Get intentional ~ 1 Thessalonians 4.11-12

GET INTENTIONAL
11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily live may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thessalonians 4.11-12, NIV

Good Day~

From a reader in Amman, Jordan, to an aspiring actor in New York, to my super-busy advertising art director neighbor, the scourge of busy-ness really hit home with folks last week. Busyness can take over our lives!
Busyness can be used by the evil one to distract well-meaning Christians from spending time with God; in addition, joy and contentment can be run right over on our way to getting everything done! So, just before the rush of the holidays is upon us, let’s be proactive in realizing that we have some ‘say’ about the matter.

You know people who seem to regularly be running at full-speed, and as they fly by, you almost hear the hum of ‘must keep going, must keep going. . .’ maybe you are one of those people. The danger of the hectic pace is that you can be so consumed, you go out without God—almost like heading to work, forgetting to put on your pants! (yet running so fast, at least in your mind, you didn’t even notice) What is God thinking as He looks on? The psalmist captured God’s mind on the subject, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’1 ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden. . . you will find rest for your souls.’2 Ah. . . so that is a beautiful thing. . . God wants us to be still and rest in Him. The running around thing doesn’t do too much for Him.

Getting and maintaining control of our busyness comes through intention coupled with discipline. Just as folks schedule meetings and business appointments in their Blackberries, I-phones, and DayTimers, so too, we ought look over each day before it is the morrow and choose, by intention, to exercise some restraint. Create some margins; things don’t always go as planned . . . life happens.

And, may I suggest that, just as you schedule time with your personal trainer or secretary or client, you plan for your time with your Life Coach—Jesus Christ? Oh, how He loves you . . . and wishes to be with you, strengthen you, and give you wisdom and direction! God does that through His Word, and communion with Him. Again, from the psalmist, “You [God] will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”3 Notice with me that joy comes from being in the presence of God. . . oh, that is good, very good. Then Jeremiah said, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”4 I remember reading that verse years ago and thinking, ‘ate them? Really?’ Now, I get it, though, for taking in God’s Word feeds my soul as nothing else is able to do.

One final thought on this. . . do you rest? I’m not talking about your 6 1/2 hours at night, but taking little solitudes in your day, noticing God’s creation around you? Do you observe the Sabbath? It was given to us, and commanded of us, to worship God and rest on the Sabbath. If I asked you if you believed in the Ten Commandments, you would say ‘yes,’ so do you recall that the fourth one commands us to keep the Sabbath?

For many of us, resting is a learned behavior; I know it is for me. I have to practice it, and discipline myself to do it, what with writing, ministry as a whole, four children at four different lifestages, a husband who travels, etc. But I know all too well that are bodies require rest, or at some point, they break. Some of you may be near the breaking point—trust me, you don’t want to go there, so get control of the imbalance in your life now. Get intentional. . . about your schedule. . . about face time with God. . . about rest. . . about the Sabbath.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May He make His face to shine upon you,
And be gracious. Amen.
Christine
podcast: pastorwoman.com or "Morning Briefings" on I-Tunes



1Psalm 46.10
2Matthew 11.28-29
3Psalm 16.11
4Jeremiah 15.16