“The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest for a while’ … and they went away to a desolate place by themselves” (Mark 6:31-32).

Over the course of my years at the university, but especially over the course of my pastoral ministry, I have come to see the benefit (the necessity) of quiet time away from the busyness of ministering to a growing church. God has been exceedingly good to me in that regard.

As you know, I begin a four-week sabbatical following this morning’s service. Ruth and I plan to spend our time away from Wausau. Our intent is to rest, perhaps travel a bit, and generally spend quiet time together. The church’s initiative in encouraging us to do so is a huge blessing to us. We are grateful. And as we are away, it is also a comfort to me to know that you are in very good hands with Pastor Greg preaching over the next four weeks. You will be blessed.

As I enter this time of sabbatical, I am aware that busyness is often our fiercest enemy as it relates to deepening our relationship with the Lord. No doubt we are busy. And if I’m correct, most of you would suggest that you are way too busy. As a result, your time for prayer and feasting on God’s word suffers. The general press of life and all of its responsibilities comes at a cost, does it not? In that light, I began thinking of the cost of busyness. Here is what came to mind.

In no particular order, here are some of the things I’ve learned as well as heard from others regarding the cost of busyness. Busyness costs us sleep, peace of mind, physical energy, patience, joy, time to think, time with others, as well as the simple pleasure of “taking life in.” When put in those terms, busyness costs.

Now I know that you may not be in a position to enjoy a season of freedom from the busyness of life. Yet one of the lessons I’ve learned is that we are as busy as we want to be. That’s simply another way of saying that we make conscious choices that keep us busy. Am I right? 

If you identify with some of the costs of busyness I spoke of, let me encourage you to consider something. Fifteen minutes of quiet is surely something everyone can find during the day. Frankly, if you say that’s impossible, I am very concerned for you. Here is what I suggest. Pray for it. Plan for it. Protect it. Prize it, and then do it!  Don’t wait till you feel you have time. Rather, make the time. God will make his presence known to you in a fresh way as you set aside time with him as a priority in your day. Who knows; fifteen minutes might stretch into????  During my time away, I will be praying daily for you; praying that busyness lessens as your heart deepens with Christ.

“But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind” (Job 23:13-14).

There are few topics that engender greater discussion than the absolute sovereignty of God. I believe there is something deeply imbedded in our DNA that wants us to value our sovereignty over what the scriptures tell us about God’s sovereignty. Yet, the Bible is clear and unmistakable in ascribing absolute sovereignty to God. It’s in that light that Job came to write what he did about God’s sovereignty.

I don’t need to re-tell Job’s story. In the 42 chapters of the book of Job, his trials, faith journey, and ultimate release from pain and suffering are well described. If you were to examine my Bible, you would find more passages highlighted in Job than in any other book of the Bible. I have feasted on Job over the years, not so much because I have shared his depth of pain, but rather because of the way he responded as the sovereignty of God, in the form of pain, unfolded in his life. It was Job’s experience of pain that brought him to the place of embracing the sovereignty of God over everything, and especially over the challenges he faced. He came to the place of losing everything, yet at the same time he wrote, “He will complete what he appoints for me.”

It’s in that light that I want to ask you this question. Is God in the process of completing something that he has appointed for you, and surrounding which you currently find yourself, in a time of deep challenge? I know that to be the case for some of you as we have prayed and cried and searched the scriptures together. Further, I know that such things may be in your future based on what Job said at the end of the passage; “Many such things are in his mind.”

If you find yourself currently in a time of confusion, pain and uncertainty, would you let the sovereignty of God do what he intends for it to accomplish; that being to bring comfort and peace into the midst of your pain. We are never in a stronger position than when we are able to tell God that we trust him in the midst of the storms of life. There is never a time when God is more glorified or pleased than when we submit to his sovereignty as opposed to fighting against it (as if we could change his plans). Job said God is unchangeable, that he accomplishes whatever he desires. That includes the circumstances he sovereignly weaves together to bring us to the place of joining with Job in saying, “What he desires, that he does.”

I don’t know how that plays out in your life. I’ve seen it at work in mine, and I am deeply grateful that what he appoints for me, he will surely complete.

“But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose”
(I Corinthians 12:18).

June is “Volunteer Appreciation Month.” During the month of June, we set aside time each Sunday to express our appreciation for the many wonderful people who volunteer their time to serve us as a church. It is no understatement to suggest that without the volunteers we have, the ministry of the church would be severely hindered. Once again, let me express my deep appreciation to all of you who volunteer, no matter what area of ministry you are engaged in.

In that light, I was particularly blessed (to the point of tears) as I watched more than 100 kids enter the building each morning this past week for Vacation Bible School.  The enthusiasm on their faces was contagious. At the same time, however, I thought of the 50 plus volunteers who devoted every morning this past week to serving in VBS. That’s where the passage of scripture quoted above speaks to me.

You see, God is interested in our service. As such, he has “arranged” us so that we fit perfectly into his body in order to serve his people. The word “arranged” has a particular meaning. It means that God has individually placed each person for a specific purpose (serving). I like that. It suggests that God has taken the initiative in preparing us for specific areas of serving, with no one area of service more important than another, because we are all members of the same body.

