The Burnout Option

More often than we think, God's Word stands in direct opposition to what we naturally think.  Every person understands how it feels to be fatigued and physically exhausted.  The combination of sleeping or eating poorly coupled with hard work simply wipes us out.  The lack of rest can make us drowsy, sluggish, and cranky.  There is a limit to what our bodies can handle, and too much stress can lead to becoming physically ill or having a nervous breakdown.  When Moses embraced the responsibility of leading the children of Israel, his father-in-law Jethro saw the warning signs of overwork.  Exodus 18:18 records his perception, "Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself."  The threat of burnout didn't cause Moses to quit, but to delegate some of his workload to other men anointed by the Spirit for such ministry.

Many people who serve in church ministry have experienced the crash-and-burn effect of overwork.  But the scripture makes it clear being "worn out" occurs when we are out of line with the will of God.  God kept the clothes and shoes of the children of Israel from wearing out as they were led by Him in the wilderness for 40 years!  Sometimes "burnout" is a phrase used to justify laziness; other times men refuse to heed the wisdom of Jethro and throw themselves headlong into the work because of proud ambition, thinking themselves impervious to breakdown.  They neglect a Sabbath rest.  They do not trust the work of God to be done as proficiently by others, and this indicates a lack of faith in God.  There are many people who through their actions reveal they are convinced God's plan depends solely upon them.  They rush to and fro putting out fires, doing what they feel must be done, instead of waiting on the LORD to see what He would have them do and be led step by step by faith.  Walking by sight always ends in disaster.

This morning I was astounded by the simplicity of Galatians 6:9:  "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."  When I read these words written by Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit, they were like fresh dew upon the soul.  Often we think of weariness as overtaking us, that we are simply a victim of circumstances which have overwhelmed us.  But that is not the way Paul perceived it.  Because every Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit and has been granted His infinite spiritual power and resources, we have all we need to do the work God desires to accomplish through us.  Like manna in a spiritual sense, we must day by day receive of God's spiritual vitality through faith.  Do not think that we can save up spiritual strength in a storehouse to draw upon when we see fit:  in that moment God will give us the strength we need to accomplish His will because He has already given us all strength in Himself.  If we faint or grow weary, it is the product of our choices - either passive or active - which have led to the burnout condition.

What does the scripture say?  Isaiah 40:28-31 states, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹ He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. ³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, ³¹ but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  Let God be true and every man a liar.  Our strength must be renewed through waiting upon the LORD.  You may say, "But I am so tired!"  When a man works hard, his appetite grows.  As we serve God through waiting on Him and serving one another in love, our appetite for time spent with the LORD in communion should also grow.  If you find that you are so busy that you have no time even for prayer and the reading of God's Word, you are well on your way to burnout.  You are choosing the path which will wear you out.  How can I be so sure?  Because you are not renewing your strength daily by waiting on the LORD.  The Bible says if you wait upon Him you will run and not be weary.  I don't have to run far before I grow very weary.  But if we will wait on the LORD, spiritually we can run without weariness!  "But I have been waiting on the LORD, and I am still weary!"  Argue with God's Word if you like, but the Bible stands eternal and sure.  Your close walk with Jesus Christ will be your delight, and your strength will only increase as you serve God faithfully.

God promises not only to be our strength, but to keep us from stumbling.  Jude ends in verse 24-25 with this wonderful benediction:  "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, ²⁵ to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."  If God is for us, who can be against us?  I can tell you what is against God:  Satan, the world under his sway, and our flesh.  Though our souls long to please God, our flesh hates to sacrifice anything for God's glory.  The threat or feeling of burnout seems to our flesh a reasonable justification to leave off doing God's work and embrace a life of ease.  God affirms in 2 Peter 1:3 that according to "...His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue..."  Whatever God asks us to do, He will also provide the means, way, and knowledge to do it.  He is able to accomplish what concerns us today and always.

Let us not be weary in doing good because we will reap, if we faint not.  Waiting on the LORD keeps us from fainting, and by God's grace He keeps us from stumbling.  Let us apply Philippians 4:19 as a salve to our spiritual soreness:  "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  Notice the scripture does not say, "And God shall supply all that we think we need."  It says that God will supply all our need according to His riches by Christ Jesus.  How great is our God!  Let us serve Him both now and forever without intermission!

Wonderful Nature!

In recent Sunday mornings past, my son Abel and I are typically the first to arrive at Calvary Chapel Sydney to open and set up.  Not this week, however!  We were greeted by a large lizard which had parked itself in front of our building!

And a little closer...

The lizard allowed us to come right up to him.  About five minutes after we arrived, he waddled off.  I wish I could have captured his clumsy, floppy gait on camera!  Next time, I'm going to try to pet him.  Living in Australia has taught me a valuable lesson in the importance of conservation and appreciation for native wildlife.  Even the leaves God creates are beautiful!

Jesus is All We Need

My wife Laura has been reading through The Saving Life of Christ by Major W. Ian Thomas.  So many conversations we have had of late involve faith in Christ and the crippling effect of unbelief.  Yesterday we discussed our tendency as humans to ask for what God has already offered.  Minutes after talking over the subject, Laura returned and read this quote from The Saving Life of Christ on page 136:  "Remember, He does not give you strength - He is your strength!  He does not give you victory - He is your victory!  He cannot be your life without being all you need, for "in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in Him" (Col. 2:9-10a).  Then count upon the fact - and stop asking for what you have!"

