TO-DO LISTS
Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
Do you make to-do-lists? I must confess that I do - all the time! And I must also confess that I have, on more than one occasion, written down a chore that I had already done, just to get the satisfaction of crossing the item off the list. There's something very satisfying about looking at a list of chores that have check marks next to each one. (Now, don't tell me I'm the only one who has done that!).
Lists are good, but if we concentrate too much doing what is on our to-do list, we can forget the importance of simply being. After all, we are human beings not human doings. God calls us to be many things: joyful, thankful, kind, forgiving and patient, just to name a few. But the most important "be" command is found all throughout the Bible: be holy; in other words, be like Jesus. That may sound like an impossible feat but the secret is found in another "be" verse: be still. If we want to become Christ-like, we need to schedule quiet moments each day to settle our spirit, and ask Him to give us strength to honor Him in everything we say and do.
The most important thing to do every day is to practice being like Jesus. Even when our day doesn't turn out like we hoped it would or like we planned. Even when we have to deal with a difficult person or when we receive bad news. Even when we are dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic! We will always face plenty of opportunities to choose between behaving like Christ would or acting on our natural instincts. In those moments, what we do will reflect who we are becoming. And, brothers and sisters, that is much more important than crossing off every item on the longest to-do list.
Let us pray: Dear heavenly Father, help us to always keep being like Christ as the first and most important item on our to-do list. Amen.
Pastor Ruth
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