Now how does this apply to you? Well, I think you can see that the passage applies to all of God’s people in that we are all meant to serve because God has “arranged” it to be so. More directly, serving is not an option because God is the “arranger.”

That observation leads to a question that applies to each of us. Are you serving? The manner of service you engage in is not as crucial as the fact that you are sensing that God has purposed you to do so. Thus, serving benefits you perhaps more than those you serve; because when we follow through with how God has arranged us, we receive his favor and blessing.

The principle involved in all of this is simple; serve! There is always room to serve God’s people both inside and outside the church. The benefits of serving are twofold. You are blessed and others are ministered to. God has arranged it to be so.

Here is what I would ask you to do. First, if you are not serving, ask yourself why. There is a reason, and upon reflection you will likely learn that it is not a valid reason. Second, if you are serving, enjoy the blessings that God brings to you as you give of yourself to others. It is indeed more blessed to give than to receive, yet God has a wonderful way of richly blessings us as we sense that we have been “arranged” in the body to serve!

“You have put more joy in my heart than when the grain and wine abound” (Psalm 4:7).

Joy is an elusive commodity in our day. Would you agree? Somehow, over time we have confused happiness with joy. In the Bible these are not the same thing. The word “joy” as used in the scriptures means “gladness that comes from God.” I like that, for it says that joy is independent of circumstances because it originates with God as opposed to “grain and wine.”

Now any discussion of joy naturally leads to the question, “How’s your joy?” In other words, are you feeling God’s joy at this time or are you looking to external things to bring you a sense of gladness? In that light, what is it about God that brings us gladness? My response to that question is that the things God brings to us are far too long to list in a short space such as this.

I spent some time meditating on the things that God has done in my life to bring me joy. The list is long, but let me share the highlights. First, he saved me apart from any merit, ability, or power of my own. He took the initiative in seeing that I heard the gospel; and further, he enabled me to respond in faith. Second, he has been faithful to me ever since I came to faith in Christ. There has never been a time when I’ve felt alone, abandoned, or on my own. That does not mean there have not been difficult times. Rather, it means that no matter how difficult the circumstances may have been, there was never a time when I doubted God’s presence.

Third, he continually bears with my weakness. No matter how many times I mess up, his grace and mercy prevail. That astounds me because no one but me knows how much I mess up. And finally, he has given me a safe and secure future in his presence. There’s more to be sure, but those four things are joy producers, are they not?

Now with all of that in mind, I’m wondering how many of us are depending on things other than God for joy. We live in a culture that bombards us with the message that gladness and joy come from external things. Yet none of what has given me my greatest joy has come from externals. Rather, they have come from the inner blessings that only God produces, the things I identified above.

In light of these things, I would encourage you to take a look at your joy and the source from which you are seeking it. There are many things that bring happiness, but only God brings deep joy. And do you know the best thing about the joy he brings? He loves to make us joyful -- in him. Tell God this week that you long to feel the same joy David felt, the joy that surpasses the happiness that other things bring. Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with happiness. But joy is deeper and less prone to weaken when its source is God.

“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective… because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you”
(Philemon 4-7).

Big things often come in small packages. Such is surely the case as it relates to the Apostle Paul’s letter to Philemon. Although the letter is made up of only 25 verses, it contains much to learn and much to consider. As I studied the book this past week, I was particularly moved by verses four through seven. Paul expressed deep thankfulness for several things from which we might learn.

First, he noted that his prayers were filled with thankfulness because of the love and faith he knew existed in the church that met in the home of Apphia and Archippus. What a wonderful testimony to their maturity in Christ! This group of saints was acknowledged by Paul to be men and women of love and faith. If only such words might apply to all of God’s people. But there’s more.

Paul also took pains to mention the sharing of their faith, which is a natural byproduct of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s simply another way of saying that when a church is filled with love and faith, telling others about Christ comes about spontaneously. God’s people cannot help but speak of Christ when their hearts overflow with love and faith.

But note in particular the outcome of their faith, love and witnessing. We are told that “the hearts of the saints have been refreshed.” I like that. What it suggests is that refreshed hearts are the result of doing what God expects of all Christians. That is, as we grow in faith and love, speaking freely of what Jesus has done in our lives, our hearts benefit; our hearts are refreshed.

Now how does this apply to each of us on a daily basis? I speak almost daily with fellow Christians who describe “tired hearts” as opposed to “refreshed hearts.” Inevitably, as part of the conversation, it becomes apparent that their faith and love are under attack. Some can’t recall the last time they spoke to another person about Jesus. When such a condition exists, it’s only a matter of time before life becomes dreary, dull, lifeless, joyless and thankless. What a sharp contrast to those Paul had in mind when he wrote to Philemon.

Friends, if you heart needs refreshing, I would encourage you to consider two things. First, tell God your faith is weak and your love is faltering. If he does anything well, he comes alongside those who express such weakness. And second, no matter how inadequate you feel, tell another person about Jesus and what he means to you. Over time your heart will feel the difference. I guarantee it. Later in the letter Paul wrote, “I am confident that you will do even more.” That’s my prayer for you this week!