SURVIVING BUSYNESS
PSALM 23:2 & MATTHEW 11:28-29
INTRODUCTION:
Does your schedule have you stressed? Here’s a short quiz of five questions to find out. Take a pen or pencil and jot down a “Y” “yes”or an “N” somewhere on your notes as you answer these questions about how busy you are. Ready? 1st question...
1. Do you always seem to be in a hurry?
2. At the end of your day do you often find that your "To do" list isn’t done?
(If you don’t make lists, are you often frustrated by not getting anything done?)
3. Has anyone ever told you to slow down?
4. Do you feel guilty when you relax? (Do you know what “relax” is?)
5. Have you ever found yourself scheduled to be in more than one place at a time?
Were you surprised by how many “yeses” you had or did you already know? Do one more thing.. turn to your spouse, your neighbor and tell them how many “yeses” you had and how many “nos” and whether or not you were surprised by it. Go ahead, you can talk in church! (Allow a moment or two)
I found it interesting that in 1994 a Gallop Poll revealed that 72% of all Americans believed they would be working less due to the influx of high technology. Yet, a decade later the opposite is true. According to statistics we are working 22% more hours and have 8.5 hours less leisure time per month than we did a decade ago. Let me ask some tough questions: “When is the last time you really rested? I mean, just sat down, no TV, just relaxed?” “How long has it been since you took a walk, not for building up the physical body, just to be refreshed.” “Or take a what used to be called “a Sunday drive?” Dennis Miller, the Monday Night Football personality once wrote, "I think the single most frustrating aspect of driving is that you spend your whole life stopping at red lights. Then at the end there is a very cruel irony. When you die they let the funeral procession run the red lights on the way to the cemetery. You don’t care any more but you’re early!"
Well, if you’re living a hectic and harried life let me say this.. That is not the kind of lifestyle God wants for you. Ps. 127:2 (LB)- "It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night... God wants His loved ones to get their proper rest." Beloved, God wants you to live a whole, balanced and complete life. This is a message I know I need and I hope that you will see this part of God’s Survival Kit, His “prescription for pressured people” from His Word this morning.
I. GOD’S WISDOM IN REST:
First of all, I want us to look at God’s wisdom in requiring rest. From the very beginning of time this aspect of life was important. Genesis 1 tells us that God worked 6 days and then Genesis 2:2- “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work.” Now, why did God do that? Was it because He was exhausted? Do you picture God out of breath by the 7th day, saying, “Whew! I’ve got to slow down! This is killing me!”No, God is all-powerful.. Exodus 31:17 gives us the reason God rested.. “..on the seventh day He stopped working and refreshed.”(GW) God stopped because He wanted to set an example for us, we all need to relax at times and be refreshed.
Now, I don’t want you to misunderstand. This message is not to promote laziness. Remember God worked for 7 days. It is God’s will that every person be involved in some kind of a meaningful task. Whether that be running a business or running a home. Jesus is our example. No one was more active than He. In John 5:17, Jesus says, "My Father is always at work...and I too am working."
Now, there are a number of reasons why we all need to have some meaningful labor. (1)Labor enables us to achieve. Generally speaking, the people who succeed in life are the people who know what it is to work hard every day. They arrive on time, give attention to detail, refuse to cut corners. Marvin Gregory tells the story of a junk dealer who became a millionaire even though he only had an 8th grade education. Somebody asked him how he was able to make a million dollars and in spite of his lack of formal training. He said, "Well, it ain’t hard. I just bought junk for $1 and sold it for $2 and you’d be surprised how quickly that 1% profit adds up." Now, he wasn’t a great mathematician but people can make up for a lot of inadequacies if they’re willing to give 100% everyday.
(2) Labor also provides for our families. 1 Tim. 5:8- "Whoever does not care for his own relatives, especially his own family members, has turned against the faith and is worse than someone who does not believe in God.”(NCV) It’s God’s design that we provide for our family, so that we are not always leaning on someone else, continually looking for others to care for us. Now, obviously if a person can’t provide for their own then the Church family is to share. In fact, one of the main reasons for work is to share with others. Eph. 4:28- "Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously to others in need."(NLT) But labor helps us provide for our families.
(3) Labor builds self-esteem. When you put worthwhile effort into your labor it makes you feel good about yourself. One of the surest cures for depression is to get out there and begin to work hard and make oneself useful again.
(4) Labor enhances our Christian testimony. Quite frankly, if you are lazy, people will have a hard time respecting you. But if you work hard & don’t complain you may have the opportunity to tell someone that you put forth your best because you’re not just working for an employer or a business but for God. Col. 3:23- "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."
But in order to have the balanced life God wants for us we also must realize that our lives need rest. "Six day Shall you labor... but the 7th day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work..." Many of us grew up with what is called the "American work ethic." If you’re going to succeed, you must push yourself, drive yourself. And we are such a production orientated people that it is difficult for us to change pace & rest. Virginia Brazier wrote: "This is the age of the half-read page; and the quick hash, and the mad dash; the plane hop with a brief stop; the lamp tan in a short span; the big shot in a good spot; the brain strain and the heart pain; and the cat naps til the spring snaps and .... the funs done." Well, in the middle of this rat race, God says, “I want you to take some time to rest”. In fact the word “Sabbath” = rest. In Mk 2:27 Jesus said, “The Sabbath day was made to help people; they were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day."(NCV) In other words, God wasn’t arbitrarily saying, "I’m going to force you to take a day off because I want it." No, Sabbath rest was given for our benefit. God designed our bodies, our emotions, & our minds to function most efficiently when we work hard but then balance that with rest.
Look what David says the Shepherd will do for us. "He makes me lie down in green pastures.." Last week we were reminded that sheep are very defenseless & dependant animals. One Bible commentator insists the only reason God ever bothered making sheep at all is to have an illustration of what Christians are like. I’m not sure that’s true, but, it is true that sheep often don’t know when to rest. Phillip Keller who wrote A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm writes, “Often they will be grazing in the field and the cry of a child or the shout of a wolf or some disturbance will come and they will begin to run back and forth across the pasture, round and round in circles, wearing themselves out. The shepherd knows that they have a long journey ahead of them and can’t expend their energy this way. So, he will move into the flock and take each sheep by the scruff of the neck and he will force it to lie down until he quiets it, and then another and another until the entire flock is at rest. He literally moves into the midst of the flock and causes his sheep to lie down in the pastures.”
Has the Shepherd ever done that for you? Sometimes maybe through sickness or some event out of your control, He forces you to rest? To take a new look at your life and your habits? Maybe it’s as simple as hearing a sermon, maybe it’s like it was for me some 15 years ago.. I blew out my knee and that physical injury slowed me way down making me think about my life because I didn’t have much else to do! But Jesus can give you a rest of soul, a rest of spirit. When you come to trust the Shepherd completely you discover that no matter what happens to you externally, internally you can have rest.
David says, “He gives us rest by "leading me beside still waters." The Hebrew literally reads: “He leads me beside the waters that have been made to rest.” Painted in David’s words is a picture of shepherd life. According to Phillip Keller, an author and Australian shepherd, sheep are very afraid of running water. They know instinctively that if water should get on their coats of wool they would become water logged and sink beneath the stream. So, often as the flock has traveled during the day and the hot sun of the middle east, they would come into the afternoon to a running stream. There is fresh, crystal clear water, what the sheep need for refreshment, but, the sheep will not drink. They will stand at the side and look at the water but draw back in fear of what will happen. And so, the Shepherd comes and taking his rod and staff he pries free a few large stones and there by the side of the stream he damns up a quiet place. There where the water has been a threat to the sheep he makes the waters quiet and he allows them to drink.
And if we are going to enjoy the best life possible we are going to have to recognize that this Sabbath principle is one of God’s moral laws of the universe. We think that we can keep pushing ourselves. That it’s a badge of merit to be called a work alcoholic, refusing to slow down, vigorously trying to get ahead. But actually we are throwing our lives off kilter: nervous breakdowns, high blood pressure, ulcers, mid-life crisis, heart disease, depression, insomnia. Nobody got more done in 31/2 years than Jesus did and yet we read, "He went apart unto a mountain, an entire day, to pray." -Or- "Jesus went into the synagogue, on the Sabbath day, as was His custom." It is amazing how this divine principle has been proven over & over again to be medically & psychologically sound. Dr. James Brown, a famous British physician, said, "We Doctor’s in the treatment of nervous diseases are now constantly compelled to prescribe periods of rest. Some problems I think, are only Sunday’s in a rears." You see, God knows the inevitable rhythms of our lives. He knows that if we do not take time to rest that we’ll begin to lose perspective on the true meaning of life. We may be a worldly success but we will end up worn out physically, burned out emotionally and out of touch spiritually. We’ll be caught up in a downward spiral that weakens our marriages, our families, our friendships, our health, and even our moral convictions.
II. GOD’S WAY TO FIND REST: R.E.L.A.X.
So, okay, it’s fine to see the need, but how do we practice this rest? How do we rearrange our lives, re-prioritize our schedules and get back in synch with God’s plan? Well, here is an acronym that I hope will help. Rick Warren suggests using the word “RELAX” to remind us of God’s prescription for pressured people. Let’s look at it.
(1) “R” is that I need to recognize my true value before God. The reason most people overwork is because they confuse their work and their worth. We think that if we work a whole lot, achieve a lot, we’re worth a lot. We confuse what we do with who we are. In America, we get our primary identity from what we do. When we meet someone, after we find out their name, usually the second question is "What do you do?" We get our worth, we think, from our work. The Bible doesn’t teach that. It says our worth has nothing to do with what our work is. Many of you grew up with a little phrase in your mind that says "you’re a nobody." Maybe a teacher told you that. Maybe a former friend. Maybe a brother or sister. Maybe a parent said, "You’re never going to amount to much." The real reason you overwork is you say, "I’ll show them. I will prove my worth by my accomplishments, my achievements." But you will never accomplish enough to feel satisfied. Maybe you’re still hearing a little inner voice that says, "You’ve got to keep paddling. You’ve got to keep working. Somebody may catch up. Somebody may get ahead of you. You’ve got to prove your value, your significance, your worth." And so you never slow down. The antidote is to realize what God says about you. James 1:18 "God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made."(NCV) God says you matter more than the rest of creation. You can relax; you don’t have to prove your worth. You were made by God, so you’re worth it. When you really understand and feel you’re worth before God, not just know it in your head but really feel it in your soul, it will change your life. Here’s a news flash.. God likes you! If God likes me then I don’t have to spend my whole life trying to win the approval of other people. I just need to realize how valuable I am to God. In fact, there is nothing you can ever do that will make God love you any less. His love is not based on your performance. It’s based on who you are to Him. You don’t have to prove your worth by busyness. God says you are OK. In fact Jesus would rather die than live without you! That’s special.
(2) “E” - Enjoy what I already have. Ecc. 4:6-“...it is better to be content with what little you have. Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more, and that is like chasing the wind.”(NCV) Can you be so preoccupied in getting more that you don’t enjoy what you’ve got? Sure. Ask yourself: What is my desire to acquire quotient? Are you so busy trying to acquire more and more that you don’t enjoy what you already have? We can get caught up into a syndrome where “we buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like.” We try to get more and more and we get overextended financially. Then both Mom and Dad have to work because we have to hustle to make ends meet. We spend all of our time making payments on these things we’ve bought and inevitably relationships begin to deteriorate. That’s not the way God wants us to live. God wants us to emphasize relationships over riches! Ecc. 4:8 .. "There are people who are all alone. They have no children, no family, no friends. So there is no end to all the hard work they have to do. Their eyes are never satisfied with riches. But they never ask themselves why they are working so hard and depriving themselves of good things now? This is so pointless and depressing."(GW) In American culture it’s considered a tragedy if you "die penniless". But what a better time to go! When you write your last check and you’re totally empty-- you die! That’s great timing! Enjoy what you have while you have it.
(3) “L” - Limit my labor. I must make a conscious decision to make time for other things besides work. I have to decide how many hours I realistically want to spend working each week and then I need to stick to it. Eccl. 10:15 "Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work!"(TEV) God knows we need a Sabbath.. A day that you do not use to catch up on the work you haven’t finished. What should you do on your day off, your Sabbath? Here’s 3 things. Schedule:
1) Rest for your body. If you don’t take time to rest your body, your body will make time to rest itself -- either in the hospital or with a cold or flu. Our best requires rest. Do you feel guilty when you relax? Jesus didn’t. He took time off. Are you busier than Jesus? Is what you’re doing more important than what Jesus did? 2) Recharge your emotions. What things recharge you emotionally? You need quietness. You need time for relationships. 3) You need to refocus your spirit. The Bible calls this worship. Worship brings perspective. When you come into church with a big problem, worship helps. You have more energy to deal with the problem and more understanding. You need time alone with God every day. If you’re too busy for God you’re too busy. By the way, did you hear that word before we launched into rest, recharge & refocus? Schedule. We talked about this in depth two weeks ago on Labor Day weekend but for those of you who weren’t here let me give it to you in a nutshell. (If you want the more in-depth description you can pick up the CD) You probably gets things done at work because you schedule them. Well, to make sure you are adjusting your values for proper rest, recharging and refocusing you need to schedule such things as family time, a date night with your spouse, a time of relaxation. The first of every month sit down with your calendar and schedule these times as appointments.
(4) But it all starts with #4. That’s the “A”. Adjust my values. In order to reduce busyness in my life I must change my thinking about what is important. Eccl. 4:4 says, "I’ve learned why people work so hard to succeed; it is because they envy the things their neighbors have."(TEV) You have to stop and say you’re not going to get caught up in the rat race of always getting more. Do some self-evaluation.. Look at two things: Your Check-book and your calendar. You tell me what you do with your time and how you spend your money and I’ll tell you what you think is important. But you won’t do that unless first you change your thinking about what is really valuable. Mark 8:36- “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?"(NLT) Ask yourself, what is of great worth to me? As a Pastor I’ve been at several death beds. I have never had one person say at their final breath, “I wish I had hurried more.”"I wish I had spent more time at the office." Many have said "I wish I had spent more time with my kids (wife, husband, building relationships, with God)". So, ask yourself while you’re alive: “If I was on my death bed right how, where would I wish I had spent more time?”
(5) “X” - E-X-change my pressure for God’s peace. This gets at the very root of your stress. There are three kinds of fatigue: There is physical fatigue - tired muscles. That can be replenished pretty quickly. There is emotional fatigue - tired emotions, feelings. That takes time to replenish. There is spiritual fatigue - a dry spirit. This is the deepest. You may need a vacation. But a vacation will not help these last two. If you’re emotionally or spiritually tired, then you need more than a different place, you need a different lifestyle. You need a relationship with God. A little child does not like to lie down, to rest. Resistance to rest is a mark of immaturity. If you’re always going and never taking any time to rest in your relationships and in the Lord, then it not only says you’re breaking God’s best for you but it says you’re immature. Sheep don’t like to rest, to lie down. In Psalm 23:2- "He makes me lie down." That speaks of need and all of us need a relationship with Christ or we’ll end up empty.
Paraphrase of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush. He makes me stop and rest at intervals. He provides me with images of stillness to restore my serenity. He leads me in the way of efficiency to calmness of mind and this guidance is peace. Even though I have a great many things to accomplish this day, I will not fret for His presence is here. His timeliness, His all importance will keep me in balance. He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity, anointing my head with the oils of tranquility. My cup of joyous energy overflows. Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours, for I shall walk in the pace of my Lord and dwell in His heaven forever.”
Why not let the Lord set the pace for your life? He’ll help you so you don’t go too slow or too fast. The only person wise enough to do that is the One who knows you inside and out better than you even know yourself: Jesus Christ. He would love to trade His peace for your pressure. When you live for God, it’s not only the right way, it’s the healthy way, the whole way, the balanced way, and the most relaxing way. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28.. Would you read it together with me? "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest... learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”Basically He’s saying, “If you’ll learn from me you’ll find the load I give you to carry is light. You’ll find deep, satisfying rest.. A rest for your soul." Are you stressed out, tired, weary? Jesus says come to Me. I’m not going to load more on you but I’ll give you true meaning, and you’ll recover your life. Because: I will make you lie down in green pastures and I will lead you beside still waters.” Isn’t it time you really let Him do that for you?
{All Scripture taken from the New International Version unless otherwise noted}
