I have been talking about different seasons in the last two articles that we can walk through in our Christian walk. The first season I talked about was the dry season, then the waiting season, and today I am writing about the busy season. If you have been reading over the past few months you will remember that I first started with what I feel like is the hardest season, the dry season. If you are in this season you will probably think that God is angry or doesn’t care about you, but He always cares for us and He will never leave us according to Hebrews.  Last month we talked about the waiting season.  Waiting goes against our human nature.  We live in what I call a “microwavable society,” meaning we want everything right now and we do not want to wait.  We talked about Joseph and how he waited 13 years for a God-given dream to come to fruition.  We must remember what is said  in Luke 16:10 (KJV): He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

We are going to dive into the busy season of life.  

Let’s face the facts: we all are busy.

  • Sometimes I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished that I feel needs accomplishing.  Have you ever felt that way?
  • Sometimes it feels like the pressures of the world are more than I can handle.
  • I find myself drinking my cup of coffee while on my phone reading the email or text message that came in overnight.

 

I want to bring your attention to the story of Mary & Martha in the Book of Luke.  Let’s first read the story in its entirety:

Luke 10:38-42 (MSG):

As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”  The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”

Let’s examine this story a little more closely.  Martha was the Martha Stewart of her day.  I imagine her house was always spotless.  If she had a cookie jar, it was always full.  The neighborhood kids all hung out at her house because she was so hospitable.  Mary, though they were sisters, probably was not as organized. Perhaps, she was late for family dinners and often forgot about things (I do not know if this is true, I’m just imagining the story.)

So, Martha gets word that Jesus was coming to her house for dinner.  Imagine a flood of thoughts in her mind, “I’m so excited, however, I need to do X, Y, Z, and when I get all that finished I need to do whatever else.

Jesus arrived at her home and probably a crowd followed.  That probably put more pressure on Martha to “perform well.”  As the evening went on, Martha was getting quite perturbed at sister Mary for not helping her in the kitchen and leaving her to do all the work.  She was so busy that she lost sight of what was more important.  Mary had the correct mindset though.  She sat at Jesus’ feet.  One translation puts it this way: “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they really that important?  Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.”

How do we deal with the busy seasons throughout our lives?

God’s got this!

I often must stop and take a moment and remember God knows about this set of circumstances that I’m dealing with, and He will take care of it!  Remember 2 Corinthians 9:8  (AMP):  And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.

Jesus promises peace.

John chapter 14 through 17 has many “gold nuggets” that Jesus left us with.  One in particular is found in chapter 14 and verse 27 (AMP) which says:  Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

Stay in the Word of God each day.

I understand this is very difficult especially when you are strapped for time; however, in my experience it helps me keep my focus on God.  Let’s go back to the story of Mary & Martha for a moment.  Martha was too busy to spend time with Jesus.  Again, I understand how busy life gets with a full-time job and a young family; however, I must make a conscious decision daily to spend time with God.

I like what Martin Luther said: “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”  He understood the importance of having quiet time.  Of course, most people cannot spend three hours per day with God (although it would be awesome!), but we all can carve 5-10 minutes out of our schedule.

Don’t get too busy to spend time with God.

Our church sends out a daily devotion that can help you get started if you would like.  You can sign up at www.Osky.Church. 

Please contact me as I’d love to hear from you!

Pastor Jeremy Empie
Jeremy@Osky.Church
(641) 569-7024 Ext. 101

Bethesda House
308 5th Avenue West
Oskaloosa, Iowa 52577

Office Number: (641) 569-7024


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6:30 P.M. (Worship)


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