Our senior pastor has been leading youth group for the past several weeks with a series on the book of Daniel.  Last week we were covering the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  If you forget the story, go read Daniel 3.  For a quick summary, the story was: king set up idol, everyone but three worshipped it, three get thrown into furnace, saved from burning by God, king is amazed.  I just condensed an entire chapter of the Bible into 22 words.  Wow.

In talking about idols, our senior pastor made this remark:
“Anything that comes between you and Christ is excess.  An idol.”

He went on to talk about how anything can become an idol: family, friends, socializing, even ministry.

“But wait!  Ministry as an idol?  But I’m doing it for God!  How can it be an idol?”  I know I’ve said those words.  And if I were a betting man, I would bet you probably have in some form or another too.  Maybe it was just that one more program you figured wouldn’t be a big deal.  Just one more night a week, right?  On top of that, it’s for God, so it can’t be bad.  Soon though, you’re finding those late night study sessions are becoming more frequent.  Prayer and Bible reading?  Well, you’ll have time tomorrow, right?  Ooh, you missed that birthday party you promised to go to.  Oh well, just send them a nice card and apologize, an it’ll be OK.

You know what I’m talking about.  I can see it in your face.  (OK, I really can’t, but I can see it in mine, so…)  I like to call it Ministryholism.  And no, I don’t intend to start Ministryholics Anonymous any time soon.  It is an important topic though.  Thousands of pastors and volunteers have followed the same track: work, work, work, boom.  You’re done.  You can’t take it anymore.  You start doing things that shock even yourself.  You are physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted.  You just quit.

Don’t follow in that path!  ”No” is the single most important word in the English language, yet it seems to be the least used!  Learn to understand when your plate is simply too full.  I like to run everything through this filter:
“Is the time I will devote to this going to cause my relationship with Christ, my family, and those close to me to be strained?  Will I have time to devote to my prayer and study of God?”

Obviously, sometimes there will be special commitments you simply need to do that will make life insane from time to time.  That’s why you always want a little extra room on your “plate”.  That way if you have to cram something in, you can.  When there’s nothing there, it’s just great free time to spend.

Have no worries if you aren’t getting it right.  I’m learning right along with you, as is just about every other person who serves in a ministry anywhere in the world.  So go ahead.  Take that little quiet time.  Go on a vacation with no electronics. (it’s hard for me too!)  Just let God work in His mysterious, wonderful ways.