Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Good Things Vs. God Things


#spoileralert

If you are a teen that is a part of the Kankakee First Church youth group please stop reading right now because these thoughts are being formulated into a message you will be hearing in just over a month. 

For the rest of you………. 

As a new year is fast approaching there is a phrase that has been rattling around in my head for the past month or so. 

“A Good thing becomes a Bad thing when it gets in the way of a God thing.”

When people look back on their year they usually divide it up into the good things that happened and the bad things that happened.  And when they look ahead toward the next year the hope is that there will be more good things and less bad things.  We would gladly trade in a bad thing in order to receive a good thing but here’s a really tough question.  Would you trade in 2 or 3 good things for a ‘God thing’?  Sacrificing something bad for something good is an easy exchange but for some reason or another exchanging good things for great things, or ‘God things’, isn’t as easy as it should be. 

We live in an age with no margins.  Our time from the moment we wake until the moment our head hits the pillow is filled.  Our budgets have every dollar accounted for and assigned before it even comes in.  In the event of an opportunity or an emergency we are immediately faced with the issue of trying to fit it into our calendars and pocketbooks.  We all have time and money that is wasted on things we don’t even need or may even be harmful to us or those we love and by all means we should work to be more effective stewards of our time and resources in regard to those sorts of things.  But this post isn’t about those things.  This post is about the good things you need to give up. 

This past year has been the busiest year of my life which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  I’ve had plenty of lazy years so it’s definitely time for me to get my butt in gear but there are limits to my time and energy.  Right now I’m in the midst of figuring out my new normal which means I need to find a healthy balance for how my time, energy, and finances are spent.  One of my big additions this past year has been getting back into shape.  The number of ours spent at the fitness center was a helpful addition when it came to my physical health but it also put a unhealthy crunch on my time and energy for other things.  This year I’ve also added some new involvements such as working with a small group ministry.  While this addition has been a tremendous blessing it also has a time cost associated with it.  And so, with each addition I’ve made this year I’ve moved closer and closer to the sad realization that it’s time to make some painful cuts. 

This brings me back to the phrase that has been rattling around in my head. 

“A Good thing becomes a Bad thing when it gets in the way of a God thing.”

As I look ahead toward 2016 it is vital that I identify the ‘God things’ I currently have or need to have in my life.  If I am going to ‘seek first His Kingdom’ then it only makes sense that I put those Kingdom things on my calendar or in my budget first.  All of the other good things in my life are going to have to compete with the time and space I have left because I don’t want those good things to compete with or get in the way of the Kingdom things I desperately need.  When I get to the end of 2016 I don’t want to look back at a year where I was busy with a bunch of good things but didn’t have time for the ‘God things’. 

Unfortunately, being overbooked with good things is something I see people doing All. The. Time.  I know people (I’m one of them) who have difficulty saying ‘No’ to things.  “Can you help with this?” Sure.  “Can you go to this?” Absolutely.  While on the one hand I think that it’s great that people have such a willing heart to help, on the other hand I’m concerned that in their busyness they may be missing out on something they may need more.  Something bigger.

The irony is that we reach a point where we do finally say “No” to things. Indirectly.  When we are busy shuttling from one event to another we miss all of the things in between.  We are too busy to notice a person who needs our attention but they did not make a pre-scheduled appointment with our calendar so there is no place to fit them in.  There is a serious financial need of a family member/friend/co-worker that comes to your attention but your monthly budget has already been calculated.  Your church is starting up some new small groups in a month (which is definitely a ‘God thing’ that you need #shamelessplug ) but sacrificing one evening of your week a couple times a month is difficult because good things have a way of giving you a yearly itinerary 3 years in advance and so it got on the calendar first.  Instead of saying, “No, I won’t.” or “No, I don’t want to.” our indirect “No” is disguised by the lingo of, “I would but I can’t.” or “I wish I could but I’ve already got something that night.” People who are busy with good things don’t feel bad brushing off opportunities because good things make for good excuses and most people won’t press the issue if there’s a good excuse. 

I don’t want to be like most people so I’m going to press in a bit. 

YOU’RE TOO BUSY!  YOU’RE MISSING OUT ON WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE!

God’s not going to force his way into your schedule. God invites.  It’s what God does.  God invites us to be a part of His Kingdom and what His Kingdom is up to.  I’m reminded of the people Jesus encounters in Luke chapter 9 where he invites them to follow.  They respond with the indirect “No.”  They will follow but there are some other things that come first.  I need to bury my father.  I need to say good bye to my family and get things in order.  Good things.  The invitation that Jesus offered raised a major conflict for those seeking to follow him.  Would they be willing to sacrifice a good thing in order to be a part of a ‘God thing’?  I think that this is an excellent question for you and I to tackle on the brink of a new year.  Are we going to put the ‘God things’ to the front of the list for 2016?  There are ‘God things’ we can plan for in advance and ‘God things’ we can’t.  For the sorts of things that you can’t put on the calendar in advance, do you have the space and freedom to respond without hesitation to an awesome and unpredictable opportunity to be like Jesus to someone?  Don’t settle for good things in 2016 because the invitation of Jesus is for you to be a part of some ‘God things’.

 

Blessings and a Happy New Year!