Beyond the Checklist-Prioritizing Presence over Productivity

A Google search of some of the most frequently mentioned commands in the Bible includes the following:

• Fear not.

• Praise the Lord.

• Rejoice.

• Give thanks.

• Love God.

• Love one another.

  
  

But if someone looked at the course of my life, I wonder what "commands" they'd think I was following? Maybe some of these...?

• Stay busy!

• Do more!

• Finish the checklist!

• Don't stop!

• Work harder!

  
  

(Those are not Biblical commands, by the way.)

I can only speak for myself, so I have to admit that I've often fallen into the trap of thinking I need to live my life in a way that makes me more worthy of God's love.  I want to see that I'm making choices that impact the Kingdom, but maybe not for the Kingdom's sake, but rather for the satisfaction of knowing that "I've done my part."  This wrong thinking typically fills my calendar unnecessarily, giving the appearance of active ministry, but instead it tends to lead to active burnout. 

Then I think...Have I ever seen Scripture that instructs us to be overly busy and give every free minute to ministry? Don't get me wrong - ministry is important. But sometimes it's too easy to start relying on what I get done, rather than resting and waiting on the Lord to invite me into what

He wants me to do. 

Busyness and excessive productivity are not God's plan for us.  Our ministry activities should flow out of our love relationship with Him, resulting from the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Psalm 46:10 comes to mind: "He says, 'Be still and know that I am God...'"

How many times have I had to reset due to burnout?  God does not call me to an overabundance of busyness; rather, He calls me to "Be still."  That is, rest in Him...wait on Him...lean on Him...listen to Him.

God does not recruit us just to do His work for Him. God invites us into relationship.  Remember Paul's prayer for the Ephesians?  “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” – Ephesians 1:17

Notice the absence of checklists and expectations of productivity. Our focus needs to be on knowing Him better. My focus needs to be on knowing Him better.

That actually makes life much simpler. I don't have to determine what I should be doing other than focusing on my relationship with God. As I walk in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), He puts on my heart what He wants me to do. I don't need to rely on my own personal checklists.