You’re busy: No rest for the weary, no peace of mind
I’ve been there. You’re now so busy doing the things you’ve picked up as a means to appease the Lord and avoid the ministry He has called you to. So, instead of surrendering to serve small and struggling congregations, I busied myself in nearly every activity of the church. We helped with church cleaning, lawn care, and some of the renovation projects – on top of everything else we were doing. Towards the middle of 2014, I really began to struggle with everything we were doing and the calling the Lord had laid upon me. Taking a page from the life of Abraham, I began trying to bargain with the Lord. At the same time, I felt that I was constantly busy and even began to develop a bad attitude towards those fellow church-goers who would offer their complaints but did little to help other than attending church. I even began to justify my resistance to what the Lord was calling me to do with the excuse that if I left the church, who would do the things that I was doing?
A new understanding of a familiar passage began to really stir within my mind: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). We normally think of this verse and make the application that Jesus is encouraging all to receive Him as their personal Saviour. The Lord also was talking and teaching His disciples at this time, too. As I had been reminded of this while listening to a Dr. Charles Stanley radio segment, it dawned on me that Jesus was also calling on the disciples to take His yoke upon themselves, to forsake all other burdens in favor of his. This would mean for Peter, to quit fishing permanently – with all its seasonal and weekly stresses – and focus on Jesus’ burden – seeking out and saving those who were lost. There’s a promise that if we are obedient to the calling of the Lord, He will give rest to the weary soul. There is enjoyment, there is rest, and there is peace for the soul that will be completely surrendered and obedient to the will of the Lord.
You’re busy: Letting go of what keeps you from obedience
We’ve all heard sermons and Bible studies on the life of Paul where he wrote about the Holy Spirit answering a prayer for deliverance from what he thought held him back: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9). By August 0f 2015, I had prayed for the Lord to simply make it obvious to me what He wanted me to do. As previously shared in 2015, the ceiling of the church had collapsed in June (2015) and we had met in our fellowship hall. In October, a few months later, my in-laws retired from the Salvation Army after nearly 35 years of service and we were invited to share in the ceremony and celebration of this great milestone. After the ceremony, I was approached by Colonel Don Faulkner, and as he shook my hand, I heard him say, “when are you going to quit running?” and immediately, I began to share everything the Lord had laid on my heart over the last few years.
What it amounted to was the Lord had put before me, that day, a choice. I could either be obedient to His calling and be used for His glory and honor, or I could stay where I was – in a state of disobedience. I also felt the Lord laying on my heart that I had to make the choice that day because I would not get another chance. As we came back home, I knew what I had to do and I had to put my complete faith that the Lord would guide me in making the decisions that needed to be made. By the time we returned home, the church sanctuary at Gospel Light had been completely renovated; the new lighting actually triggered migraines each time I went to any of the services – the Lord had responded to my request for Him to make it painfully obvious that leaving Gospel Light behind was I was supposed to do. Having no doubts and completely relying on the Lord, I began to extract myself from all the things that kept me busy, all the things that had come to hide me from fulfilling the purpose that the Lord had called me to.
I’ve shared this for a purpose; I want to ask you to take an honest look at your heart and all that you do and ask yourself a simple question. I know you’re busy between work, home life, and church. On top of family responsibilities and your job, you’re busy with a Sunday school class, regularly attending church services, or maybe you have a bus route or work in Children’s church, but are you busy doing what the Lord has called you to do?
