1 Timothy 2:1-4
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one...
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Like many people, I am a multi-tasker. Most mornings, I eat my breakfast while “watching” the news and scrolling through messages on my computer and/or “reading” the daily newspaper. I listen to television while I sew, iron and fold laundry, or cook dinner. And I will admit that, at best, I only see/hear about two-thirds of what I “view”.
There are some programs that I must sit and watch while I do nothing else, in order to catch everything that is said and done. Otherwise, I find myself backing up and viewing certain scenes again. The “pause” and “rewind” buttons on the remote come in handy quite often as I attempt to do several things at once and keep up with what is being aired.
All of us are susceptible to constant distractions…and nowhere is this more evident than in our Spiritual lives. The devil loves to get us off track…to fill our plates with all sorts of responsibilities and “noise” so that we have trouble finding time to be still and listen for the voice of God. Before you know it…we have distanced ourselves so far from Him and filled in the gaps with other things…and we wonder what happened – and where God went!
The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy – and us – two things: 1) pray every way you know how, so that you keep the lines of communication with God open; and 2) pray for others…that each person would stay focused and on task, so that we are free to do the things that God has designed for us without the distractions and additional baggage from others. This sounds like a selfish motive…but actually, it is quite the opposite.
We cannot be in full fellowship with God when we are distracted or trying to do too much at once. When we take on the duties and drama of others, our own ministries are often diluted. Yes, we are to care about those in our midst…to serve God by serving them and offering love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and more. But God did not call us to be all things to all people. He created a plan and a purpose for each of us.
So we must pray that each person does his/her part…in order that we might do ours. There are no “pause” or “rewind” buttons for our faith. We’re on “play” all the time. Ask God to give you – and all of His children – focus and intention, so that we might be able to spread the Good News of Jesus with confidence and conviction. Find time to “be still and know God”…and discover what He really has to say.
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label ministry as busywork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ministry as busywork. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for July 6, 2014
Psalm 55:6
I wish I had wings
like a dove,
so I could fly far away
and be at peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My pastor probably won’t like this devotional, because his sermon today was about how we all tend to say, “I’m doing enough already…I can’t/won’t do anything more,” and we neglect the ministries to which God has called us. But here’s the thing… some of us are worn smack out! We’ve let the burdens and weariness of “life” get to us – to the point that we really are no longer serving God out of a heart for His ministries, but rather out of a sense of duty or obligation. We are in essence giving God lip service…and sometimes poorly, at that!
In her Bible study guide Make Over*, women’s speaker and author Jen Hatmaker asks, “Where do you need to cut yourself some slack?” She explains…”If you are searching for verses about working and pleasing God…they exist. But God and His writers assumed we were already living in grace. It’s ludicrous that we’d prefer a merit-based relationship after Jesus redeemed us from that curse. Pleasing God comes after grace, not before. Not one solitary second before. If that’s you, stop working. You’re better off doing nothing than trying to earn your grace. Every dance performed to win God over is wasted.”
Furthermore, some of us are dealing with some pretty heavy burdens…and we’ve decided that the way to manage them is to stay busy in ministry and missions. To these people, Hatmaker says,”God wants wholeness for you first and foremost. If you are injured, bench yourself and rest in the care of the Healer. Playing church while wounded not only compromises the team but also delays healing, making the injury far worse. It is lunacy to think God would ignore your brokenness and prefer your sacrifices at the risk of your spiritual health.”
So my question to you today, is “What are you doing for God…and why?” Have you been dancing like a monkey trying to be all things to all people…including God Almighty? Are you so worn out and weary or burdened that you wish you had wings like a dove and could fly away somewhere? Remember the “Calgon, take me away…” commercials? Are you in need of a spiritual “Calgon moment?”
I’ve got a word for you...it may be time for many of us to take a little “spiritual vacation”. I’m not suggesting that we quit going to church…put our Bibles on the shelf…or stop talking to God. I didn’t say you should cancel all ministries and mission projects and sit home and watch reality TV. But it may be time for us to step back and spend some quiet, “alone time” with God…to almost literally do nothing and just listen for His voice…to spend a few hours combing the scriptures and discovering what God really wants from us…to ask Him how, when and where to serve Him – and then really wait on His answer!
Everywhere you turn this time of year, people are taking “summer vacations” and “getting away from it all” to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Could it be that you need a little “vacation” of sorts to get you back on track spiritually? You don’t need the wings of a dove…or even a faraway place in which to discover God’s peace. All you need is a quiet corner, a comfortable place to sit, your Bible, and an open heart and mind. Are you ready for your spiritual “Calgon moment”? What are you waiting for? This could be the most restful “vacation” you ever take!
©2014 Debbie Robus
*http://jenhatmaker.com/books.htm
I wish I had wings
like a dove,
so I could fly far away
and be at peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My pastor probably won’t like this devotional, because his sermon today was about how we all tend to say, “I’m doing enough already…I can’t/won’t do anything more,” and we neglect the ministries to which God has called us. But here’s the thing… some of us are worn smack out! We’ve let the burdens and weariness of “life” get to us – to the point that we really are no longer serving God out of a heart for His ministries, but rather out of a sense of duty or obligation. We are in essence giving God lip service…and sometimes poorly, at that!
In her Bible study guide Make Over*, women’s speaker and author Jen Hatmaker asks, “Where do you need to cut yourself some slack?” She explains…”If you are searching for verses about working and pleasing God…they exist. But God and His writers assumed we were already living in grace. It’s ludicrous that we’d prefer a merit-based relationship after Jesus redeemed us from that curse. Pleasing God comes after grace, not before. Not one solitary second before. If that’s you, stop working. You’re better off doing nothing than trying to earn your grace. Every dance performed to win God over is wasted.”
Furthermore, some of us are dealing with some pretty heavy burdens…and we’ve decided that the way to manage them is to stay busy in ministry and missions. To these people, Hatmaker says,”God wants wholeness for you first and foremost. If you are injured, bench yourself and rest in the care of the Healer. Playing church while wounded not only compromises the team but also delays healing, making the injury far worse. It is lunacy to think God would ignore your brokenness and prefer your sacrifices at the risk of your spiritual health.”
So my question to you today, is “What are you doing for God…and why?” Have you been dancing like a monkey trying to be all things to all people…including God Almighty? Are you so worn out and weary or burdened that you wish you had wings like a dove and could fly away somewhere? Remember the “Calgon, take me away…” commercials? Are you in need of a spiritual “Calgon moment?”
I’ve got a word for you...it may be time for many of us to take a little “spiritual vacation”. I’m not suggesting that we quit going to church…put our Bibles on the shelf…or stop talking to God. I didn’t say you should cancel all ministries and mission projects and sit home and watch reality TV. But it may be time for us to step back and spend some quiet, “alone time” with God…to almost literally do nothing and just listen for His voice…to spend a few hours combing the scriptures and discovering what God really wants from us…to ask Him how, when and where to serve Him – and then really wait on His answer!
Everywhere you turn this time of year, people are taking “summer vacations” and “getting away from it all” to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Could it be that you need a little “vacation” of sorts to get you back on track spiritually? You don’t need the wings of a dove…or even a faraway place in which to discover God’s peace. All you need is a quiet corner, a comfortable place to sit, your Bible, and an open heart and mind. Are you ready for your spiritual “Calgon moment”? What are you waiting for? This could be the most restful “vacation” you ever take!
©2014 Debbie Robus
*http://jenhatmaker.com/books.htm
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