I can tell them in advance. The Bible is very clear about how hurry and busyness and a frantic pace affects your life. We all know what happens to us as life goes faster and faster but if you’re like me you don’t take time to think about it because life is going… faster and faster! We’ll take just a minute this morning to think about what the four effects of a hurried lifestyle are.
1. When I get more and more hurried I feel more stress. I feel the stress in my life in a greater way. It’s not supposed to be this way. We weren’t made to live this way. Song of Solomon 1:6 “I had no time to care for myself.” When you don’t have any time to care for yourself and things going on in your life, of course the stress piles up.
2. When life gets hurried I also lose my joy. Job 9:25 says, “My days go by faster than a runner. They fly away without my seeing any joy.” When was the last time you felt genuine joy in your life? God took time to enjoy what He made and He teaches us to enjoy the things that He’s made.
3. When I get too hurried in life I am less productive. You think the faster you go the more you get done but the truth is the faster you go the less productive you become. Proverbs 21:5 says “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run. Hurry and scurry puts you further behind.” Psalms 19:2 says “A person in a hurry makes mistakes.” Do you find yourself making more mistakes? Are you less productive?
4. I can’t hear God. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.”
We’re going to talk today about four principles that spell out the word SLOW.
S – The S in SLOW stands for Stop the constant push for more. What is it that drives you to constantly keep pushing for more? The starting point to getting balance in your life is not to clear the decks. The starting point is to become content with who you are and what you have. Until you do that you will always be driven to take on more. You have to stop that constant push. The Bible says in the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes 4:6 “It is better to have only a little with peace of mind than be busy all the time.” s
L - Learn to say “No”. That is a ten thousand-dollar time management seminar in two letters. NO. That ability to say no. We’re addicted to the lifestyle of going faster and faster and how important it makes us feel. We’re living this verse in Proverbs 20:25 “A impulsive vow is a trap. Later you wish you could get out of it.” It’s always easier to get in than it is to get out.
O - Obey the fourth commandment. “You have six days in which to do your work but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to Me.” He says every seven days you take a day off. That’s how important He considers rest.
W - Wait for God’s timing. The reason we get in a hurry is we’re impatient and impatience is basically a lack of trust in God. We think we know what will make us happy, not God. You need to wait on God’s timing. Trust God’s timing. If you’re serious about slowing the pace of your life you need to trust that God has a plan for your life.
Father, I know that there are a lot of tired, overloaded people here today. They’re stretched beyond capacity. Our culture is pushing us to go faster and faster. So today as a group of people supporting each other in this church family we want to make a counter-culture decision. We want to enjoy the life You’ve given to us, not just endure it. We want to bring sanity and simplicity back into our schedule. We want to live balanced healthy lives. We want to have time for the relationships that matter most – with You, with those we love, with each other in our church family. Only You can make the changes we need in our lives. We commit it all to You and We commit to being a part of this series. Help us to become more balanced. We want to learn to trust You. In Your name we pray. Amen.”
