to rest instead of believing that your worth depends on always being productive. These rhythms do not earn God's love. God's love will be with us regardless of what we do. He loves us regardless of our circumstances, regardless of what we produce. These rhythms help us remember the love and faithfulness he has already shown us. That is what these festivals did for Israel. They reminded the people that God had rescued them, provided for them, and remained present with them. Because these assignments pile up, prayers seem unanswered, or the future feels uncertain. It becomes easy to focus only on what is happening right now. Regular time with God reminds us that our current situation is not the full story. The same God who has been faithful before is still faithful today. So take an honest look at your schedule. Does your life have rhythms that help you remember God? Or do you only turn toward Him whenever everything else slows down? God does not want to become another event on your calendar. He wants to be the center of the life your calendar represents. You will always have responsibilities competing for your attention. But if you wait until life is no longer busy to prioritize God, you may never begin. So build your life around Him now. Let us pray. Father, holy God, Savior, forgive us for the times we have allowed busyness and distraction to push you toward the edges of our life. Help us to establish rhythms that keeps our hearts focused on you. We set aside time. We make you the center of our schedule. We don't make our schedule the center and you revolve around it. Remind us of what you have done. Teach us to trust you with what is ahead. And help us to make you the center of our lives on our campuses and everywhere you send us. We thank you for this time today. Thank you for your word that it guides us where we may go. Lord, just give us the words to speak this week. In Jesus' name. Amen.
