Have you ever felt overwhelmed, stressed out and full of anxiety? Maybe it’s because you feel like there aren’t enough hours available in a day to accomplish the things you want to get done? Work deadlines, family get-togethers, birthday parties, grocery shopping, home reno projects, paying the bills, serving at church, saving for retirement…the list goes on. The pressure to achieve and do, do, do continues to rise to the point of astronomical levels. Your patience with your coworkers, spouse, children or the clerk at the grocery store wears thin. And then the inevitable happens; you now become a walking timebomb ready to explode at the next person who crosses your path.
Sound familiar?
God never intended for us to live frantic, out-of-control lives. As followers of Christ, God invites us to be fruitful, not busy. There is a big difference between the two. Busyness implies the works of the flesh or striving and exerting lots of energy but not getting anywhere productive in regards to the kingdom of God. Fruitfulness, on the other hand, is a work of the Holy Spirit; it’s Spirit-led activity. When we yield to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, there is power from God to bear incredible fruit that will not only affect us but those around us in a positive, God-honoring way. The Bible says,
“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 AMP).
When we trust God completely with our lives and allow Him to direct our steps, the fruit of the Spirit will be evident. On the other hand, when we worry and are full of anxiety, we function from a place of unrest and these negative emotions will sour our day and those around us.
Just yesterday, I was working hard at my day job and I began to think about all the things I had to do for work and my ministry. My peace left and I felt overwhelmed. I could tell I was starting to strive to “make things happen” in my own strength. The Bible says,
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. (“Isaiah 26:3 NIV).
God gently whispered in my heart, “Cory, I’ve got this. Rest. Trust in Me moment by moment each day. I will get you to where you are supposed to be. Just relax and take a day at a time!” Making a conscious decision to trust God regardless of the way I felt caused peace to return. I let go of trying to get everything done in a single day and resolved to simply do my best and leave the details in God’s hands. I have found that when I lose my peace, it’s definitely an indication that I’m no longer in step with the Holy Spirit. I’ve gone from fruitful living to busyness and striving.
Martha, one of Jesus’ followers, had to learn this lesson as well. One day, she invited Jesus and his disciples over to her house for dinner. It was going to be a big celebration. Martha’s sister, Mary, was also invited. As Martha began preparing the big meal for her guests, she became frantic with all the details and also became frustrated and indignant with her sister for not helping! Mary, on the flip side, simply sat at the feet of Jesus in a place of rest and trust. In Luke 10:41-42 NLT, Jesus said to Martha,
“My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.“
Mary recognized the secret to fruitful living. It was to sit at the feet of Jesus and abide in Him! Contrastingly, Martha was distracted by all the things she needed to do. She missed the fact that the Creator of the Universe was in the room with her and He could have helped her! Our power to live the Christian life comes from a place of surrender and abiding in Christ. This means even our daily tasks, deadlines and to-do lists, our relationships, our goals, our dreams and our deepest desires are to be put at the feet of Jesus. He is the One who determines if, when and how they will be accomplished because He is Lord and Master of our lives. When we finally let go of control, that’s when the Holy Spirit goes to work.
Jesus had to also teach His disciples the difference between being fruitful and busy. He had just been crucified and rose from the dead and had started to appear to His disciples at various times. In a place of bewilderment and not quite sure what was happening, several of Jesus’ disciples decided to go fishing, returning to their old occupations as fishermen.
“…So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
…When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.” (John 21:3b-6, 9-11).
These men were expert fishermen. They knew what they were doing. Yet, they didn’t catch a single fish all night. They were striving and exerting a lot of energy but to no avail. When Jesus showed up on the scene, He told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. Immediately, their nets were filled with fish; 153 large fish to be exact! Here is the interesting thing: Not only did they catch more fish than they could have possibly imagined in a split second, but the nets didn’t break under all that weight either. Whatever God ordains, He gives us the supernatural grace to handle it and it won’t crush or destroy us! It’s called fruitful living!
When we listen to the Master’s voice and obey Him, miracles take place. God can do more in a moment than we can in an entire lifetime of trying! God knows where the “big fish” are. He knows how to maximize your business deals at work, help you accomplish your to-do list in a fraction of the time, increase your level of income, connect you with the right people to launch you into your calling, relieve stress and tension and give you peace in the storm. There is nothing too hard for God. The key isn’t working until you are so exhausted you can’t function anymore. The Christian life is lived out of a place of rest that comes through a vibrant, close, authentic relationship with the Living God. When we are connected to the Vine, we have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control flowing out of us.
In closing, I want to encourage you to cast all your cares upon God. He will help you discern how to let go of busyness and embrace the fruitful, Spirit-led life.