For some of us, we trust in God for our justification but think our sanctification is up to us.  Obedience to God is a necessary hallmark of true faith, for good works will always accompany legitimate faith.  One of the best works is to stop relying upon ourselves or our "works" and looking to Jesus to supply our need, even when we face seemingly insurmountable difficulties.  One of John Wesley's favourite passages to preach from was 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, which flows in the same vein with what Major W. Ian Thomas plainly stated:  "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- ³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."   Jesus is our wisdom, our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  He truly is our All in All!

When we take God at His Word - no matter how we feel, no matter how improbable or impossible a situation might appear to our natural senses - we set our feet upon the surest ground:  an eternal, immovable Rock of Salvation.  Any other path which deviates from the Word of God, no matter how certain it may appear, is shifting sand which cascades into a chasm of certain ruin.  If a Christian remains in the middle of God's will, he cannot venture "out on a limb."  Faith in God is not like a child climbing a tree, with every movement towards the top becoming more precarious and dangerous.  Faith in Christ brings a man to his knees, a place where the potential to fall and suffer injury is reduced to nothing.

The words of Hebrews 12:1-3 are appropriate in any case:  "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."  Let us look to Jesus for the abundant life intent on receiving even as He has promised us:  not a life quantifiable by health, wealth, fame, comfort, or social status, but a joyful life that endures for the glory of God for eternity.

A Willing Prisoner?

While praying this morning, I was reminded of when Peter was released from prison.  Herod had killed James the brother of John.  When he saw how it pleased the Jewish leaders, he also arrested and imprisoned Peter.  Acts 12:5-10 relates the details of Peter's miraculous release:  "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. ⁶ And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. ⁷ Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. ⁸ Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." ⁹ So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him."

Peter was a Christian who followed Jesus to the end and the Holy Spirit worked mightily through him.  While he was in prison, people in the church were continually praying for his deliverance.  When the day of his likely public execution drew near, God sent an angel to free him from his bonds.  Peter was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly struck on the side and lifted to his feet as a light shown around him.  The chains fell from his wrists, Peter put on his clothes and shoes as he was commanded, and followed the angel to freedom.  The scene was so surreal that Peter figured he must have been dreaming.  It was not until he was outside the prison that he realized his deliverance from the prison was reality.

In a spiritual sense, every person is born into a prison of sin where Satan is the chief warden.  We are all like Peter, chained in a dungeon behind reinforced walls and doors.  There is no capacity for man to escape from this prison, nor is salvation or reconciliation obtainable through good behaviour.  The only way to be saved from our sin is to repent and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, following Him to the end.  The Bible does not say how long Peter was in prison.  Knowing that James had been killed with the sword and that likely death awaited him was not a enjoyable prospect to consider.  Can you imagine if Peter was so depressed because of his plight that when the angel slapped him on the side and raised him to his feet Peter lay back down between the Roman guards, rubbing his sore ribs?  How ridiculous it would seem for Peter to ignore the command of the angel to follow and willingly place his hands back into the shackles.  But this is the same thing defeated Christians can choose to do every day, believing that escape from the prison which holds them is futile.

The only thing more tragic than a person choosing to reject Jesus Christ is when those who have received Him through faith reject the hope, peace, and victory He has granted by grace.  That smack on Peter's side was intended to wake him up and bring him to his senses, not to make him cower in fear or pain.  Peter's escape from prison hinged upon one thing:  his obedience.  If Peter refused to follow the angel through the doors, he would have likely died in that prison.  As Peter followed in obedience, they walked right past posted guards.  They approached bolted doors and secured iron gates which swung open on their own accord.  Peter didn't have to break the necks of guards, strain at rusted locks, or dig his way free:  God loosed his chains, led him out of the prison, and delivered him by God's grace.

I read a story of a 59 year-old man in the States who robbed a bank of $1 the purpose of being arrested so he could go back to prison for health care purposes.  This story is not an isolated case.  There are people, believe it or not, who enjoy being inside prison more than being out of prison.  While incarcerated inmates are given a bed, clothes, access to clean water and showers, food at regular intervals they do not need to purchase or prepare, medical treatment, and have many friends and activities to pass the time.  Is it so crazy to think that there are professing Christians who willingly go back to a prison of sin for the perceived perks?  Friends, God did not save us so we can stay in bondage:  Jesus came to deliver the captives and set us free!  We must follow Him, and the doors Jesus opens none can shut.

For us who have been born again through faith in Jesus, we never need be arrested again.  Unlike Peter, should a Christian find himself in prison of sin again it is because he has willingly chosen to enter and remain.  Isaiah 54:17 promises us, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD."  I'm glad that God slaps me when I am in a sinful rut!  In love and grace He renews our minds and gives us strength to repent and follow Him again.  We have been saved not by works of righteousness we have done, but according to God's mercy.  Let us continually walk and rejoice in this fact!