Time Management

Mark 5: 21 – 24

And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered about Him; and He stayed by the seashore. And one of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up and upon seeing Him, fell at His feet, and entreated Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her that she may get well and live.” And He went off with him.

I have been thinking a lot about time management these days and I have decided that I need divine help. In good faith we make our plans but how many know that our ways are not God’s ways (Isaiah 55: 8). With best intentions I make my lists, block off in my calendar the time necessary but inevitably something comes up that disrupts my plan. But then, just look at Jesus’ life. I can understand why He had to be directly plugged into His father and I am realizing I need the same thing. 

Look at today’s verse. When Jesus crossed over the sea and landed on the other side don’t you imagine that he had a plan for what he would do when he arrived. No sooner than he set foot on land than a mass of people surrounded him. Perhaps he was planning some quiet time with his father or maybe he wanted to have a bite of lunch. Oh well, Jesus, there are thousands of people who want your attention. So what did Jesus do? “He stayed by the seashore” (v. 21). One thing I have learned as I have struggled with and prayed over time management the last couple of months is that there is nothing in my plan or even in Jesus’ that is more important to God than even one of His children. Regardless of our plan if someone calls and needs to talk or emails, it seems that always jumps to the highest priority. The point of the ministry is people. The point of Jesus coming to earth was people. There is nothing more important than one of God’s kids even if he or she seems to be the least of all. So despite Jesus’ plan, he stayed at the seashore and ministered to the masses.

But it didn’t end there. While he was attending to the multitude a man named Jairus implored him to leave what he was doing and instead hurry to his home to heal his little daughter. Jesus didn’t get irritated or frustrated. I am sure that he checked in his spirit to hear what the father was saying to him. Then he turned to accompany the man to his home. Again, Jesus’ plan was thwarted but he was listening to his father so off he went in another direction. Wouldn’t you know it, before they could reach Jairus’ house Jesus was waylaid again. Come On! This has to be getting frustrating by now, right?

You’ve read the story of the woman with the issue of blood. Well, here is where it fits in. As they made their way to Jairus’ house the woman touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak and Jesus, sensing that power had gone out of him, stopped and asked, “Who touched my garments?” His disciples looked at him incredulously. In modern parlance they said, “Really Jesus? Really? People are swarming us on every side and you ask, “Who touched me?” (Paraphrase v. 30). And as incensed as the disciples were their reaction probably paled to that of Jairus. He must have been thinking, “Hey, my little daughter is lying upon the point of death and you stop to ask who touched you.” I know I would have been coming out of my skin if I were in Jairus’ sandals. While Jesus stood there talking to the woman who was, by the way, healed of the issue of blood, servants came from Jairus’ house bearing the news that his daughter had died. Can you even imagine the pain and anger that must have instantly flooded Jairus’ body?

So what was God thinking? Was Jesus really listening to God or was he just letting everyone pull him this way and that without a thought to what he should do and when? Isn’t this the dilemma we all face each day? You make your plan; you are going to get some of the things off of your desk that are like anchors weighing you down. Within thirty minutes someone is knocking on your office door, the phone is ringing, your computer dings incessantly with incoming emails half of them marked urgent and your plan, your priority is right out the window. With an exhausted sigh you put down your pen and begin to deal with the multitude which is pressing in on you.

Well, I do not have this whole time management thing figured out yet but here is what I am learning. When you make your plan, do your best to check in your spirit to see if your plan is what God has in mind. Then when the wheels start coming off of your plan, don’t panic. Even though God ratified your plan that does not mean that He isn’t going to call an audible right in the middle of it. Get ready to hear from Him again because He is calling a new play. No problem, just tune into your spirit again and listen. Take a deep breath, relax and feel what God is saying to you about your task list. Sometimes he may have you schedule some of those folks for later in the day; sometimes He will encourage you to help them right now. He is working everything out for your good so you have to listen to Him throughout the day. 

In conclusion I think what God is teaching me is to start out with a plan but not to serve the plan. Let the plan serve me while I serve Him. He and I are both masters of the plan. The only way I can get everything done that needs to be done is to listen to Him throughout the day and let Him shift the priorities for me. Otherwise I often will either stick too rigidly to my schedule or go so far astray that I get nothing substantial done. He will always lead us in the perfect way if we can relax a little and let Him speak into our workday. And, don’t even be surprised if He adds some downtime into your day. He knows what He is doing.

Starvation

John 6: 35

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

I am overwhelmed today with how much hunger and thirst there is and I do not speak of the world but rather of the body of Christ. How can it be that people are dying of starvation who are of the Body and faint from thirst who are the children of God? Then there are those of us who are wasting away spiritually and are not even aware of our malnutrition. Have we been fed straw instead of wheat for so long now that we no longer even expect a full course meal for your spirit?

