From the Back Porch…
Recognizing the Pattern of Busyness…
Really busy people always find time for what’s really, really important.” That makes sense… Right!?
But what happens when you’re going through life and you think everything is really, really important? Well that’s what happens when you’re drained and running on empty. When you’re running on empty you don’t have the wisdom to be able to discern and decide what is really important. So, when everything seems really important that’s proof that you’re running on empty.
When this happens your perspective is off and your decision-making becomes blurry. You crumble under pressure and here’s what you do. You elevate things that aren’t really that important and you devalue things that are really, really important.
We have bought into the cultural lie that Busy is better. You often hear this when you greet someone. “How you doing? Keeping busy?” Why do we say that? As if busy is the ultimate value. “How you doing? Keeping busy? Good for you! So am I! I’ve got to run! See you later!”
Busy isn’t better. Choosing better is better.
I’m going to say something now that’s possibly going to hurt some of you. I know this first hand and I know it from working with people for over 40 years. Busy people tend to be empty people. They’re empty emotionally. They’re empty spiritually. They’re empty relationally. And the reason they are so busy is they’re trying to fill up their emptiness. Somehow, like activity and busyness will make them feel needed, significant, important, valuable and successful. They think they will now be accepted by the other busy empty successful people.
And Then One Day It Happened…
So many people I meet today are worn out, they’re drained, they’re fatigued, they’re exhausted – and any other synonym you can think of for “empty.” I sometimes get tired just watching them. I was once the same way, and then one day it happened…
Now let me begin by telling you who may not know me, a few things about my past. I started going to bed early when I was young so I could dream about all the things I wanted to get done the next day. I’ve always like fast. When TiVo first came out I would TiVo programs so I could watch a sixty-minute show in forty-three point five minutes. I liked fast food and my day would begin with instant breakfast. I wouldn’t even eat minute rice because it took too long.
I can remember before we had kids I told my wife there’s no reason that if you concentrate that our children can’t be born prematurely. I won’t tell you exactly what she said to me. But she responded very quickly.
Are Your Tired Of Staying Busy?
Are Your Tired Of Staying Busy?
Busy seems to be the way our culture measures self-worth. I have known a few people who had to hide the fact they were not busy in order to keep up the appearance of being successful and effective.
Someone told me that in China, the polite answer to “How are you?” is “I am very busy, thank you.”
So if you are busy you must be fine. And if you have more to do than you can do, and the list never gets done, but only longer, then you must be very fine.
Busyness has nothing to do with self-worth or productivity. God meant for us to work but all busyness is not productive work.
I find it interesting that on the sixth day God created man. On the seventh day I picture man rising early saying, “OK God let’s get busy. Let’s go to work.” God said, “Sorry we’re taking the day off.” This teaches me that God wants us to work from the priority and the position of rest. Not just running around staying busy till we drop so we can feel valuable, important and justified in taking a day off.
WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE TRUSTING…
“Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge.”
Psalm 62:8 (TEV)
We’re going to talk about how you trust God in difficult times. How you trust God no matter what?
That’s really what the verse above talks about. “Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles for he is our refuge.”
We may later talk about trusting God when things are changing in our lives, as well as trusting Him in times of trouble.
But this week, we’re going to look at the fact that sometimes whatever the problem, whether it’s good times or bad times, the reason we don’t trust God is we just don’t feel like it. So how do you trust God when you don’t feel like trusting God?
I can talk about trusting God in this circumstance or that circumstance, the good and the bad. That’s great on a Sunday or on a Saturday. But what do you do on Monday or Tuesday when you know you should trust God, maybe for the first time or maybe for the thousandth time. But that particular day you just don’t feel like it. You feel too tired. You feel too worried or you feel too overwhelmed. It just feels too complicated I don’t feel like trusting God right now.
WHY BE HAPPY WHEN YOU CAN WORRY…
Sorry for the sarcasm in the title, but I just couldn’t (didn’t) pass it up.
Do you remember the Bobby McFerrin song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”? When it hit the top of the charts, it was criticized as being too simplistic and naive. But it expresses some very important sentiments.
Think about it for a minute. Of all the living things that God created, human beings are the only ones that worry. And we worry about everything – fuel prices, the stock market, our jobs, paying our bills, our marriages, our relationships; parents worry about children, children worry about parents. You name it; somebody is worrying about it right now. Maybe even you.
One guy, John, a ‘worrywart’, hired his laid-back friend Joe for a special job. Joe had to think about all of the troubles affecting John’s life, and any that might possibly affect him in the future, and worry about them. John paid Joe $1,000 a week to be his worrier. When John was asked, ‘Don’t you worry about having a $1,000 a week to pay Joe?’ he responded ‘No! That’s what I pay Joe for.’
So You Failed…Now What?
Failing is part of our life experience. It is inevitable that we will fail from time to time throughout our life. What’s important is, that we know how to deal with it when it comes.
The Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, tells us that, “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the sun…” So in the life of the believer there is a time to win and a time to lose.
In John 21:3 we have the poignant words, “That night they caught nothing.” What’s going on?
The background: This is just shortly after the resurrection. The tomb is empty. They have reported, “Christ is risen!” Some of the disciples have actually seen Jesus. Isn’t this a time of glorious victory, success, for the kingdom? Why is it then that we find these seven disciples in the dead of night, probably a cold night, sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, fishing?
This was a season of failure in the life of these disciples. They were frightened at seeing Jesus put to death on the cross. Who knows? Maybe they were next. They were despairing, disappointed. What now? Peter is the one who comes up with the idea: “There’s one thing I know how to do. I know how to fish. I was a fisherman before Jesus called me. I’m going fishing.” So the other six disciples said, “OK, we’ll go with you.” That night they toiled all night, putting down their nets, pulling up their nets empty, down and up and empty every time. That night they caught nothing. This was a season of failure.
Why do failures have a way of devastating us? Two reasons:
Ron Corzine
Better known as Son of a Preacher, Ron started the first Christian Fellowship Church in Harlingen, Texas in 1982 and presently serves as a counselor, consultant and apostolic overseer to multiple churches and ministries. He travels nationally and internationally motivating and challenging people to be effective in their call and ministry to their local church, their community, and the marketplace.
Ron and his wife Anne were married in 1968. They have three children, seven grandchildren and presently reside in San Antonio, Texas.
Ron is the founder and president of Christian Fellowship International. Click to email Ron.
Philip Corzine 
Philip serves Christian Fellowship International by helping oversee the network of CFI churches, as well as pastoring Christian Fellowship Church McAllen, Texas. He graduated from Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas in 1991, and then served in the Army for three years. Philip is a very gifted musician, worship leader and communicator of the Word. He and his wife Trish have two daughters, Lauren and Lenzy. Click to email Philip.
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by Ron Corzine
'Lessons For Abundant Living'
