And
He said unto them
Come
ye yourselves apart into
desert
place, and rest a while: for there
were
many coming and going, and
they
had no leisure so much as to eat.
And
they departed into a desert place by
ship
privately
Mark
6:31,32
A
term came into America's vocabulary several years ago many people
found offensive. There were some people, especially executives and
corporate ladder-climbers who came to be known as “workaholics.”
It wasn't unusual for such people to work 18 hour days, usually six
days a week or more. Even when they went home, they would still work
late into the night doing paper work. It was bad enough when men
gave themselves to such work schedules, but when women began being a
part of higher levels of corporations, it made it even worse. I say
this because many times, the father and mother in a home were
caught up in the rat race. Families were affected because children
had a lack of healthy home relationships and family life in general.
This was not the case with all executives but for most, it was an
issue and probably continues to be.
Let
us leave corporations for a time and look at churches, their staff
members and members who hold various offices in the church setting.
Again, this is not an indictment involving every Christian, full or
part time workers or laypeople fulfilling various responsibilities in
their churches. I have heard pastors from their pulpits brag on the
long hours they put in at the church office, arriving home at night
when their children are already in bed. I've heard some pastors who
boast of heavy responsibilities, building programs, various meetings,
counseling sessions, hospital visitation and somewhere in there, they
study for Sunday's sermons. As I would listen to the list, it made
me weary just listening to it all. You see, there can be such a
thing as church workaholics. I really hesitate to use the word
“spiritual” at this point because I'm not sure being a church
workaholic is spiritual in every case.
Lest
you judge me as being hyper-critical of others, let me tell you that
on this subject, I have been there and back with this problem more
than I desire to admit. I'm not going to list the responsibilities
because at this point in time, it would be out of pride and I don't
want to go there. In one position, I can think of eight major jobs
for which I was responsible. I couldn't say “no” and in some
instances couldn't refuse to do certain things. Guess what?...I got
lots of attention and praise. I also learned with all of that going
on, people thought I was a super spiritual person. There were those
who thought me wise beyond my years and that they could rarely be
wrong. Little did such folks know that I had little time to read my
Bible or pray. In those days, my family was often neglected. My
dear husband often took up the slack created by me. Guess what...it
all had become compulsive...there were no brakes...I honestly
believed if I didn't do it all, no one else could. I was told there
were worse things than burning a candle at both ends and that burning
out wasn't as bad as rusting out.
Since
when are we to base our spiritual lives on being as busy as we can be
doing church work. Church work is different from serving the Lord.
If you and I can't “serve the Lord with gladness, come before His
presence with singing” then something is wrong. Some church
workers are too tired doing the work to come before the Lord with
singing. Serving the Lord with gladness has long ago gone by the
wayside for many well-meaning folks.
Our
verse for this blog written under the title is for a reason. I can't
imagine the physical weariness of Jesus and the disciples as they
ministered. They didn't have planes or vehicles to get them where
they needed to go. They didn't have fast food places where they
could eat and probably often slept under the stars. Ministry is
wearying no matter the century or times. I've noticed through the
Gospels though that Jesus always knew when to go to one side and
rest. He often pulled away from the crowds to pray. Notice the
disciples had been so busy, they hadn't had time to eat. Jesus saw
the necessity of His disciples having a time to rest, and yes, to eat
as well. I've heard church workers brag on their lack of sleep and
having no time to eat. I doubt Jesus would approve.
The
work of God needs workers, dedicated to Him, who keep their focus on
Him and not on the praise of people. He has blessed us with
spiritual gifts to use in our service for Him. He has specific
things in mind for us in our service for Him. When we move outside
our gifts and God given abilities, we can become very frustrated and
weary. At such point, serving God can cease to be joyful and
fulfilling
My
prayer for us is that we will find joy in serving Jesus, serving as
He calls us. Yielding to the pressure of others to perform will
serve only to frustrate us. May we serve because of a love for God
and for others, while leaving self-serving agendas to one side.
Father,
use us for Your glory and for Yours alone. We love You and always
want to be Your servants. In Jesus precious name...Amen
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