Is Busyness Stealing From You?

Your plate may contain things that God never asked you to do.

BY JUDITH FOLKERTS

LIFE  /  DAILY
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A time comes when I say the very same thing to each of my children, somewhere during their mid-teens; “You can’t do everything that you want to do! You have to make choices. Just because it’s good, it doesn’t mean that you have to do it!”

It's a moment of revelation for each of them. Their brows wrinkle and pouts appear on their faces. It's not a happy realization for them. ​

Some of us learn that good doesn’t equal a green light. Others of us don’t. Or some of us forget over time, as opportunities, expectations and privileges multiply in our lives. I think I heard it at least six or seven times this week, from six or seven different people; “It’s been so busy!”

Okay, so I was one of those people who said it, I admit it. But we are clearly living in a culture of busyness and many of us can’t get off of the proverbial hamster wheel. Does God want us to live lives that are so busy that we sometimes have to put “Time to Think” on our To Do list? There will be days like that. But this is not the “life in abundance” that is promised in the book of John:

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” –John 10:10

It's interesting that the abundant life is seen as potentially stolen, killed or destroyed. Jesus came and He has given it to us. If we don't have it, it was taken from us. The implication is that we must guard it, that there's a thief lurking to take it from us. Our enemy wants abundance destroyed. If we're living chained to our calendars, are our lives abundant? We need to ask ourselves this and revisit our priority list.

​If we are living chained to our calendars, are our lives abundant?

Does busyness equal abundance? Many of us are running ourselves ragged. Some of us are run-down and sick and drag ourselves through our days. We are pulled in many directions. It's not that we can’t say “no.” We have to say it all the time. Our seemingly mandatory commitments are more than we can handle. The things we would like to do may not have a chance of making it into our schedules. There has to be a better way. 

What does Scripture say about this? God says that less may be more. Just because it's good, and is on the list of things that Christians are told to do, and we are employing His gifts, the Lord may not want us to do it. We have limitations of time, energy, resources and talents. We must be intentional about how we use all of these. To do anything “in Jesus’ name” may be good. In Matthew, however, we find out that some of us may be disappointed that our best intentions and the use of His gifts were not what not impressed Jesus;

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” –Matthew 7:22-23
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The emphasis here is on knowing Him. When we know Him, and it's all about Him, then all we do is out of love for, and in communion with, Him. We naturally consult Him before we plan our days, weeks, and months. If He's not in it, we're not on it.

We can make informed decisions on our own, but we never know the bigger picture like God does. We can cut back on our wasted times when we are in relationship with the Lord and pray about what He wants us to do. He knows what is eternally important.
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Keep in mind that our enemy is lurking, and put simply, he wants us to waste our time. He wants us to do things that don’t matter, to spend hours each day focused on things that Scripture calls “dead,” producing no life;

​“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
–Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25

It's sobering to realize that we are told that there are things that will “appear to be right” that are actually leading to death! We can be deceived in the matter of the “ways” we take. The only insurance there is against this is seeking the Lord for truth. We can’t depend on ourselves! Proverbs makes this clear by teaching it twice. These “ways” are also called “dead works,” and we do not want them on our plate!

Keep in mind that our enemy is lurking, and put simply,
​he wants us to waste our time.

There are many things that we choose to do that just don’t matter. Some of us care a lot about things that are not important to God. We fear what people think and do things to gain approval, win favor and to make ourselves look good. We can ask God to help us out when we may question our own hearts;

​If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. –James 1:5

Other times, God leads us to do things that are positioning us for the future. They simply don’t make sense. He may not reveal why we should do something, but we must heed what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do. There is faith when we obey Him and do things that we do not understand at the time. If decisions are based on fearing man (caring what people think), they are not of God. He will show us what to do and how to act. He must be our Master. Other people must not steal our free will. 

A litmus test is a chemical test that indicates the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. The term is used popularly as a “decisively indicative test.” God has given us a litmus test for decision making. As we make decisions, we must repeatedly and habitually ask, “Is this important to God?” This question must become a way of life for us.  

In Mark 12:30, Jesus says that most important thing is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  It follows that we could add “and with all of your decisions.” Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” As we make commitments, they should be typed into, or written onto, our calendars in The Lord Jesus’ Name. As we record our plans, it's awesome to be able to pray God’s blessing on the event because we are dedicating our hours and days to Him. How it must please Him when His people say “I’m doing it, Lord, because it’s important to You and You want me to do it!”

Sometimes God will want us just to kick back and play and rest. God certainly encourages rest and relaxation. He rested, Himself, and He added a commandment that contains rest to the Ten Commandments. (Keeping Holy the Sabbath, #4, Exodus 20:8) The Sabbath commandment is meant to ensure time with the Lord. Our rest should be with and in Him. There is certainly a time for fun. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, “(there is)…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,” (Ecclesiastes 3:4) God has it all worked out. We need to tune into His best plans for us.

​Sometimes little things that seem incidental may, indeed, be used of God as part of bigger, highly significant plans.

​Being intentional with God’s guidance does not necessarily mean being intense and inflexible. We must be careful to not get too focused on only doing things that have clear eternal significance. Sometimes little things that seem incidental may, indeed, be used of God as part of bigger, highly significant plans. Only God knows. We need to run it all by Him, and we will learn to trust the leading of the Holy Spirit as we become more disciplined in this way.

Sometimes God gives us more than we seem to be able to handle, then gives us the grace to follow through. Other times, we make plans and He takes things away from us. We are not in control. But He does give us freedom to make many decisions, and we must guard our schedules because we are guarding the moments that combine and make up our lives. As we manage what goes on and off of our plates, remember that God intends abundance and good for us; “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:17). It would be a shame to not leave room for dessert.