Outsource: Pastor M. Adam Summers

“And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. “

Mark 5:21-24

From The Pastor’s Desk

Is the name of the blog part of the multifunction website of Pastor M. Adam Summers. His page is a introduction to the many ministries of Faith Baptist Church of Chelsea, Michigan. There are four good articles archived here, one of which is today’s Reload.

You may also read the article on his website, located at https://pastoradamsummers.com/blog/so-much-to-do-and-so-little-time/

So Much To Do And So Little Time

I am amazed by how easy it is to fill up a day with errands, appointments, meetings, chores, and family time. Sometimes I go into my office in the morning and open my calendar to look at the schedule for the day or the week and find myself thinking “there is no way all of this will get done, what can I reschedule for another day?”

While it is good to be busy and productive (I’ve learned those two things are not always the same), I have found myself on my knees often asking the Lord to forgive me for neglecting those things that matter the most. I am not talking about my reading and studying of God’s Word, and I’m not talking about my prayer life; those are two of the most important things any of us should be doing. I’m talking about people. Actual people, not virtual friends on “social media”. Real human beings with eternal souls. You know, the reason Jesus Christ came into the world!

How can I, a pastor none the less, become so busy that I begin to look past the very reason I am even in the ministry? How shameful. It is not that we don’t care about others, or that we don’t want to minster to others, but sometimes we get so busy with all the details of our lives and ministries that we stop seeing those things which matter the most. Let’s keep in mind that we (the church) have been given one central task, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me”.

In Mark 5:21-34 the Bible gives a great lesson about our priorities. Jesus was hurrying on his way to help a little girl so ill that her father describes her as being “at the point of death”. What a tragic event this was. As Jesus was ministering to the people, this man begged him for help. Jesus agreed to go with the man to the place where the child was laying, but the crowd had grown so huge and so excited by the miracles that Jesus had been doing that the Bible says that they “thronged” Jesus. In the middle of the crowd there was woman who was ill. She had her illness for twelve years and had found no help from any doctor. In fact, the Bible says that she had spent all that she had and yet grew worse.

“And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.  For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?  And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 

But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

Mark 5:25-34

And here is where the lesson about priorities is found. Even though Jesus was in the middle of a giant crowd of needy people, and even though he was on his way to help a “life or death situation”, he still had time to reach out to the helpless woman who could not have been healed without him.

Jesus found time to stop in the middle of his hectic and busy day for just one woman. Her life was changed because Jesus took 1 minute (when he didn’t have 1 minute) to stop what he was doing and minister to this woman on an individual basis. May God help me to always be aware of the one person in the middle of my busy day that so desperately needs Jesus. I may be the only hope that person has of ever finding the hope, healing, and forgiveness that they so desperately need.

So yes, stay busy and productive, but not so busy and productive that we become failures at that which God has called us to do, “Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel to EVERY creature.”

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Disclaimer: Recommending this article does not imply an agreement with all the doctrine, information, or advice on “pastoradamsummers.com”

Please, ‘chew the meat and spit out the bones.’