Are we in control of what we do?

I know not everyone is as busy as others. I know that those who live alone, particularly, will have time of aloneness and loneliness. Those whose partners go out all day and leave them alone sometimes find the hours long. Those who cannot get out as much as they used to do can become disheartened by their reduced choices. But I want to look at this subject because some think that a successful Christian church and even a successful Christian, as this T shirt sums up, is one that is busy.

What Jesus can find today

If busy is what Jesus is looking for then we Christians are certainly doing ok if our levels of stress are anything to go by.

When asked in a survey of Charismatic ministers * which pastoral need did they identify as being important in their ministry half cited stress in their members. Oh we can do busy all right.

But Jesus isn’t looking for busy. Yes “faith without works is dead” (James ch2 v17) but it is “by grace you have been saved... not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph ch2 v8).

Our worth

It is by grace that we have been saved. It is because of Jesus dying and rising and our believing in Him that we are saved. We will never be able to do enough to raise our status in the eyes of God. Be as busy as you like – but it won’t gain you any favour with God. He already loves you the most that is possible.

Even some who seem mature in their faith find this hard to grasp. Even some long standing church attendees will be motivated by trying to gain approval. Maybe that of God, but more likely of someone else, or even them selves. Many people feel the need to prove themselves. For some it will even be that they are trying to prove their worth to someone who is dead and will never know about their successes, most commonly a parent.

But our worth is exclusively because of Jesus. Only God knows our hearts and only he gives us the right balance between praise and reproof. I am not saying that what other people think of us is not important to us particularly that of our parents, however old you may be. We all want our loved ones to be proud of us and we can try to please them but that shouldn’t be the driving factor. That is not where our worth comes from. You are good enough for Jesus to die for. Examine yourself in prayer and seek the deep reasons why you feel the need to be busy, if you are.

Good intentions

Even if this is part of the reason why you become busy, I am certain good intentions are in there somewhere too. The faith without works is dead passage of scripture explains it. It is because we have faith, because we love God that we want to do things in service of Him. We are co-workers with Christ, a right bought for us by the blood of Jesus. It is a privilege to work in service of Christ.

We get involved, we see a need, we are asked for help, we take part, we want to belong. And rightly so, but so many find it hard to strike the balance. And so many find it hard to slow down when their bodies can no longer do the things of youth.

We work for God and we worship Him. We pray for God to bless our endeavours and work with all our might. Faith without works is dead we tell ourselves. We have faith and we work. But Will Jesus find what he is looking for? Are we merely busy?

Martin Luthur said, “I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer”

This is the rub. Our activity should come out of our worship not as an add on to it. We shouldn’t work because we should, because others expect things from us, we work for God because we are motivated by love for him and motivated by him.

Our self discipline needs to be in good working order to keep our motives in check.