My pastor preached on Acts, listening to the Holy Spirits voice and the devil's opposition to that. I am just listening to the sermon and can't find the part I wanted to expound on but I remember it (woah!). Came up with plently of other note idea's along the way, haha.
So, guilty or giving. Bad or busy. It just sounded better the former way. My pastor said "If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy." He has quoted this several times before, so nothing extremely new, but it sounded fresh to me. Actually, I agree so much with it, so it's fresh almost every time.
People can have a great relationship with Jesus (I will not say "the best" because that would be in heaven...), listen to the Holy Spirits voice, serve the needy and help the poor. These are all commendable, fantastic acts of service to our God! But, if there is a flaw, a weakness in us as humans, the devil will find it. If he cannot turn us to the dark side so to speak, he will make us busy. If we are giving giving giving, we spend less time receiving what God is trying to give us. We need to receive in order to give out of our abundance. If we have a dry well, how can others get living water? The devil will do his utmost to ensure we don't have time to think about that. On the side of being bad, his tactic is to fill us so much with guilt that we never even look for a light. There is only darkness, only a never-ending tunnel of condemnation. The devil LOVES us to be caught up in either of these webs. It delights him. How disgusting. We need to struggle against these things, to fight for something that will lift us out of these places. They may seem very different to you, but I really don't think so.
We can be so caught up in our "ministry" that we forget the WHO we are serving. Maybe this is something that is used by me just to support the fact I resent the demands society puts on people and the time they don't commit to what I value as important and vital to life before eternity (say that 3 times fast!) ... but, I truly think it's important, so I'm going to write about it!
I understand the importance of ministry, but when it overides the main desire of Jesus for our lives, I think it's a case of "good intentions pave the road to hell". Firstly, He wants to have a relationship with us. I'm not saying that is non-existant or disappears when we are too wrapped in ministry, but the light would surely be dimmed. Our schedule should never take place of God's schedule. Hopefuly they would be aligned with each other. So, the first commandment is love the Lord your God with all your heart. That should be first priority, decider in everything, influencer on how we live our lives. Secondly, love your neighbour as yourself.
See, I struggle with people putting SERVING over PEOPLE. I don't know it that contradicts itself in your mind, or if they are synonomous to you, but they are different in my mind. When a person is too busy to even get a decent night sleep because they are up preparing for their next act of service .. I can hear you now, we can sleep when we're dead. Technically, that's not true :p I can also hear you saying, sacrifice of serving. Perhaps because I haven't personally been fully stretched to my limit of sacrifical serving, I don't realize the rewards. I just think it's not worth draining yourself over. Ah, this is just going to come out wrong, because obviously people don't INTEND to drain themselves, or WANT to drain themselves. I could happily minister to kids all day long, as I do really, but in an "outreach environment". I do give up things for people, I have been told far too much on occasion. Being generous isn't a sin, quite to the contrary, but it can have ill results.
Points...hmmm, I'm just trying to say that if you fill your life with SO MUCH, a completely full schedule to the brim (Be it study that will lead you to a vocation you love, a job you enjoy, ministry you feel called to) then it doesn't leave room for God to move. That is the essence of what I'm trying to say. I am definitely a person who likes to be free and flexible, so my opinion stems from the fact I'd rather be out having a deep and meaningful in the park with a friend than studying, even if it leads towards my future goals. That is so outrageous to say, but it's how I feel. Life is so very short, I've had close contact with that, so my thoughts of being busy are very opinionated. Not having time for someone...it just hurts okay, to realize how much that wasn't said. I don't like regrets, and yes, I'm thinking of my personal situation here. But it really brings the important things to light, and I believe that being far too busy to even meet new people, open doors of your heart to people due to the fact you cannot even sit down with yourself in quiet until you get into bed at night .. long sentence .. is not worth it. It is not living like God intended us to.
I realize people love their jobs, their ministry, their study. I think it becomes so routine, so typical, so expected, that there is no room for the new and unexpected. No room for fresh faces, no room for certain opportunities to reach out to people! PEOPLE, Jesus's heart. Their souls - He yearns for them. On the other hand, there are definite advantages to all the busy peoples lives, their opportunities are surely just as important. I just am viewing it from the other side.
If I was in a serious accident tomorrow, what would my accomplishments mean? If I had been too busy to talk to my real friends, where would I be? Does anyone get what I'm trying to say...of course we cannot stop our jobs, study, ministry. These are essential parts of our and other peoples lives! I just sometimes get such a strong emotion about the lack of time we have on this earth. If I was sitting immobilized in a hospital bed, not being able to go and minister, not being able to do this and teach that, and study that ... what then? Was my schedule REALLY that important, when my friend was going through a tough time? I've now got all day to sit there and listen.
Maybe this sounds ridiculous, maybe it won't make sense. But it's how it is. Maybe I'll delete it later, but we'll see how the feedback goes. I just value moments. When you're rushing around madly, trying to follow your lists, moments are very rare.
Smell the flowers .. I spend all day in the garden sometimes, so perhaps you will say this note shouldn't have been written by me. But that is your perogative, and this is my perspectival opinon.
No comments:
Post a Comment