Last week I added something to my exercise regiment. Instead of driving to the track where I run, I am now riding my bike the 4.3 miles. When I drove to the track, I could run 6 laps. Now that I am riding my bike, I can only run 5 laps.
Even running 5 laps is hard especially when I get to "the hill" that is quite steep going down and up. Because of the fatigue I experience from riding I have been tempted to cheat. Cheating for me means walking.
By adding more I have been doing less of what I was before. I have also been tempted to cheat. And then on Wednesday out of nowhere a beautiful chocolate lab came running up to me and almost tripped me. Because I was so exhausted from climbing "the hill" I did not see her coming. Had I stumbled and experienced a fall, I may well have had to stop running altogether for a time.
So pray that my endurance will pick up, but also learn with me a life lesson. WHEN WE ADD MORE RESPONSIBILITIES TO OUR LIVES, WE WILL BE TEMPTED TO CHEAT AND PRONE TO FALL INTO SIN.
This is true in ministry. If a hard working pastor adds responsibilities to his plate, he will not be able to do as much of what he was doing before. He may even cheat some of those responsibilities out of time, emotion and effort. If that pastor is not careful, in his fatigue he could be tempted by sin he did not see coming and fall. The fall could result in his disqualification of ministry based on Paul's lists (1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:7-9).
The same is true of any person with any job. If you are already working hard and then add more tasks to do, you will not be able to give as much to the things you were already doing. And in your fatigue you may not be able to maintain your spiritual discipline and fall into sin.
Unfortunately, it is all too easy to take on more than what we can handle. After all, we (those of us from the US) are Americans and we can tighten the belt and do anything we put our minds to. That may be true to some extent, but at what cost. What will it cost you to add more stress to your life by trying to please people and do what they want you to do, to make an extra buck (when your needs are already met), or to get more out of yourself and the people in your family or organization?
It may cost you your effectiveness in what you are called to do by watering down your efforts. It may cause you to lose sight of your vision and mission and lose your passion and purpose. It may cause you to become the person you always said you wouldn't be, but can't help but become because of the stress and strain. It may cost you your ministry, your job, your friends, your family, or worse your assurance of the hope you have in Christ.
Even the most highly trained and competent people are capable of taking on more than anyone should and of losing sight of what matters most. Paul wrote his protégé Timothy and told him, "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (1 Timothy 4:13-16).
Why did Paul write that to him? Could it be because young Timothy was overwhelmed by the substantial responsibility of leading the massive church at Ephesus? Could it be that Timothy was getting side tracked by non-issues and taking on more responsibilities than he should?
We must not sabotage our lives by doing too much. Stay the course and fulfill the mission and purpose of your life and calling. Do not get side tracked by pleasing or trying to outdo other people. Find your joy in doing what God has called you to do and your identify in who Christ says you are.
The only way I know to do that is by doing what Oswald Chamber's encourages on December 21st in his devotion My Utmost for His Highest, "Be ruthless with yourself." Demand that you maintain a healthy pace in life that is productive and protective of your calling and primary responsibilities.
6 comments:
What if God calls you to do more? It is one thing to take on more on your own, out of vanity, but if we believe that God is tasking us to do more, then we must take it on and rely on Him. We believe that God will not give us more than we can handle, that He will be with us each step, and train us up in the way He would have us go.
To take a line from your analogy, maybe you can't make it up the hill right now, but with determination and practice, you will build the muscle strength to handle the new workout routine.
If He has called us to added responsibilities (not new responsibilities, but added responsibilities), He will equip us... it is up to us to guard ourselves from slipping into sin.
Linda,
That is true. Sometimes God calls us to push ourselves to fulfill His purpose and/or to make us stronger. In those times we must be careful that we do not cheat the other responsibilities, while adding the new. And always we must be weary of our capacity to sin.
I agree with Linda. God calls us to things that we would not have chosen on our own. We make ourselves feel better by proclaiming that we "don't have time," or there isn't enough money. Or we excuse ourselves by thinking that we just cannot do it. We just plain make excuses.
However, I have also personally been on the other side...making myself a mile wide and an inch deep. I got burnt out on doing good things for God, but failing to center my life on Him. That does not bring Him glory either.
We have to find that balance. We have to pray for and seek God's leadership in making decisions about our responsibilities. If that desire is there, the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and the love of Christ will be our guide and sovereign sustainer. And no one else can judge our roles or say we have too much going on.
We also cannot be lazy and let everyone else do the work and us "as leaders" sit back and watch (saying that we already have "a lot" going on), while critiquing every detail or blaming others saying that something is not quite right (since we weren't man enough to fix it in the first place). Delegation is one thing, but failing your calling, being prideful and distant in leadership, and pointing fingers is quite another.
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Col. 3:17
I agree with Linda. God calls us to things that we would not have chosen on our own. We make ourselves feel better by proclaiming that we "don't have time," or there isn't enough money. Or we excuse ourselves by thinking that we just cannot do it. We just plain make excuses.
However, I have also personally been on the other side...making myself a mile wide and an inch deep. I got burnt out on doing good things for God, but failing to center my life on Him. That does not bring Him glory either.
We have to find that balance. We have to pray for and seek God's leadership in making decisions about our responsibilities. If that desire is there, the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and the love of Christ will be our guide and sovereign sustainer. And no one else can judge our roles or say we have too much going on.
We also cannot be lazy and let everyone else do the work and us "as leaders" sit back and watch (saying that we already have "a lot" going on), while critiquing every detail or blaming others saying that something is not quite right (since we weren't man enough to fix it in the first place). Delegation is one thing, but failing your calling, being prideful and distant in leadership, and pointing fingers is quite another.
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Col. 3:17
Very well said anonymous.
I appreciate your (Jason's) comments about being awaree of our capacity to sin (its quite high and runs on high).
I also appreciate Linda's and anonymous's statements. Exodus 13:17 and John 16:12 wonderfully affirms that God is completely aware of what we cannot handle in life. My vote on all this is to pray for wisdom (James 1:5) to discern what tasks need to be added (or taken away). The Holy Spirit will let us know (Romans 8:26) since we are often to weak to tell for ourselves.
Finally, after getting our answer I agree with everyone to do what God is calling us to do or we will find ourselves unhappily in the belly of one large problem (pardon the Jonah analogy) ;-).
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