The Secret of Effectiveness

Scripture:

“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:15-16 (NIV)

Perspective:

We want to be connected to people. We use social media to connect with people’s daily lives. Connecting with people is part of our DNA. We are wired to do life together. However, it can become detrimental to our purpose in life when we let the agendas and priorities of others become our priorities. A lack of social balance can cause us to evaluate the effectiveness and busyness of our lives on the moments of urgency and opinions of others.

Once Jesus began healing people, his fame started to spread. Can you imagine the number of people lined up for Jesus to heal? Jesus could have probably spent all of his time healing people. The crowds of people needed something from Jesus. And, Jesus was willing to heal them, but he wasn’t willing to let the crowd’s agenda dictate God’s agenda. Sometimes we have to get away from other people’s agendas so that we can be reminded of God’s agenda. Having the discipline to be alone with God is difficult. But, we can only give our best to others when we have first given our best to God. Jesus understood that principle quite well. There was a pattern in His life that was characterized by continual time with God. In our time management philosophies, it would have seemed that he could have healed more people if He wasn’t taking time to withdraw from the crowds. And if He had just withdrawn from the crowds, it might have been more effective to keep working. Yet, the activity during the time he was away from the people in need was the key: prayer. He didn’t just sit and stare at a wall then have the ability to touch peoples’ lives. The time He spent in prayer was not wasted; it was the very thing that enabled Him to heal the sick, raise the dead, and restore people’s lives. Spending time alone with God allows us to refocus our hearts, remember our purpose, and redefine the future. It is the very thing that will enable you to do what God has placed in your heart to do.