We, the church, ought to be powerful and strong in the spirit but we have become anemic. I believe the reason for this is that we are not being fed the bread of life. Jesus is not a one-time feast. He is our daily bread. Do you recall that in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11)? We are to feed daily if our spirits are to grow and be strong but all to often we find ourselves weak from the hunger.

The Body of Christ is famished and I blame me. God has called us to feed the sheep and yet the bodies of God’s beloved are strewn across the landscape, weak from lack of nourishment. If we love God we are to tend His flock. I have to question how well pulpit ministers are doing our jobs. How can the Body of Christ go about its Great Commission to reach the world with the love and grace of God if it has not been given sustenance? And how are you going to tend the lost if you are dying from mal-nutrition?

I am grieved that believers are not receiving what they need. Sure, each of us has a personal responsibility to draw upon Jesus daily for our needs but our churches and pastors must add to our plates as well. I can write to you for days upon end on my thoughts and ideas but in the end they are just vain philosophies, they are straw. The only thing that will actually nourish you is the Word of God which is, of course, Jesus who is the bread of life. Ministers who feed us on the Word are in fact feeding us Jesus who is the bread that will ever satisfy and water which ends thirst.

I don’t mean to be radical but honestly I have observed that the Word of God occupies less and less space in our worship services. Our brothers and sisters are dying on the battlefield because the pastor is more concerned about which congregation will be first to reach the local restaurant. Of course the pastor has been pressured to end the service earlier and earlier for that and other non-spiritual reasons. There is little room for the Holy Spirit to even have a say in most services these days. The upshot is that our people are dying. And if the children have no bread, then how are they to feed the lost?

If you have a pastor who teaches the Word of God and reveals the heart of the Spirit then you ought to get on your knees and praise God. If you do not, then you should stand on your feet and demand Bread! You have every right and should pull on any one who calls themselves a minister and demand that they feed you.

If you aren’t already so spiritually numb that you can no longer assess the condition of your spirit then you should do a spirit check and see how you really are. Are you anemic? Are you suffering from a lack of nutrition? If so, demand food. Look around you. Are the people you know spiritually alive or spiritually dead? What about the people at church. Are their spirits thriving or just hanging in there? Whether or not you have noticed it, we are living in spiritually perilous times. However, for those who are receiving nourishment these are exciting times. Make sure that you are receiving the sustenance that you need in order to keep your spirit thriving. Don’t be a casualty of war. There are resources. There are teachers. There are believers who yearn to be a blessing. Let us join together however we may to give each other needed nourishment.

A Faithful God

Psalm 86: 7

In the day of my trouble I shall call upon you, for you will answer me.

David had experience with God. We can learn a lot from David because he and God were so close that they were actually friends. David reveals to us the nature of God in this passage. David knew from experience that when a faithful person calls upon God, God answers. He answers every time. He answers every person.  

Part of that receiving is in the faith. David became very good at receiving from God because he had absolute faith in God’s faithfulness. David believed whole heartedly that God would answer his every prayer. God is moved by that kind of faith. He wants people to call on him and depend on him. The more we expect God to move on our behalf, the easier it is for us to receive all that God has bestowed upon us. When you call, expect an answer and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Hope Prevails

Isaiah 42: 3

A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

The forty-second chapter of Isaiah is a prophetic foretelling of the coming of Jesus. This passage reveals the gentleness of Jesus. He came that we might all come to the Father. He will not foreclose anyone’s opportunity to come into the Kingdom of God. No matter how dimly the light is burning Jesus will stay there and fan that flame. No matter how weak or damaged a person is, she is never too far gone for Jesus. He will bring forth justice for that person and they will receive their salvation and all of the other gifts the Father has provided. Never give up and never give up on anyone else. Neither Jesus nor the Father has forsaken them or you for God has promised us that he will never leave nor forsake us. 

Kayaking with God

Revelation 22: 1

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

I was corresponding with a friend of mine last week when this image of the river took on new meaning. Many of you know that I love to kayak; rivers, lakes, the ocean, it doesn’t matter. I like it all. I will say, though, that it makes a great day to paddle down a deep water river. The very thought of it is making me yearn for my boat and a day off.

Last week I wrote in an email, “We need to be in that river just floating along. Dad has taken away our paddles so that we must trust Him for the thrust and steering.” That really spoke to me as I wrote it. I couldn’t get it through my fingertips fast enough. I could see me going down the river without my paddle. It gives a whole new meaning to “up the river without a paddle.” But even as I wrote it I had such a calm and reassured feeling. I mean, I like the effort and motion of paddling but I probably could enjoy riding along with Dad doing all the work too. The feeling that washed over me was very pleasant. There was not even a moment’s hesitation like things are going to go bad for me if I don’t have my paddle.

