Are you too busy?

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah 6:8 NASB

This Got My Attention

My work and personal schedule have been jam-packed as I run from one commitment to another. I’m even writing this on the due date at 10 p.m. instead of ahead of time.

What’s the problem? Little or No Margin!

A Simple Point and Good Advice

However, God calls us to live lives of simplicity and wisdom, which requires some margin.

Ephesians 5:15–16"Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil."

The Truth

“We are too alive to die, and too dead to live.” — The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.

Think about that for a moment. Most of us in the Western world are so alive (plugged in, full of commitments, full calendar, running from one thing to another) that we “can’t die” and leave all that responsibility to someone else. But doing all that stuff makes us dead inside—with worry, short tempers, behind on a to-do list, oozing frustration and tension… with no time to really… live (connecting with and serving God and others).

There’s a reason people talk about “walking” with God, not “running” with God.

We need margin in our lives to walk this way.

Trust

What’s the key to this life of margin? I offer only a one-word answer: Trust.

We must trust the One who set us free. Trust the One who holds all things in His hands. Trust the One who knows us better than we know ourselves. Trust Him with our time, talent, finances, relationships, our health, and _______________ (you fill in the blank with what’s on your mind).

Always being in a hurry and living life without margin is really a trust issue.

Apply It

Examine your schedule today and see what items are genuinely in the Top 5% (The Five Fs) and which are not. What items are within your Life Plan Accounts? What do we need to eliminate in order to slow down and walk with God and others so that we are able to serve God and others?

Eliminate hurry and trust the One who holds all time in His hands!

Paul Hopp

MD5 Facilitator