Busy Here and There

Discipleship Devotional, January 14th, 2025

As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.’ While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” “That is your sentence,” the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.”
— 1 Kings 20:39-40 (NIV)

In our anchor text, we see a man given a specific task: to guard a captive. But he lost the captive, offering an excuse that he was busy “here and there.” This reflects many believers today who focus on things that won’t matter in eternity, neglecting the ultimate command God has given us. Just as the king did not accept the man’s excuse, God won’t accept any excuse for not obeying Him and fulfilling His ultimate command for our lives.

In case you don’t know what command I speak of, it is the mandate to preach the gospel. Christ commanded all believers to go in His name and make disciples of all nations, but some of us are busy here and there about earthly runs. While there are legitimate pursuits that may keep us occupied, they must never take chief priority in our lives. As important as our secular work is, it must not overshadow God’s ultimate work. Some people’s entire life revolves around earthly pursuits, resembling the man in our anchor text who was busy with everything but left his most important task undone.

Today, the Lord is challenging us to let His purpose be our number one focus, no matter our earthly pursuits. Instead of being busy with temporary things and forgetting God’s purpose, we ought to make God’s purpose our main pursuit, with everything else revolving around it. God’s purpose should influence all areas of our lives—our job, whom we marry, where we choose to live, etc. I pray that we will be purpose-driven in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Prayer
Help me, Lord, not to be busy with things that don’t matter. Keep me focused on Your purpose. Amen!