While pastoring my campus fellowship as a year two student that year, I had a serious burden to invest my time in a sound relationship with God while growing the fellowship by His grace.
During one of my meditations, I told God; “I wish I’m not bothered about academics and other engagements, so I can have all the time for You and the work.” The response I got from God shaped my perspective forever; “Son, you would have to learn how to get busy with life while getting intimate with me at the same time.”
Friend, just as God told me that year, you would have to learn how to get busy with life while cultivating intimacy with God at the same time. You need to learn how to manage growth and busyness. God does not want or use idle people. He wants us to be engaged with life while getting intimate with Him (Matthew 20:1-7, 1 Thessalonians 4:11). This is the burden and beauty of the Christian life.
Work is not a curse. It is actually a blessing if well managed (2 Thessalonians 3:11-12). It is easier to sustain a strong Christian life when you are busy with life’s activities than when you are idle. Someone who resumes work at 8am knows that he has to be up by 5am or 6am for his quiet time. But someone who is idle thinks he can still sleep till 11am before having his quiet time.
Busyness puts structure and organisation in you, which will, in turn, help your growth. Most of the Bible folks who were intimate with God were busy people. Jesus called busy people as His disciples; He wanted people that were already in work mode, already structured for productivity (Matthew 9:9, Luke 5:1-10).
You are not likely to be less busy than you currently are. Stop hoping you would have time to get God later in the future. DO IT NOW! How do you sustain your walk with the Lord in the midst of ever busy schedules? You need wisdom! The busier you are, the wiser you must be (Luke 2:49, 52). It is not your work or schedule that is affecting your walk with the Lord. It is the absence of wisdom (Proverbs 4:7, James 1:5).
Wisdom would teach you to plan and prioritise (Ecclesiastes 10:15). It would help you to discern and avoid demonic busyness and entanglements. Wisdom would teach you to multitask. You learn how to be on commute to work while listening to edifying worship and messages. You combine house chores with speaking in tongues. With wisdom, the 21st century Christian learns to have a mobile Christianity.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria