I Miss My Time With You

While watching a heartfelt, poignant and powerful message on YouTube yesterday, I had to jot down a few notes. Tyler Hamrick was sharing on “This One Thing” – referencing the biblical story of Martha complaining to Jesus that her sister Mary wasn’t helping her with necessary chores. He pointed out that Jesus wasn’t mad at Martha and He didn’t chastise Mary. His loving response to her could have been delivered in a myriad of ways. We don’t have complete context of their conversation, but I imagine all sorts of love and compassion in His eyes when He said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But this one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 (NKJV)

Tyler (Hamrick) pointed out that “God wants us to be busy about the kingdom, not spiritually lazy – but not at the cost of our intimacy with Him.”

I also noted that he said, that “we can’t be busy FOR Him if we don’t have intimacy WITH Him.”

What if God spoke to you the words He spoke to Tyler, when He asked him, “When was the last time you just sat with Me?”

How would you answer Him?

Are we listening to what Jesus is saying to us? Or are we too distracted?

Are we just too busy to sit with Jesus?

Martha was complaining that her sister, Mary was “just sitting there listening to Jesus” as He spoke to the group assembled there in her home. It had to be pointed out to her that the preparations for the Lord mean nothing without the presence of the Lord.

“I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6 (NLT)

Even in the Old Testament, God reached out to His people for relationship, for intimacy, which He tells us is more important to Him than “doing things for Him”.

Doing things for God is important, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:20 KJV)

But if we don’t spend time in His presence, how can we know where He’s sending us or what He requires of us in this moment? Are we merely doing what we think He would want us to do? What if what we’re busy with is actually someone else’s responsibility…

We’re always busy, yet we wonder why we’re so tired all the time.

We become like drained batteries that never get charged when we’re too “busy about our Father’s business” to plug into the source of our power.

It can be hard for us to just “sit and be still” with Jesus. We need to explore why that is. We need to take that question to Him in prayer and listen to what He points out to us.

To hear Him, we may just have to push through and sit with Him and listen – which should be a joyful thing for us! But, for some of us, that may be harder than anything else we need to do in our daily lives.

But “this one thing” is needful: it’s necessary, it’s essential.

 

 

Watering Cans

(photo from flowersqueensny.com)

“…be not weary in well doing.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (KJV)

I’m tired. In all my “well doing” – I grow weary. I’m not tired OF doing good, but, in the midst of doing it, I wear down. Sometimes, I’m too tired to cry. Most likely, I grow so tired because I’m not making time to recharge my batteries in the Word of God. I’ve begun to run on my own strength, which isn’t as built up as it should be. But, could it be that I’ve never learned to effectively set boundaries?

For all my well doing, am I giving more of myself than I’m pouring out to others what God has poured in to me?

What happens when the last drop of water in my watering can drips out in the midst of watering my houseplants? How do I continue? How can I possibly water the remaining plants with an empty watering can?

The same applies to everyone God has placed within my reach; within my realm of ministry. The only way God’s living water can flow through me to bless those I love, is if I allow myself to be filled first. If I neglect God’s Word, I have nothing to pour out to those who look to me for a kind word, a gentle gesture, a smile or a favor. All I can offer is the frailty of my flesh.

When I over-extend myself, I choose to put something or someone else before God. And putting anyone or anything before God makes them an idol. Often, we think of an idol as a statue that unbelievers bow before. But an idol is anything we allow to become a ‘god’, by putting it first in line for our attention before the true and living God. Even if that ‘something’ is good, or someone I love dearly, I grieve God by allowing them to reign on the throne of my heart in His rightful place.

It can become a vicious cycle to allow idols to swallow up your day (no boundaries), leaving you no time for God’s Word; and the less time we spend with God, the more likely we are to erect those idols.

What might you be putting first? Spend some time with God today and ask Him what idols you’re creating by putting them before Him. Enter His presence with a grateful, repent heart and let Him wash you clean – again and refill you with His Spirit.

Tired?

(photo courtesy of emortgageblog.com)

Tired. That’s the first, and frankly, only word that’s coming to mind right now. Who wants to read a blog post about being tired? We’re all tired of being tired, aren’t we?

Sometimes I don’t want to look for the cause of it – nor for a remedy for it. I just want to go upstairs and succumb to the voice of my bed calling me.

But even in my weariness, my ever churning brain begs to ask, why?

Sometimes it’s our diet, our lack of exercise, the side effect of a medication we’ve begun taking – it could be any number of things.

Sometimes the body just needs more rest than we’re giving it.

But, sometimes, it’s from carrying around burdens we were never meant to carry in the first place.

Two scriptures come to mind:

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV): “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all our anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Our cares, or anxieties, become like a bag of heavy rocks we drag around with us, constantly making it harder to take another step. If God meant for us to haul those thing around ourselves, He’d have built us more like a horse or pack mule. Because He cares for us, He does the caring and carrying FOR us.

I painted this scripture on our bedroom wall, since it’s generally in our bedroom that I do my resting. (It got painted over, I need to put it up there again!)

Mark 6:31 (NIV): “…he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quietplace and get some rest."

Taking a little liberty, I changed the word ‘said’ to the word ‘whispers’ and the word ‘them’ to ‘me’ – making it personal, because my relationship with Jesus is a personal one.

Soon, I’m taking a week-long trip where I’ll be completely by myself for most of that week. I look forward to going with God to a quiet place and getting some rest. I’m excited about casting my cares on Him in a new and telling way during this week. I expect to write as many blog posts as I can during this quiet time with Him, taking note of all He shows me, though I may not share them all here.

I challenge you to find the time God has already etched out for you to spend with Him, quietly resting before Him, or digging into His Word – however He leads you, and cast off that heavy bag of rocks.

Then tell me how He lightens your load!