I don't know about you, but sometimes being a follower of Christ to me feels neither restful nor easy. When we look at Jesus' life it seems that he was always helping or serving someone, shouldn't we be doing the same?The number of people in our world who need to see and experience the reality of God's love is enormous and it can be incredibly tiresome to try and live with the weight of the world's problems on one's shoulders. I don't think God wants us to live that way. While Jesus did give sacrificially and to the point of exhaustion at times, he also knew when to say "no" as we can see in the following excerpt from Mark.
"That evening after sunset people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed, "Everybody is looking for you!"
If anybody had a busy schedule to keep, Jesus did. With diseases to heal, hurting people to help, and demons to cast out, there was never a shortage of things to be done. As we see in Mark, the disciples come to Jesus early one morning confused as to why he has disappeared when so many people are looking for his help and healing hand. Instead of heading back into town like we and his disciples might have expected, Jesus tells his disciples it's time to pack up and leave.Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else - to nearby villages - so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." -Mark 1:32-38
We can learn lots from how Jesus responded when the world begged for his attention. One thing is that our relationship with the heavenly father must always rank in importance above our commitments or service to others. If we do not take the time to be refreshed and reconnect with the God of the universe, our mission and ministry on his behalf will be compromised. Trying to a be a godly spouse, parent, employee and friend all at the same time can feel like a daunting task and is virtually impossible on our own power. This is why we must turn to the one "who is strong when we are weak" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Spending time with the savior is a choice and one that always requires putting other things on hold. This isn't easy, especially when you have a busy day ahead, but I think you'll actually find that you get more done when you do.
Jesus also reminds us that we shouldn't be afraid of saying "no". The great thing about the body of Christ is that one person doesn't have to be everything to everybody. Jesus didn't have one disciple, he had twelve, and sent them all out to reach different people in different ways. He sends you and I in the same way, as one messenger of many, to impact a select group of people. Trying to make an impact everywhere, all at once, and being stretched to the max will almost always prevent us from being effective at all. Paul reminds us in 2 Thessalonians 5:24 that the God who calls us to serve in a particular place or particular way will be faithful to take care of everything and everyone that we're not. Being part of God's team should never be a burden because we know that what God doesn't do through us, he will accomplish through another.
Where has God called you to be a light and example for him? Focus on that today and on being faithful with the opportunities that you've been given.
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