Hobbies, entertainment, school, work, friends, family, Church, God. I think we all can understand just how busy life gets sometimes. We all have things in life we are responsible for, and we have a variety of interests and hobbies that entertain us that are really quite enjoyable. While there is nothing wrong with being active in a variety of activities, there is a problem when we let our busy lives consume us, take control, and become the idols which we serve. Take a quick look back at our list. Notice how the Church and God have been pushed to the end of the list and things like our hobbies and entertainment have taken a dominant role. The world seems to move faster each day, and as it does we attempt to fill our days more full than the day before. Work is definitely important to God, and it is totally appropriate to take some time for rest. But many times as we add activities to our schedule God gets set aside as if He is just another item on the list. Let’s look at what the Word of God says about our priorities in relation to the Almighty God.
Matthew 6:33 is a very well recognized verse in scripture. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This passage is in the context of a discussion on worry and the daily necessities. Notice that in Matthew 6:25-34 we are told not to worry about even the basic necessities in life such as food, water, and clothing. This passage is trying to teach us to trust in God and know that He is going to take care of us, but it is also trying to teach us that God is more important than those basic human needs. As humans, we think first to our basic needs, and we do so with our human eyes. With those eyes, we see the things that we need for a physical life. In order to provide for those things, we recognize the need for schooling, training, jobs, etc. We think about our homes, our families, and our friends. After all of those things, we think about rest, relaxation, and entertainment. Do you see how quickly our lives can become focused on the physical and not focused on God?
In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus was welcomed into the home of Martha, who was there along with her sister Mary. While Martha was busy serving and taking care of the other needs, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His Words. Martha was upset that her sister Mary was just sitting and made her complaint known to the Lord. Jesus corrected Martha and her thinking and showed her that Mary was focused on something that was more important than all the rest. Mary was focused on Christ.
If each of us were to examine our lives and be completely honest, what would we say has been the focus of our lives recently? What kinds of things have been at the forefront of our minds? What has consumed our time? Where have we spent our money? The answer I hope we all want to give is God, His people, and His work, but that might not be the answer we can honestly give today. As Christians, we are not to think how the world thinks. Like it says in Romans 12:2, our lives and our minds are to be “transformed” and “renewed”. God is not to be just another item on the list. According to Mark 12:29-30, God is to be our all. It is with His strength we live every day, so let us live every day for Him.