I wish to continue the theme of busyness with an old story if found in my files...
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, “We can’t keep Christians from turning against God but we can distract them from God. Let them go to church, but let us steal their time so they don’t have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do,” said the devil: “Distract them from maintaining that vital connection with Jesus throughout their day!”
“How shall we do this?” his demons asked.
“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered. “Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear the still, small voice of God. Entice them to play the radio or iPod whenever they drive, to keep the TV, DVD, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, and every kind of newsletter and promotion offering free products, services and false hopes. Let them stand in lines for hours for the latest cell phone or Harry Potter book forgetting about God. Let them be seduced by glitzy advertising that will lure them away from God. Fill their world and their minds with trash so that they will not have room for God. Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep wives and husbands too tired to love each other after their work. Give them headaches too! If they don’t give each other the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly! Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!
"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so they will believe that outward beauty is what’s important, and forget that loving God and neighbor is what is really beautiful.
"Give them Santa Clause to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter bunny so they won’t talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death.
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Let them think that attending a sports event is more important than keeping holy the Lord’s Day and treating the sport stars as if they were bishops. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God’s creation.
"Keep them busy, busy, busy! It will work! It will work!”
It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there, having little time for their God or their families.
Does “BUSY” mean: Being Under Satan’s Yoke?
(The above story is a modified version of the original written by Geraldine Harris and Kristen Maddox © 1998)
Jesus said to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)
Martha was busy making cookies that Jesus never ordered. Instead of spending time with Jesus she was busy doing things. “Doing” is so much easier for most B4Ters than “being”. What a pity that is. A day without Jesus in it is a day wasted. John Wooden of basketball fame often said, “Make each day a masterpiece.” To do that we need to spend time with the Master, who then puts the pieces of the day together. How are you doing with giving daily time to be with Jesus?
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, “We can’t keep Christians from turning against God but we can distract them from God. Let them go to church, but let us steal their time so they don’t have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do,” said the devil: “Distract them from maintaining that vital connection with Jesus throughout their day!”
“How shall we do this?” his demons asked.
“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered. “Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear the still, small voice of God. Entice them to play the radio or iPod whenever they drive, to keep the TV, DVD, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, and every kind of newsletter and promotion offering free products, services and false hopes. Let them stand in lines for hours for the latest cell phone or Harry Potter book forgetting about God. Let them be seduced by glitzy advertising that will lure them away from God. Fill their world and their minds with trash so that they will not have room for God. Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep wives and husbands too tired to love each other after their work. Give them headaches too! If they don’t give each other the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly! Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!
"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so they will believe that outward beauty is what’s important, and forget that loving God and neighbor is what is really beautiful.
"Give them Santa Clause to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter bunny so they won’t talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death.
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Let them think that attending a sports event is more important than keeping holy the Lord’s Day and treating the sport stars as if they were bishops. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God’s creation.
"Keep them busy, busy, busy! It will work! It will work!”
It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there, having little time for their God or their families.
Does “BUSY” mean: Being Under Satan’s Yoke?
(The above story is a modified version of the original written by Geraldine Harris and Kristen Maddox © 1998)
Jesus said to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)
Martha was busy making cookies that Jesus never ordered. Instead of spending time with Jesus she was busy doing things. “Doing” is so much easier for most B4Ters than “being”. What a pity that is. A day without Jesus in it is a day wasted. John Wooden of basketball fame often said, “Make each day a masterpiece.” To do that we need to spend time with the Master, who then puts the pieces of the day together. How are you doing with giving daily time to be with Jesus?
No comments:
Post a Comment