Everyone is busy. No one has time. People are consumed by their everyday lives. People don’t rule over time, but time rules over people. When you ask someone how it’s going or a favor, almost every time, you hear that the person is busy. Christians are even too busy to pray or read the Bible. But what are they busy with? The people are too busy being busy. They don’t have time anymore. Well, people do have time, but they spend their time on things, that are important to them. Just like in the parable of the Great Supper. All the people, who were invited were too busy with their own things. All people have received the same amount of time, but they decide how they spend their time.
What makes you busy in life?
God has given the same amount of time to everyone. What do you do with the time that God has given you? What makes you busy in life? Are you busy doing your job? Busy achieving your goals and earning more money? Taking care of your family? Or are you too busy with your phone and social media, the television, computer, or gaming? Are you too busy with your friends, going out or are you too busy relaxing?
The definition of ‘being busy’ or ‘being too busy’, differs per person. Someone, who works 12 hours a day can say he’s or she’s busy and feels being too busy, while someone, who works 4-8 hours a day, can say and feel the same.
When people say they are busy, it doesn’t mean that they are busy. They can feel busy instead of being busy.
They can be busy with things that are necessary and needed to do, but they can also be busy with things that are important to them, while they are not necessary to do and don’t add any value to their lives..
The parable of the Great Supper
When one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto Him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said He unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things.
Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper (Luke 14:15-24)
In the parable of the Great Supper, a certain lord prepared a great supper and sent his slave to get the people, who were invited. But all the people were too busy with their daily affairs. Their daily affairs were more important to them than the great supper of the lord.
Everyone was busy, no one had time for the great supper of the lord
They all accepted the invitation, but when the time of the great supper had come, they all excused themselves. They were all too busy with their own lives, doing their own things. Those things were more important than spending time with the lord and enjoying his great supper. The master became angry. He commanded his slave to go into the streets and lanes of the city and bring the maimed, the poor, the halt, and the blind.
When there was still some room left, the master commanded his slave to go to the highways and hedges. The slave obeyed the words of his master and did as his master commanded.
The master said expressively, that none of those men, who were invited originally would taste his supper.
In this parable of the Great Supper, we read about the same phenomenon as in our age, namely that people are too busy. They are too busy with their daily affairs and the things of this world.
The people, who were invited didn’t know when this supper would take place. They all accepted the invitation. But when the time of the great supper came, they were too busy doing their own stuff.
The people, who were invited, considered their daily affairs more important than the supper.
The truth was, that the people didn’t want to spend their time with the lord, but wanted to spend their time on their own affairs.
Their own affairs were more important than the supper of the lord. The people weren’t too busy, but they just had other priorities. They could have easily put their own affairs aside for a while, and made time for the supper. They could have done that if they really wanted to partake of the supper. But they didn’t want to.
Martha & Maria
Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus ‘feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her (Luke 10:38-42)
Martha was also busy preparing the meal and serving, which were necessary and important in Martha’s eyes. Martha was annoyed by the fact that her sister Maria had other priorities and didn’t help her. According to Martha, Maria didn’t do anything, she only sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him.
Don’t be busy with things that are not important
Martha went to Jesus and asked Him, to tell Maria to help her prepare the meal. But Jesus told Martha, that she was careful and troubled (worried) about many things, which were not important.
Jesus didn’t give her the answer she hoped for. He didn’t compliment Martha on her hard work and didn’t tell Maria to help her. Instead, Jesus told Martha that Maria had chosen the good part, which would not be taken away from her.
Maria fellowshipped with Jesus; she took the time to listen to His words. She wasn’t worried about other things that were not needful. But she gave priority to what was important to her, spending time with Jesus.
If you love someone, you want to spend time with that person
When you love someone, you want to spend time with that person. You want to be close and get to know the person. Because you can’t get to know someone from a distance. It’s the same with Jesus.
When you say, that you love Jesus, but you don’t want to spend time with Jesus, then there is something wrong.
You can watch Christian television or YouTube and hear sermons all day long, but this isn’t a replacement for spending time with Jesus. This can also be a diversion, to keep you away from the Bible and prayer.
Jesus is the Living Word and when you spend in the Word, the Bible, then you fellowship with Him.
How much time do you spend with Jesus; the Word?
How much time you spend with Jesus, depends on the fact of how much you love Him. When Jesus is really important to you, you shall put your daily affairs aside to be with Him and spend time with Him.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? And in Thy Name done many wonderful works And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus said, that He didn’t know them. They cast out devils and prophesied in His Name, but Jesus didn’t know them. They didn’t spend time with Jesus to get to know Him and to get to know the will of the Father and do the will of the Father. (Read also: ‘The commandments of God and the commandments of Jesus‘).
They did the works that Jesus commanded them to do, but they didn’t do them from their relationship with Jesus. These people didn’t walk after His will, since Jesus said they were workers of iniquity instead of workers of righteousness. They didn’t walk according to the will of the Father.
It is not about works, but it’s about a relationship with Him, which you can only have by spending time with Him in the Word and prayer. The works shall follow you automatically. But don’t focus on the works and give priority to the works above spending time with Jesus (Read also: Religion or relation?).
Don’t be too busy for Jesus
You can be so busy doing various things for the church, that you don’t have time to spend in the Word and get to know Jesus, His will, and doing His will. Because of that, you shall never really get to know Him.
The danger is, that you can create an imaginary Jesus, who becomes an idol in your life and keeps you away from the real Jesus Christ. Therefore, be careful! (Read also: A counterfeit Jesus that produces counterfeit Christians).
Don’t use the time as an excuse for something you don’t want to do. Don’t say that you are too busy. You can always make time if you really want to. Therefore don’t be too busy for Jesus Christ but make time for Him.
It’s all about where your heart is. Where your heart is, that’s where you’ll spend your time on, and that’s where your treasure will be.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
