Prioritisation

Some things don’t need to be done at all

Is there any escape from this pattern of living – this tyranny of the urgent?

The answer lies in the life of Yeshua. On the night before he died, he made an astonishing claim – in his  prayer in John 17 – he said, “I have finished the work which you gave me to do.”

How could Yeshua use the word “finished”? His three-year ministry seemed all too short. A prostitute at Simon’s banquet had found forgiveness and a new life, but many others still walked the street without forgiveness and without a new life. For every ten withered muscles that had flexed into health perhaps a hundred remained impotent. Yet on that last night, with many useful tasks undone and urgent human needs unmet, the Lord had peace; he knew that he had finished God’s work.

The gospel records show that Yeshua worked hard. After describing a busy day Mark writes, “That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (Mark 1:32-34).

On another occasion the demands of the ill and maimed caused him to miss supper and to work so late that his disciples thought he was beside himself (Mark 3:21). One day after a strenuous teaching session, Yeshua and his disciples went out in a boat. Even a storm didn’t awaken him (Mark 4:37-38). What a picture of exhaustion.

Yet his life was never feverish; he had time for people. He could spend hours talking to one person, such as the Samaritan woman at the well. His life showed a wonderful balance, a sense of timing. When his brothers wanted him to go to Judea, he replied, “My time has not yet come” (John 7:6). Yeshua did not ruin his gifts by haste. Here in this person is adequate purpose… inward rest, that gives an air of leisure to his crowded life: above all there is a secret, a power of dealing with the demands of life, triumphing at last in death, and making a short life of thirty years or so, abruptly cut off, to be a “finished” life.
 
 
Read John 11:1-6
 
Lazarus’ death illustrates this particular principle. What could have been more important than the urgent message from Mary and Martha, “Lord, he whom you love is ill”? John records the Lord’s response in these paradoxical words: “Now Yeshua loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was”. What was the urgent need? Obviously it was to prevent the death of his beloved brother. But the important thing from God’s point of view was to raise Lazarus from the dead. So Lazarus was allowed to die. Later Yeshua revived him as a sign of his magnificent claim, “I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in me will live, even though he dies”.
 
Sometimes we jokingly say that something is not important because “no one is going to die if I don’t do it”. But in this case, someone did die and yet Yeshua still remained where he was two more days. What was he thinking!
 
·      What would you have thought if you were one of the disciples when Yeshua heard the news and decided to stay where he was?
 
 
 
Read John 11:7-16
 
·      What were the disciples worried about? Maybe they thought that was why Yeshua had stayed where he was for two days. Why wasn’t Yeshua worried about it?
 
 
 
·      How about you? What things do you worry about that God already has under control?
 


Read John 11:17-27
 
·      What was Martha, (Lazarus’ sister)’s reaction when Yeshua arrived? How do you think she would have felt if she found out about the two day delay? How would you have reacted if it was your brother and the one who claimed he loved you and had the ability to save him arrived too late? Because he chose to!
 
 
 
·      How long had Lazarus been dead when Yeshua arrived at Bethany? How long did Yeshua delay before he came? So if Yeshua had rushed there immediately would he have arrived in time to save Lazarus?
 
 
 
Read Matt 8:5-13 and Mark 7:24-30
 
When the Centurion asked Yeshua to heal his servant Yeshua did it “by remote control”. Even the Centurion recognized that Yeshua didn’t have to physically go somewhere to heal someone. Yeshua did this too for the woman’s daughter. So he could have healed Lazarus without moving – and yet, … he didn’t.
 
Read John 11:38-44
 
Which do you think would have brought greater glory to God: Yeshua rushing and healing Lazarus, saving him from death; or Yeshua raising Lazarus to life after 4 days? The story of Lazarus is so famous that even non-Christians talk about it still - 2,000 years later.
 
 
 
Some things just need to remain undone. It’s not always a disaster if you can’t be there to “fix it”. Trust God that he is in control and all you need to do is to do what he has given you to do, (and leave the rest undone).
 
 
Sometimes God just doesn’t want it done at all, even though it might seem good to us.
 
Read Acts 19:11-12
 
Paulus was used to achieve great things for God. Even touching his handkerchief healed people!!
 
Read 2 Timothy 4:20
 
But Paulus also left some seemingly good things undone.
 
·      Why do you think that was? Couldn’t he have left him a handkerchief? Would you have healed the guy if you were Paulus?
 

 
Read Luke 4:25-27
 
Surely it would have seemed good to us to help all the widows and all the lepers, but that was simply not God’s plan. Even God himself leaves some seemingly good things undone because he has a higher plan, a bigger picture.
 
 
And finally, sometimes you may find yourself in the awkward situation where you have already committed yourself to something which you have now realized you shouldn’t be doing at all.
 
·      What should you do then? Should you break your word and stop? Should you do it anyway? How do you handle it?
 
 
 
Read Prov 6:1-5
 
The Biblical solution is to go to the one to whom you have given your pledge, and express your case, but be bound by their decision.
 
·        Is there anything you should be stopping?



·        Is there anyone you should be talking to?