I almost feel that today’s posting needs to carry the warning, “For mature audiences only!” Not because there is any sexually explicit or vulgar, but because immature people will take offense rather than see the real point. So if you are already feeling somewhat defeated in your Christian walk today, perhaps you might want to leave reading this until another time.
Some of us men need to slow down from our busy schedule. As you read that you say to yourself, “He’s right. I need to slow down. I’m too busy. I’m trying to do more than my day allows and I’m often missing deadlines, having to reschedule things, or missing commitments altogether.”
Please hear me carefully. I only tell you this because I want to help you. My dear friend, what you are failing to recognize is that your your busy schedule has become your master. Forgive my bluntness, but God is no longer first in your life, your schedule is first in your life. God does not call the shots, your busy schedule calls the shots. And you are so busy you don’t have time to slow down and see that you are living a life of idolatry. Your schedule is your idol. It has gotten between you and God.
When we allow anything, anything at all, to come into our lives that keeps us from focusing our attention on God first, then that item has become an idol. That item now has first place in our attention, and therefore in our life. It doesn’t have to be something we intentionally worship, in fact I doubt you would ever intentionally allow anything to come between you and God. I know that about you, and so does Satan. So what that scheming enemy does is he comes at you with things you love, things that are good, and he gets you so busy you don’t ever see it coming, and before you know it your attention has shifted. The things that are actually good now dominate our life and we fall into the trap of letting those good things take first place in our lives. And Satan has won once again in the life of one more well intentioned person.
Wake up! It’s not yet too late, yet! But time is ticking by and before you know it there will be no more time.
The Apostle Paul recognized this danger and wrote “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” (Philippians 3:13). Paul focused on one thing so that he could become effective at what was most important. In the book of James we read that a man with many priorities is unfocused and unreliable (James 1:8), and it goes on to say that such men should not expect their prayers to be answered. Why? Why would God not answer the prayers of a man simply because his schedule is all out of whack? It goes right back to that point about his schedule has come between him and God. His schedule has become the boss of his life, not God.
Why do you think you have so many good things on your schedule? Please slow down for just a minute and think about this. It’s because you have so much potential! And because you have so much potential if you become focused the enemy has given you many things to get you unfocused to the point where you are 90% ineffective. And because you are 90% ineffective you are working harder and trying to do more in order to become more effective.
One of the first things to go when you become overly busy is your rest. When our rest goes our creativity goes. Now our creativity is one of the distinguishing character qualities we have from our Creator, having been made in His image. Think about that. When we become tired and lose our creativity we become less creative, less like our Creator, less like our Lord, less of what we are supposed to be, less of what we were designed for. But that’s not all. Now that our creativity is gone we have to work twice as hard to accomplish half as much, meaning that our effectiveness has gone. Now we get frustrated and our patience goes. Now that our patience is gone we stop postponing immediate gratification for future benefit, and that leads to all sorts of stupid actions. And losing our patience means we become once again less like our Creator.
Do you see the cycle Satan gets us into? And why? All because we got too busy.
So what’s the solution? 1) Recognize that you have allowed your schedule to become your boss. Don’t make excuses any longer! Face up to it and admit it! Your schedule has become your lord; it has gotten between you and God; it has become your idol. 2) Confess that sin to God and ask for His help to get your life in order. 3) Get with a trusted Christian friend who loves you enough to tell you the truth, someone who will tell you what I’m telling you here. 4) Have him (or her) help you discover what God has called you to do with your life. This is called prioritizing your life and focusing so that you can become effective at what God has called you to do. 5) Get rid of all the good things you are doing, but which are not what God has called you to do. 6) Recognize this weakness in your life and make sure you have an accountability partner who will help you avoid repeating this mistake.
I pray that you become so focused that Satan will cringe every day when your feet hit the floor, knowing that you are so effective God is going to use you to spread the message of Jesus and set captives free.
Your friend,
Pastor Jim
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