Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday August 10, 2006

Recently a man told me that he was upset due to my refusal to 'get bogged down' with minutia. I worried about his remark for a while, I think I actually agonized over it for more than three nano seconds.

Over the last several years I have jettisoned many of the tasks I used to spend time on and I am in the process of doing the same with even more. Too many things most pastors engage in could and should be done by volunteers, many of whom sit at home doing busy things that have little earthly value and certainly no eternal significance.

By sticking to the above plan the Lord has raised some folks who are taking the matter of serving the Lord seriously.

I suppose that I have made a practice over the last fifteen years of my ministry to actually do something I talked about a lot during the earlier 30 years. I do this because I discovered through a bitter experience that to lack in this area is the biggest waste of time imaginable.

Bob Kaylor commented on this in the September/October issue of Homiletics and because he says it so well I am quoting:

"Unchecked, I will work from morning to night doing the Lord's work while ignoring Him completely. It's an occupational hazard for many of us."

I grew up in Elkton, Maryland, not far from the Lancaster County Amish Country. Don't worry, as far as I can tell I have absolutely no Amish traits and I think that group is glad! I do recall some of their sayings, one in particular for this article:

"The hurrier I go the behinder I get."

For too much of my life I was so busy I just knew the Lord was going to promote me to become a fourth part of the Trinity. I was mistaken in thinking that sweat was a substitute for prayer and real learning from the scripture. I know far too many of my Brothers who are trapped in the same boat and have no way out of the rat race of their own making.

I/you may be busy, but how about our personal walk with Jesus?

Do we simply pass on 'good stuff' from our favorite Christian writer/speaker or do we spend a little time getting real gems from the Lord. How long has it been since the necessary time was taken to permit a verse or passage to 'come alive' in our heart and bless us deeply?

I believe W. Griffith Thomas said if he had his ministry to do over he, "Would preach more from the overflow of his walk with Jesus." Good advice.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2006 Use with credit.

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