Busyness Can Be Like Quicksand

Busyness Can Be Like Quicksand

That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near -- Luke 23:54; New King James Version

Do not mistake activity for achievement. I was digging a ditch to install a drain pipe. The area in which I worked was on the Albemarle Sound; one needed only dig a couple of feet before hitting ground water. I was digging like a weighted man in quicksand! I looked like a hyper gopher! The problem was that I wasn’t getting anywhere. The boss came around, saw that I was sweating hard, but little seemed to have been done. He said, “Why don’t you pump the water off as you dig? It’ll stop caving in that way.” DUH! Why didn’t I know that? Busyness was not the answer. Doing things the right way was the answer.

Today’s Scripture is one that is a hidden treasure. Jesus had just died on the cross (23:46). Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus (23:52). Pilate consented, Jesus’ body was wrapped in linen, and placed it in the tomb (23:53). Those precious women who had followed Jesus went home to prepare the usual things for Jewish burial (23:55). They couldn’t come back and properly honor Jesus’ body and prepare it for proper burial because time ran out. You see, it was the time of the day to prepare for Sabbath. By Jewish law, they were no longer able to do anything.

For some reason, I think this is strange. Their Master had just died! I mean, really! Jesus’ followers were so bound up by rules that they missed the point of them; they are to draw us closer to God, not make us so busy that we can’t see Him.

It’s easy to get overly busy, especially for church folks. The sold out, “want-to-serve-the-Lord-with-all-I-got” Christian usually has a hard time saying no when asked to do something. There is nothing wrong with that, however we need constant refreshing. For those in small congregations, often there is the need to wear many hats and do many ministries, so this danger is much greater.

Martha could well understand what I am talking about. Read these Scripture from Luke 10; “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.’ But the Lord said to her, ‘My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it – and I won't take it away from her.’” (verses 38-42 – NLT).

Let’s not get too busy to sit at Jesus’ feet. Be careful, it’ll happen before one realizes it. Don’t get caught up in rushing around (especially on Sabbath day), and miss out on an encounter with God. Make sure that the main thing stays the main thing!

Attractive Employees

Attractive Employees

“Slaves must obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but they must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way” (Titus 2:9-10 New Living Translation).

Replace the word “slaves” with “employees,” and the word “masters” with “employers.” Read it again.

Do you ever think, “I hate my job!” I bet we all have. I’m sure that the vast majority of people wish they enjoyed their jobs more. They say that if you enjoy what you do, it doesn’t seem like work.

That is the key to work; enjoy what you do! Jesus understood the importance of everyday tasks. In the time and place that He spent His earthly ministry; a Roman soldier could make a private citizen carry their equipment for a mile. Jesus told His disciples, “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matthew 5:41 NKJV). Jesus advised His followers to serve above and beyond what was required of them. The idea was that the person would be impressed by the servant’s attitude. The servant, then, would have a softened heart and an open platform for a presentation of the Gospel.

This attitude can transform simple, mundane, or hated tasks into service for the Lord! What a testimony it would make if we performed every task with the thought in mind, “I want people to know that Jesus has changed every aspect of my life, even my attitude at work!” People may then respond by saying, “Wow, there is something to this Jesus!” Enjoy your work by enjoying the Lord at work!

Your dedicated service in your work place may be the very way to win co-workers and employers to Christ. You see, Christian, our Sovereign Lord has placed us right where we are so we can be lighthouses of His grace and love.

You letting Christ be in your workplace will serve Him and give proof of His transforming power. Work just got better!

Love Him Back

I would think that as soon as someone says "February" we think of Valentine's Day. That may cause us to think of our sweethearts or be sad because we don't have one! Romance is nice. I certainly enjoy being married and cannot get enough of spending time with my wife. We have been together, either dating or married, for over ten years and I still love being with her.

Love from people often comes with strings attached. Whether we mean to or not, we usually want something in return for our love. We want special favor, kindness, and attention. We want excitement! We want flowers and candy; poetry and songs! Even love between parents and kids is often loaded with expectations. Kids want parents to let them do whatever they want. Parents want kids to obey and stay out of trouble.

God's love is different. The expectations people place on each other does not mean that the love is not real; they just mean that the love is not as pure as God's love. God's love comes with no strings attached. He loved us before we ever knew about Him. He loved us while we were still lost in our sin (Romans 5:8). God loves us when we are whiny, selfish, or unkind. God even loves us when we are unfaithful...He keeps loving us and keeps waiting for us to come back to Him. What jilted boyfriend or girlfriend does that? God even loves us when we ignore Him. God's love is true and absolutely free to us

When Jesus came onto the scene He revolutionized everyone's views about love. In Matthew 5 Jesus talked quite a bit about love. He said "Love those who hate you and do bad things to you." That was a strange thing to say! Those people had been taught that it was an "eye for an eye." Jesus told them not to worry about revenge; love in spite of how others treat you. That was a love revolution! He'd say the same thing to us today. Jesus even said that if we only love the people that love us we have nothing over the lost sinner (Matthew 5:46).

Jesus made some other very strong statements concerning love. He said that if we really love Him we will prove it by our obedience (John 14:5). He also said that that we must truly love one another if we claim we love Him; disciples of Christ prove they are His when they love one another (John 13:35). As a matter of fact, Jesus said "I am giving you a new commandment: love each other" (John 13:34a - NLT). That was NOT a suggestion! In that same verse Jesus said "Just as I have loved you, you should love each other" (John 13:34b - NLT). How did He love us? You've got it...He gave His life on the cross for us! He was talking about that very thing when He said "I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you" (John 15:12 - NLT). Next, Jesus said that the greatest way to prove our love for another is to lay down our life for them (John 15:13). For Jesus that meant that He would die on the cross. Seldom is that measure required of us. What we are challenged to do is to lay down our selfishness and put others before ourselves. The list could go on of the ways Jesus challenged us to think about love.

Perhaps the greatest revolution was of the heart and mind. Jesus said “'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind'” (Matthew 22:37 - NLT). What was so wild about this was that He challenged us to encounter God with our whole self. He challenged us to lay down our ritual and religion and get personal with the God of the universe.

I think it a very natural response to how deeply God loves us…to love Him back. Human love is fickle and finicky, but it’s still good. Love between people is wonderfully beautiful, but it cannot be compared in fervor, degree, or devotion to the everlasting love of God. God loved you and I so much that He gave is only Son to make a way for us to experience Him fully again. What will we do in response?