An Acceptable Service

As I have continued to wrestle through the truths God is teaching me regarding the idol of busyness I keep coming back to Hebrews 12. The passage opens up with challenging the believer to "run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." Last week I crashed hard and realize that I was not running with endurance. My focus was completing an act and not on Jesus the author and perfecter. Without focusing on Christ each task I do, even in His name, loses value. Just how valuable is our God and this heavenly kingdom we are part of? Hebrews 12 depicts this as well.

"For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind...but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myraids of angels, and to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood..." (Hebrews 12:18, 23-24) What a perspective!! We cannot even approach the mountain of God without the work of Christ. It is so not about us...it is about the living God and a heavenly kingdom. It is about God perfecting our faith through Jesus.

How is God's kingdom established in our lives? Through shaking. We fill our lives with so many things that are not of heavenly value. God longs to see us focusing on building His kingdom. Everything that is counterfeit in our lives He will remove. "This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." (Hebrews 12:27)

And the end result? We received a kingdom which cannot be shaken. A life so grounded in God that no matter what comes our way we are not moved. A life so rich because of a healthy realization of eternal value that we do not have to find worth in building our own kingdom. We fill our time focusing on the reason for our service and out of GRATITUDE we offer God "an acceptable service with reverence and awe." (Hebrews 12:28)

My prayer is that God will continue to shake my life so that He is all that remains. As I run the race that I will endure because I am focusing on Christ, the author and perfecter. I need to lay down the pen and let the Author finish my story.

In the Name of God

The last couple of weeks have been wrapped around the axle busy. Does anyone out there copy? Have you ever had a week where you felt like you were literally suffocating because your "to do's" outweighed the hours in the day? Mentally I would try to prioritize, but everything on my list was "good". Work (a given), train for ten-miler, time with God, prepare for small group, meet with small group members, interview potential leaders, follow up with existing leaders, map out plan for making sure leaders are coached, teach workshop on how to study the Bible, and somehow make time for the friends and family who are important in my life.

As I did my devotion Monday morning I couldn't understand why I was so empty, exhausted and stressed. I mean really...the majority of my weekend was spent serving God. Shouldn't He refill my cup? Somehow I stumbled through the day and made it to church on Monday night. During service God stopped me in my tracks. Our teaching pastor Todd Phillips is doing a series called "No Other Gods" (http://www.frontline.to/media_player.asp?messageID=13542). During the message he discussed we have many things in our lives that are good. However, if we take the good things God has blessed us with and put them on the throne of our life they become idols. Without even realizing it I had taken the very gift of service and turned it into the idol of busyness. Instead of pouring out of the overflow of my whole hearted devotion to God I sought satisfaction in my accomplishments in the name of God.

The second part of my lesson came in the form of a letter from a very wise friend. She and I met up during my whirlwind tour on Sunday. Needless to say my stressful state made its mark. Today I received a card in the mail. The quote from the card that hit home? "So remember, it's not about a busy schedule, it's about the people and purpose of what makes up the schedule." You see, it isn't about me coaching another leader, it is about God taking a willing vessel stepping into leadership and inspiring a small group to grow in their relationship with Him. It isn't about the small group member I have to follow-up with because they missed for the third time in a row, it is about the community exhibiting God's love they need to take them through a difficult time. It isn't about teaching a class on "How to Study the Bible" well, it is about God working in hearts and growing a thirst for His word. As God opens my eyes to these truths I truly am able to see Him in every opportunity. My list grows shorter because when He is on the throne I experience the overflow of His blessing.

"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—
the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today;
the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known." Deut 11:27-28