I can’t believe Family Weekend is only one week away! The date certainly crept up on me this year. As I mentioned in a previous devo, I believe that LifeSpring is currently in a stage of growth. Along with that growth has also come busyness. Between things like the Food Hub, Kingdom Kids, Wildfire retreat, Adrian’s visit, and future ministry planning, Family Weekend has become just one major item in a very busy month.
I think there is so much that we can learn from the Bible about handling busyness. For all of Jesus’s parables and teaching, it can be hard to believe that his time in ministry was only about 3 years. During those 3 years, Jesus was often accompanied by his disciples or even a large crowd. The pressure placed on him was immense.
But Jesus always seemed to respond in a consistent way. Mark 1:32-39 tells the story about how a whole town was bringing their sick and demon-possessed to Jesus. Jesus worked among the people, healing them and casting out demons.
But verse 35-37 says about the next day,
Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer. Simon and those with him tracked him down. When they found him, they told him, ‘Everyone’s looking for you!’
Matthew 1:35-37
Jesus had just performed some of the greatest acts that people had seen. I’m sure there were people in the crowd who had been dealing with their sicknesses for many years. To experience healing and relief must have been amazing. The power of Jesus and the effectiveness of his ministry was on full display. It is no wonder that the people wanted more, including his disciples.
But how did Jesus respond? Not by trying to meet every need and do as much as he possibly could. Instead, Jesus hid away in a place where he would be difficult to find. Jesus wanted to be alone with God, while everyone else was looking for him to do more and more.
In my living room, I have a little wooden plaque with a simple message, “But first, pray.” It is so easy in life to get swept up in the urgency and demands all around us. But this only means that it takes real intentionality and determination to put first things first. We can never forget the importance of spending time with God, as one of our greatest responses when the needs and demands around us are so great.
Always remember to put first things first, in the midst of the busyness of life. As Siang Yang has reminded us, it is not about doing great things for God, but simply doing things for a great God.