The Importance of Daily Time With the Lord

Why is it so important to set aside time every day to spend with the Lord, to have a devotional time, to communicate with Him constantly throughout the day, and to bring our requests, praise, and thanks to Him? 

(Sadly, I know Christians who seem to think it's "good enough" to just spend time with the Lord in the morning and pretty much say one pray of thanks then for all the days' meals.) This Should Not Be.

In marriage if a husband or wife only tells their spouse that they love them but does nothing to demonstrate that love, is it believable? I don't think so. I know that I believe my siblings, parents, or friends a lot more when they say they love me if they do something to back that statement up. Not necessarily meaning being given a bar of dark chocolate, etc., although that is nice -- but more thinking when they spend time with me, when they share a blessing, a word of encouragement, help me out with something, give me a hug (if you're a close enough friend haha), do a chore for me, when they ask how my day/week has been and then take the time to listen to my answer, and even when they take me aside to correct or exhort me. That's when I know they love me and want a true relationship or friendship with me.

So it is in our relationship with Christ. He (and others watching us) knows we love Him when we take time out of our day--which actually belongs to Him anyway--to spend in prayer, in His Word, singing hymns, sharing a blessing from Scripture with a friend or family member, witnessing, helping someone, speaking an encouraging word, "doing service as to the Lord and not to men," memorizing Scripture, etc. One obvious difference between our relationship with Christ and our relationship with other humans is that we can never correct or exhort Christ, but His doing it for us is a demonstration of His love. 

Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

How we live our daily life demonstrates how much we love Jesus.