BUSY-NESS

041 – JANUARY 2007

Busy-ness!

Luke 10: 38-42 “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.
39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41 "Martha,Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,
42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

A typical day for modern man involves the following commitments to “time.”
Awake, Shower, Shave, Shampoo, Brush, Add scents, Select Attire, Get Dressed, Eat Breakfast, Find Misplaced Keys, Start Car, and Back To the House for Something that You Forgot.
Drive to work, Stop for Coffee, Gas Up, Have a Chat, Arrive at work, and Back to the Car for Something that You Forgot.
Work, Lunch, Work.
Drive home, Stop for Last Minute Grocery Items, and maybe Visit Mom.
Arrive Home, Listen to the Telephone Messages, Return a Few Calls, Get Your E-Mail, Reply, Prepare the Meal, Eat, Do the Dishes, Watch the News, Snack, Clean Things Up a Bit, Receive 2 Personal Telephone calls, Receive 6 Telemarketing Calls, Wash, Dry and Fold Laundry, Watch 2 hours of TV, Snack Again, and Get Some Sleep.

I totaled that up … to 25.1 hours !!! All in one day !!! Think about it!
Praise God for the weekends!. And for vacations!

And that total did not include miscellaneous time for - Visit to the Motor Vehicle Department, Visit to the Bank, Shopping, Paying the Bills, Auto Repair, Flat Tires, Appointment with the Dentist, Idle Time, or Running to the Store for One Item.
And that total did not include “kid” time !!! Oy !!
And that total did not include Spiritual time for Bible Reading, Prayer, and Meditation. Remember those things? Food for our spirit and our soul? Did we forget? Are we too busy?

Most of these duties, routines and inconveniences are necessary. It is undeniable that the dishes will need to be washed but, as in the story of Martha and Mary, busy-ness with temporal concerns can be a trap that robs you of time spent on eternal matters.
42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
When Jesus is on the scene and wanting to talk, we need to drop what we are doing and make an eternal choice. When you sense a drawing of the Spirit, you need to be wise and select what is truly needful. When there is opportunity to spend time with God, you need to do it.

Busy-ness? We make it so difficult to “find time for God” when, in fact, we would find it eternally rewarding to design our schedule around and about Him.

So, become a good steward of your time. It’s important.