Busy, Busy, Busy
Mark 6:31 (NKJV)
And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
In Western NY, summer time is an interesting time. For pastors, it can be bitter sweet. Since summer weather only lasts for a few months, people will try to cram a year’s worth of stuff in that short time. It’s no wonder that people also start to neglect their spiritual life in this season. As a pastor, I am not immune.
Outside projects, vacations, barbecues and the like can get our attention very quickly. The Bible tells us that when you sow to flesh you reap corruption and when you sow to the spirit you reap life. What’s funny is that in our busyness, we forget this principle and only sow to the flesh.
Church was not created for God. He didn’t give us our pastor because He needed it. Matthew 9:36 says, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” This is why what Christ did when He left earth was establish the church and give us the ministry offices or as the Bible says, gifts. Yes, the local church and your pastor are both gifts to you. I do not say this because I am a pastor. I say this because I have a pastor. I can connect every great blessing in my life to my pastor. It is the wisdom and feeding of the Word, and the anointing that God has placed on his life that keeps me from being weary and faint.
I preached a message recently that is the answer and help for everything that people face. The principles, all of which came from the Word of God, if put to practice, will give any person victory in EVERY situation they could ever face. That being said, only maybe two thirds of my congregation were there to hear it. The anointing that was in the service alone, not because I showed up, but because God did, would break any yoke of bondage that a person could carry. All that and yet the church was not close to full and the bulk of the reason was, the weather was too nice or people were too busy.
I have seen people who can miss three or four or more weeks of church and think little of it. They will inevitably be the same ones who will be struggling with something in the near future, not knowing what to do, and the whole time, God showed up every Sunday to church to help them and to give them answers. They just weren’t there to receive it. These are people who just don’t realize the true importance of their church.
I am not trying to put condemnation on people saying, they can never miss a service. What I am saying is that people still think that going to church is a religious duty they do for God and if they do they get some kind of spiritual brownie points for it. Church was created to be a blessing and a help to you. This is the first place where God shows up. This is the place you will get the answers for your life. My family knows this and this is why we are always there. My family does not dedicate our lives to the church because we are in ministry. We are in ministry because the church, God’s people, and His plan are everything to us. This is God’s intent for every man, woman, and child in the entire world.
People want the blessing of God in their lives and they want God to show up when they need Him, but they don’t show up where God’s power manifests. God’s number one desire is to bless His people. You need to ask yourself, do I forgo His blessing because I’m just too busy?
Here’s the truth, people who aren’t going church are also not spending time in the Word and prayer like they should either. Don’t be too busy for God. Don’t neglect the very gifts that He gave you to be a blessing to your life. Get established, get planted in the local church because this is the only way your life can flourish. Stop making excuses for things that don’t matter and help yourself to the truth. God loves you, your pastor loves you, but neither can help you or be a benefit to you if you choose not to partake. Stop letting things that don’t really matter order your life and start letting God. After all, He always knows what’s best for you.
Psalms 92:13
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord,
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff
