Do you struggle getting everything finished on your agenda?
The convicting truth we learn from Jesus is that we always have enough time to do God’s will.
Jesus knew his time had come to fulfill his purpose. How he used his time after his desert experience was different from how he used it before. He began to preach, teach , and heal with great resolve and without fear of having enough time. He took God’s purpose to the people he encountered. He brought God’s life and freedom wherever he went. He never turned anyone away. Never got testy with pushy crowds. Never posted working hours. Never demanded personal time.
Was there something so powerful in his full submission to his Father’s purpose that it protected him from the internal chaos we so often experience? Could it be that we stress ourselves with too much to do out of fear rather than purpose?
Following Jesus on his too-short life reminds us that he didn’t have time for five-year goals and ten-year goals would have been a joke. In three years he accomplished His Father’s assignment; he finished his work.
What can I learn from Jesus that will take me purposely through my day, keep me patient through interruptions, protect me from unnecessary what-ifs, and help me accomplish everything God wants? How can I be God’s proclaimer, teacher, and healer and weave it through family, work, and leisure in the same seamless way that Jesus did? I have to believe that I can never plan or act beyond God’s searching, testing, pointing and leading. I know I believe that when His Spirit fills me, I become more useful without trying harder. I find a rhythm that brings peace even to the days when other people’s agendas load mine.
Jesus didn’t get a list to accomplish from his Father; he received his Father’s heart. With his Father’s heart came all the resolve, focus, and energy to do His will. Perhaps we have looked for His list before we receive His heart.
