A popular commercial uses a verse from the 70’s song by Jerry Reed, we’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there. Most of us could change a few words and sing about our life—we’ve got a whole lot to do and not enough time to do it. People say, “I wish I had 25 hours in a day” or “I wish there were 8 days in a week.” If we did, the same problem would exist, and we would need 26 hours or 9 days. God created time and gave every human an equal amount—24 hours and 7 days. Common expressions about time are ‘how time flies’, ‘time dragged on and on’, or ‘the older I get the faster time goes by’. We all understand what these mean, however none of them are true. Time moves along at an unchanging perpetual rate: second by second, minute by minute, year by year, decade by decade, etc.
So, why do we get overwhelmed by what we have to do? The reality is that all of us have periods when we must be busy. But when ‘too busy’ or ‘not enough time’ become the norm, we should take a look how we use our 24 hours. I recently advised a young pastor to keep a journal for a couple of weeks detailing everything he did and the time involved. Then he was to prioritize what he had to do and what could be eliminated. As believers we not only have the normal duties of life, we add to those the responsibilities of serving as a Christian—attending church, spending time with God, fellowship with other believers, helping the needy, etc. We just can’t add more and more activities; they require time. Larry, part of our bible study, every week requested we pray he could spend time praying and reading the Bible. His solution was get up earlier than his usual alarm at 4:30 AM. That would last a couple of weeks. His problem wasn’t time but priority. He insisted he couldn’t make it through the day without his morning exercise class. He was involved in several seasonal sports, ran two businesses, and the list goes on. God was at the bottom of his list.
Busyness does not bring us closer to God; it is not a spiritual gift. The cult of busy has crept into the American culture, including the church, as the way to be accepted. Ministers especially can develop a subconscious belief it is their responsibility to save the world because they let the weight of the world rest on their shoulders. Phycologist refer to it as the messiah-complex. Yet, note that Jesus the Messiah didn’t have a messiah-complex. At times He stayed so busy He worn Himself out but took time to rest and fellowship with friends (Mk 6:31). He knew as a human He couldn’t keep going and going. Even through when He cried out on the cross, “It is finished” the world was still filled with unsaved and unhealed people. These He entrusted to his disciples and the coming church. He had achieved the work the Father gave Him to accomplish. If you find yourself ‘too busy’ all the time, you are probably doing more that God gave you to do. Ask yourself what you can stop doing so you can do what you are called to do better.
Jesus should always be our principal example. When Jesus received the message that Lazarus His friend was sick, you would think He would have hurried back to Bethany; it was a two-day journey. But no, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was (John 11:6). He knew what was going to happen. “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it” (v4). After Lazarus had been dead for four days, Jesus arrived at the tomb and He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth” (v43). And Lazarus came forth. Had Jesus returned immediately and healed him, no one would have given it a second thought. However, raising up a man that had been dead four days and wrapped hand and foot with his face wrapped around with a cloth received a lot of attention. The Son of God was glorified. Jesus did what the Father gave Him to do and not what the people wanted.
Solomon wrote, There is a time for everything (Ecc 3:1 NIV). Peter wrote His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3 NIV). This includes time. Jesus taught, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28). Don’t overlook the fact you have to come to Him—that requires time. The Message Bible says it well. “Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway (Jer 2:25)? A fellow professor in Zambia and I were a few minutes late but walked across the campus towards our classrooms at a normal pace. The Dean drove up in a panic and ran to his class. I told my friend, “You know there is no record that Jesus ever ran.” We laughed and continued walking.
“Be still, and know that I am God,” (Ps 46:10 NIV). Ask yourself this week, “When have I been still before the Lord?”
Sustaining Word for the Week: Is your life running you or are you running your life?