Eliminating Hurry Part 3
What has GOD done in your life this past week that you want to give HIM praise for?
Finish this sentence: JESUS became real when . . .
Eliminating Hurry Part 3
“Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.”
Quote from JESUS in Matthew 6:34 TPT
“If there is a secret to happiness, it’s simple – be present in the moment we are now.”
“Worry is paying interests on trouble that is not due!”
“To walk with JESUS is to walk slow, unhurried pace. Hurry is the death of prayer and only impedes and spoils our work. It never advances it.” Walter Adams mentor to C.S. Lewis
Our digitally distracted life of speed is probably the greatest threat to our spiritual lives. Before the invention of the clock you went to bed with the moon, got up with the sun. There was a rhythm to life, seasons and the year. People today sleep 2 ½ hours less than people a century ago.
Ill. Just in my lifetime we have seen the death of the LORD’S day or Sunday sabbath. How many of you remember grocery stores, gas stations were closed on Sunday? You couldn’t buy beer on Sunday!
- In Israel my last time I loved how things started shutting down on Friday afternoons for Sabbath. It was done from a legalistic view, but it was so noticeable how quiet everything was on Saturday. It was almost as if you could the world take a deep breath and sigh. Today early Sunday mornings I hear lawn mowers, weed eaters. Our world has changed.
With internet, I-phones, Facebook, 24-hour television our attention span is dropping every year.
Humans Attention Span is dropping every year!
Year 2000 = 12 seconds
Today = 8.25 seconds a decrease of 25%!
A goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds!
We are the most highly addictive generation that has ever existed.
Addicted to food, sugar, tv, internet, I-phones.
Ill. IF you think you are the exception to the rule then try this. Turn off your cell phone for just 24 hours – can you? Most say no because someone may need them etc.
- It’s easy to justify that our fast pace of digital life is normal – but is it? What is this lifestyle doing to our souls?
Ill. A story is told of a man who traveled to Africa. Intent on a fast trip he hired locals to carry his supplies. After one exhausting day of travel on foot and a restless night’s sleep he gets up to continue the journey. The locals he hired refused to move an inch. He yelled, he tried to bribe them, but nothing worked. Naturally he tried to understand why. Their answer: “We are waiting for our souls to catch up to our bodies.”
They knew how to listen to their bodies talking to them to slow down.
2 reminders for us:
1. We are created in the image of GOD
“GOD created man in HIS own image . . .” Gen. 1:27
- Potential to flourish and thrive and rule the world.
2. GOD created man out of dust.
“GOD formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life . . .” Gen. 2:7
- The original biodegradable containers – limited – finite – mortal.
JESUS said, “Come unto ME all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take MY YOKE UPON YOU and learn of ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For MY YOKE is easy and MY burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
This scripture is a template for us. Put your life up next to this and compare. If you are getting the same results – awesome.
But if instead you live with a simmering anxiety, mild depression, high levels of stress, emotional burnout, little or no sense of the presence of GOD – then something is off! Put on the brakes and live in this scripture until HS shows you what is wrong.
JESUS called people to become HIS disciple (become an apprentice). Be with HIM. Become like HIM. Do life the way HE does it. Model HIM. This is an invitation to a new way to carry life – a yoke to HIM.
Yoke = HIS way to balance or shoulder the weight of life that sometimes can become heavy and wearisome.
Another way JESUS taught and illustrated this was John 15.
JESUS and the vine.
“Abide in ME and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye except ye abide in Me.” John 15:5
A vine has to have something to hold it up its branches, or else it will die. It needs some kind of structure, a trellis so it can grow properly.
Your trellis is your disciplines you practice following JESUS.
Ill. Following JESUS is not just something you can do just by going to church on Sunday. Try that in your marriage!
Following JESUS has to make it into your daily schedule and practices, or it will never happen. A disciple practices certain disciplines he has learned from JESUS.
Ill. If you read biography of famous people you admire you look for things they did to become successful and maybe try to do them.
But if you read the gospels as the biography of JESUS successful life you see the things HE did and copy it. JESUS got up early in the morning to pray so maybe you do the same.
But JESUS never commands us wake up in the morning and have a quiet time, read your Bible, go to church, give your money.
Instead HE just does these things then says to people,
“Follow ME”
“If you’re tired of the way you’ve been doing it and want rest for your souls, take up the easy yoke, copy the details of My life.”