Everyone is busy. There’s hardly anyone, who isn’t busy. No one has time. People are consumed by their everyday life. People don’t rule over time, but time rules over people. When you ask someone how it’s going or if you ask someone a favor, almost every time you hear that the person is busy. Many times, they are also too busy to pray and to read and study the Bible. But what are they busy with? People are too busy being busy. People don’t have any time anymore. Well, people do have time, but they spend their time on things, which are important to them and therefore they are occupied with their own activities. It’s just like in the parable of the great supper. All the people, who were invited were too busy with their own things and therefore rejected the invitation and didn’t partake of the great supper. All people have received the same amount of time, but they decide how they spend their time.
What are you too busy for?
What do you do with the time that God has given you? What makes you busy in life? Are you busy doing your job? Busy to achieve your goals and earn more money? Taking care of your family? Or are you too busy with your phone and social media, the television, computer or gaming? Are you too busy with friends and going out or are you too busy relaxing?
The definition of ‘being busy’ or ‘being too busy’, differs per person.
For example, a person, who works 12 hours a day can say (s)he’s busy, but a person, who works 4-8 hours a day, may also say, that (s)he is also busy.
When people say, that they are too busy, it doesn’t mean that they are really busy. They are busy with the things that are important to them.
They might invest their time in things that will not add any value to their lives but will just entertain them temporarily.
The parable of the great supper
When one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them:I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper (Luke 14:15-24)
When we look at the parable of the great supper, a certain man prepared a great supper and send his slave to get the people, who were invited. But all of the people, who were invited were too busy with their daily affairs. Yes, their daily affairs were more important, than the supper of the man.
They all accepted the invitation, but when the time of the supper came, they excused themselves. They were too busy with their own lives, doing their own things; the things of the world. Those things were more important than spending time with this certain man and enjoying this great dinner.
Because of the fact that the people, who were invited by this certain man, were too busy with their own affairs, the master became angry and commanded his slave to go into the streets and lanes of the city and bring the maimed, the poor, the halt and the blind.
When there was still some room left, the master commanded his slave to go to the highways and hedges. The slave obeyed the words of his master and did as his master commanded. The master said, that not one of those men, who were invited would taste his supper.
People are too busy with the things of the world
In this parable of the great supper (Luke 14:16-24), we read about the same phenomenon as in our age; people are too busy. They are too busy with their daily affairs and the things of this world. The people, who were invited didn’t know when this supper would take place. They all accepted the invitation. But when the time of the great supper came, they were too busy doing their own stuff. The people, who were invited, considered their daily affairs more important than the supper. The truth was, that they didn’t want to spend time with him. They wanted to spend time on their own affairs.
According to these people, their own affairs were more important than the supper. The people weren’t too busy, but they just had other priorities.
They could have easily put their own affairs aside for a while, and made time for the supper. They could have done that if they really wanted to partake of the supper.
Martha & Maria
Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus ‘feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her (Luke 10:38-42)
Martha was over-occupied, preparing the meal, and serving. In her eyes, it was necessary and an important thing to do. Maybe Martha was irritated, by the fact that her sister Maria didn’t help her. According to Martha, Maria didn’t do anything, but only listened to Jesus. But Maria had other priorities than Martha. Maria wanted to spend time with Jesus and listen to Him.
So it happened, that Martha came to Jesus and asked Him to tell Maria to help her prepare the meal. But Jesus told Martha, that she was careful and troubled (worried) about many things, which were not important.
Jesus didn’t answer her, how she wanted to be answered. He didn’t compliment Martha on her hard work and didn’t tell Maria to help her. Instead, Jesus told Martha that Maria had chosen the good part, which would not be taken away from her.
Maria fellowshipped with Jesus; she took the time to listen to His words. She wasn’t worried about other things, but she gave priority to what was important to her: spending time with Jesus.
How much time do you spend with Jesus, the Word?
How much time do you spend with Jesus? How much time do you spend reading and studying the Bible on a daily basis? When you love someone, you want to spend time with the person. You want to be with the person and want to get to know him or her.
You can’t get to know someone from a distance or get to know someone, by what other people say about him or her.
It is the same thing with Jesus. When you say, that you love Jesus, but don’t spend time with Jesus, then there is something wrong.
You can watch many Christian channels on television or YouTube and hear preachings all day long. But this can also become a diversion, to keep you away from Jesus; the Word.
Jesus is the Living Word and when you spend in the Word, the Bible, then you fellowship with Him.
How much time you spend with Him, depends on the fact of how much you really love Him. When He is really important to you, you shall put all your daily affairs aside in order to spend time with Him.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? And in Thy Name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus said, that He didn’t know them. They cast out devils and prophesied in His name, but Jesus didn’t know them. They didn’t spend time with Jesus to get to know Him and to get to know the will of the Father and do the will of the Father (Read also: ‘The commandments of God and the commandments of Jesus‘).
Having a relationship with Jesus
It is not about works, but it’s about a relationship with Him, which you can only have by spending time with Him; through His Word. The works shall follow you automatically, but don’t become focused on the works and give priority to the works, above spending time with Jesus.
You can be very busy doing many affairs for the church, that you don’t have time to spend in the Word, and get to know Jesus, His will, and doing His will. Because of that, you shall never really get to know Him.
The danger is, that you can create an imaginary Jesus, who can become an idol in your life and keep you away from the real Jesus Christ. Therefore, you have to be very careful.
Don’t use the time as an excuse for something you don’t want to do. Don’t say you are too busy. You can make time if you really want to. Therefore don’t be too busy for Jesus Christ but make time for Him.
Where your heart is, that’s where you’ll spend your time on, and that’s where your treasure will be.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
