Life is Urgent
James 3:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Life should be urgent. When it gets down to it, you know what you should do. The unimportant things should not crowd out the important things. If you know you’re supposed to be doing something, and you’re not doing it, that’s sin. “I know the Lord is working on my heart and he wants me to go in this direction, but I’m not there, so I’m not going to do anything.” That’s sin. “I know what God wants me to do, but I don’t have the ability to do all that.” No, but you know how to take the next step. Plan with humility and confidence if the Lord wills, if he’s still calling me to do this, I will take this step in preparation for that. If I don’t, that’s sin.
Funny thing about sin, the Bible can be pretty clear sometimes. We have the top ten, the 10 Commandments, those are clearly sin. The Bible is also clear about things we should do: worship, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, let your mind and heart be transformed through Jesus. It’s all about Jesus, and if he tells you what he wants you to do, then you either have humility or confidence in your plans and say, “God may change the plan, but for now this is the path I’m on.” If you know you’re not supposed to do something, and you’re doing it, that’s sin too. We have the sin of omission: I’m not doing something I should, and commission: I’m doing something I shouln’t. Some sins are universal: don’t commit adultery, don’t lie, don’t steal. Some sins are specific: not everybody needs to do this, but you need to do this because God laid it on your heart. If you don’t do it, it’s sin. So there is a sense of urgency here.
What are my priorities? What did Jesus do? Exactly what the Father willed. He didn’t do anything that the Father didn’t will. Those days that he just traveled, wasn’t teaching or healing, just walking – that was a good thing. The times he was healing, casting out demons, teaching, and preaching – those were good things. The days he just hung out with his friends – those were good days, because that’s what God willed. The days he spent time by himself, rested, and took a nap – that was Godly. Jesus did it perfectly, and showed us exactly what we need to do. He could have done anything, because he’s Jesus. He could have run for politics, he could have done whatever he wanted, but he did exactly what the Lord willed.
So our priorities are
That mist doesn’t last long, folks. We get burned out. Anybody burned out? Anybody been burned out before? Why do you get burned out? Your priorities are jacked up, because you’re doing stuff that God never meant for you to do. Or you’re not doing stuff that God did mean for you to do. So you’re burned out, frustrated, wanting to fight everyone. Know the size of your plate. Some of us have a salad plate, that’s all we can handle. That’s cool. Some of us have a platter. That’s cool, too, if that’s what you can handle. Know the size of your plate, and what needs to be on your plate. But know what needs to come off your plate, too. That’s where your priorities come in. Faith will help you with your priorities.
Funny thing about sin, the Bible can be pretty clear sometimes. We have the top ten, the 10 Commandments, those are clearly sin. The Bible is also clear about things we should do: worship, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, let your mind and heart be transformed through Jesus. It’s all about Jesus, and if he tells you what he wants you to do, then you either have humility or confidence in your plans and say, “God may change the plan, but for now this is the path I’m on.” If you know you’re not supposed to do something, and you’re doing it, that’s sin too. We have the sin of omission: I’m not doing something I should, and commission: I’m doing something I shouln’t. Some sins are universal: don’t commit adultery, don’t lie, don’t steal. Some sins are specific: not everybody needs to do this, but you need to do this because God laid it on your heart. If you don’t do it, it’s sin. So there is a sense of urgency here.
What are my priorities? What did Jesus do? Exactly what the Father willed. He didn’t do anything that the Father didn’t will. Those days that he just traveled, wasn’t teaching or healing, just walking – that was a good thing. The times he was healing, casting out demons, teaching, and preaching – those were good things. The days he just hung out with his friends – those were good days, because that’s what God willed. The days he spent time by himself, rested, and took a nap – that was Godly. Jesus did it perfectly, and showed us exactly what we need to do. He could have done anything, because he’s Jesus. He could have run for politics, he could have done whatever he wanted, but he did exactly what the Lord willed.
So our priorities are
- Don’t be arrogant. As soon as I take care of my stuff, I’ll get to God’s stuff. No. That’s sin. Take care of what God wants and watch how he takes care of everything else. It is unbelievable, and some of you have enver taken that step, and you’re scared out of your mind thinking that I don’t have any idea of the things that you need to take care of before you can get to God’s stuff. No, I DO know. Chances are, I’ve been there. If you’re struggling with jobs, finances, family, relationships – thinking you have to fix all those things before you can serve God – NO YOU DON’T. You have to let God fix all those things while you do what he called you to do. Quite frankly, if I’d tried to fix all my stuff first, I wouldn’t be in ministry now.
- Go to Scripture. I’d start with Proverbs, there’s a lot of wisdom there. I’ve already been beating you up out of James, so if you want a bit of a reprieve, go to Proverbs. That’ll be nicer.
- Seek wise, Godly counsel for your life. Do not surround yourself with yes-men. “Hey, I have this idea,” “Yes! You can do it!” “Hey, I think I’m going to walk in front of a train,” “Amazing! You’ve got this!” Seriously? Surround yourself with people who are going to challenge and encourage you to follow God’s path for you, not your path for you. Then pray accordingly, plan accordingly, and don’t delay.
That mist doesn’t last long, folks. We get burned out. Anybody burned out? Anybody been burned out before? Why do you get burned out? Your priorities are jacked up, because you’re doing stuff that God never meant for you to do. Or you’re not doing stuff that God did mean for you to do. So you’re burned out, frustrated, wanting to fight everyone. Know the size of your plate. Some of us have a salad plate, that’s all we can handle. That’s cool. Some of us have a platter. That’s cool, too, if that’s what you can handle. Know the size of your plate, and what needs to be on your plate. But know what needs to come off your plate, too. That’s where your priorities come in. Faith will help you with your priorities.