So obviously this is a metaphor for life. The Holy Spirit is the river and we are supposed to allow him to direct our path which is analogous to steering with the paddle. What if we just floated along going wherever he takes us? Most of us are challenged in this area. Sometimes we paddle so hard that we can’t even perceive the nudging in another direction. The other problem that I have is that God gives me a direction and a paddle and I start paddling really hard trying to accomplish everything in my strength. That is why He doesn’t tell me too much at a time. I think I am serving Him with my effort but that is not what He is asking us for. He wants everything we do to be a partnership endeavor. He isn’t intending to give you tasks which you are to complete in your own strength. You are in the same boat together and He just tells you where you are going. You don’t have to panic when you come to a fork in the river. Just take your paddle out of the water and He will steer the right course.

We work too hard. I believe in hard work and our father most certainly does not applaud laziness. The problem is that we work hard but without Him and His grace. He wants us to get down the river but not by injuring ourselves. That is what the old me always did. He wants us to let the flow of the river, which is the Holy Spirit, propel us. He has not set us a course upstream so when we feel like we are paddling against the current it would serve us to stop and ask Dad if we are even headed on the right course. It is probably that we are working ourselves to death going wrong way. Neither do we have to paddle our boats faster than the Holy Spirit is leading. Even if you get to the right destination if you get there before the Holy Spirit it will do you no good.

Learn to work with the Spirit of God. The Father sent him to us to lead us and help us. We are not meant to accomplish anything in our own strength. Nor are we meant to plot our course on our own. Our Father knows the bends of the river and the best way to go. Let your effort be combined with His grace and direction and you will find that you arrive where you were meant to be and you will get there sooner and without being exhausted. 

Take a five minute mini-vacation right now. Close your eyes. Picture yourself and God together in a canoe or two person kayak going down a beautiful river. Imagine perfect weather with just the slightest breeze blowing across your face. Listen to the sounds of birds and frogs. Let your Father sit in the back and steer and enjoy the river of life.

Intertwined

1 Corinthians 6: 17           God’s Word

The person who unites himself with the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Let’s really try to wrap our minds around being one spirit united with God Himself. How are you doing? So, this is a large concept but I think it is a 100% accurate portrayal of what Jesus meant when he talked about us abiding in him and the Father abiding in us. We become one with Him. There comes a time when you can no longer tell where you end and He begins.

It sounds wonderful but this idea can also be a bit daunting. People fear they will get lost in Him, that they will lose themselves and their sense of identity but we are not lost in God. We are hidden in Him. That means that He is our protection, our cover and our shield. I believe what we will find as we embrace unison with God is our true selves. I think we will find the person we were always meant to be and longed to be.

Imagine walking in perfect counsel and perfect wisdom. If we are truly united with God, living as one with Him wouldn’t that be a necessary result? Wouldn’t decision making become easy?

This, I believe, should be our aim, to live such that we are truly in Him and He in us such that our lives are inexorably intertwined. I would love for the me that you get to know to be the Jesus version of me. Shall we allow Jesus to infuse us to such a degree that we are united as one spirit with him? It seems a worthy aspiration.

Debt Free

Romans 13: 8

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

This verse has often been used to teach people about financial debt. One substantial reading of this verse would say that we are not supposed to borrow money. That seems to be a fair reading but I think we can read it in a broader context as well. In order to see where I want us to go we need to read the verse which immediately precedes this one: “Render to all what is due them; tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor” (v. 7). We see immediately that Paul is not discussing money alone, nor is he writing about just repaying what has been borrowed or refraining from borrowing at all. He teaches us to give people what they are due whether that be money, honor, respect or even love. This is to say, then, that you could be debt free in the sense that you have borrowed no money and yet still guilty of withholding something that should have been paid to another. The only debt we are to carry forward is the daily obligation to love our fellow human beings. Look at today’s verse from the God’s Word translation, “Pay your debts as they come due. However, one debt you can never finish paying is the debt of love that you owe each other. The one who loves another person has fulfilled Moses’ Teachings.” We can never completely satisfy our obligation to love all people because it is new each day but interestingly, Paul writes that even the Law of Moses is fulfilled in loving one another.

I do not want to lose track of the bigger picture though. There are debts we owe people beyond the love requirement. Surely Paul is telling us that if we have borrowed money or things from others we should be hasty in paying back or returning. And when we have borrowed an item love and kindness both require us to return that item in a condition which at least equals if not surpasses the condition it was in when we borrowed it. For goodness sake, wash the item, if a car, then fill the gas tank. If money was what was borrowed then deny yourself if need be and repay the money with appropriate interest. If you haven’t paid your tithes then be quick to pay that debt. Don’t allow yourself to owe a debt to God. He calls that stealing (Malachi 3: 8) and we don’t want to steal from God. That surely would reflect a scarcity of wisdom. 

If you have a mentor, pastor, teacher or even a friend who is constantly giving into your life, then make sure you render unto them that which is due them. A gift wouldn’t go amiss. Let us not lose sight of the intangibles either. We are meant to support and encourage each other. We are called to edify one another. Give honor and thanksgiving. Let people know you appreciate them and give them their due.