Too Busy to Serve?

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead." —Matthew 8:21–22

Everyone who serves the Lord is busy. We all have a lot of things to do. But I thank God for every volunteer in the ministries that we so often take for granted. When you go to church, there are people who will help you find a seat, minister to your children, and maybe even show you where to park. All of these people are volunteers. And they are doing these things because they love Jesus.

Maybe the Lord has spoken to you about getting involved in a ministry. And maybe you have been resistant, saying, "I am very busy. I have other things to do."

That's what one man said when Jesus called him to service. He responded, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father" (Matthew 8:21). Now, this man's father was not actually dead. Rather, he was using a Near Eastern figure of speech, a common expression that described a son's responsibility to help his father in the family business until the father died and the inheritance was distributed. In other words, this man was saying, "Lord, not now. I will do it later. I would like to go and preach the kingdom, but I am busy."

The same can happen to us. God might speak to our hearts about serving Him more. And we respond, "Lord, I love You. I check in every Sunday. I put a little something in the offering. But I don't have time to go out and do those extra things. I am so busy."

If you haven't discovered the joy of serving God, then you are missing out. There is something for everyone to do in service to Him. Don't miss out on that.

Used with Permission