Life In Balance
How often do you feel like you have made the most of your day?
Look at this great list of things you might like to have in your life: fame, great friends, wealth, meaningful relationships, great family, health, spiritual health, long life, professional accomplishment. What if you could only pick five? Three?
Consider a seldom-seen Biblical character we can learn from named Eutychus. Spoiler alert: his claim to fame was he fell asleep during a sermon, but with dire consequences! Fortunately for many, not all sermon dozers experience those consequences!
You can read about him in Acts 20:7-12:
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
Look at this great list of things you might like to have in your life: fame, great friends, wealth, meaningful relationships, great family, health, spiritual health, long life, professional accomplishment. What if you could only pick five? Three?
Consider a seldom-seen Biblical character we can learn from named Eutychus. Spoiler alert: his claim to fame was he fell asleep during a sermon, but with dire consequences! Fortunately for many, not all sermon dozers experience those consequences!
You can read about him in Acts 20:7-12:
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Eutychus was interested in what Paul had to say so he tried to hang in there for the whole message. In your mind, picture this scene: what did the meeting place look like? Feel like? Smell like? Eutychus was either there because he wanted to be, or perhaps friends invited him. But because Paul spoke late in the night, Eutychus got sleepy and started to doze. What was working against him?
Can you think of times when you wanted to do something, but the circumstances just seemed to work against you? You waiver back and forth between “Maybe God is trying to tell me something” on the one side, and “I am determined to see this thing through” on the other. Perhaps Eutychus was extremely interested, but exhaustion and the late hour won out. By the way, Eutychus means "fortunate." Go figure.
Paul wanted to share so many things with these people he loved that he couldn’t stop talking about Jesus. He was undeterred from his teaching, but certainly responded to the tragedy at hand. You may be wondering why Paul felt the need to teach all night long? The answer comes later in the story: “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again." Acts 20:22-25 NIV
When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. (vs. 37) They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. Acts 20:36-37 NIV
Paul knew this was the last time to see these dear people. He wanted them to know what was most important in life. This echoes another place in the Bible: “We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over.” (John 9:4 The Message version) This doesn’t mean it’s wrong to work a night job, it’s simply saying we need to get important things done in the time we have. At some point, we will run out of time.
Quotable Quotes:
How did it get so late so soon?
It's night before it's afternoon.
December is here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon? ~Dr. Seuss
Every man dies. Not every man really lives. ~Braveheart
As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do. ~Zachary Scott
Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you. ~Annie Dillard
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~ Jesus in John 14:27
4832 Ponderings…
Do I make the most of each day, and the most of my time?
Is there a goal, challenge or desire I would like to accomplish? Am I devoting time and energy toward making it a reality rather than simply a wish?
Eutychus was interested in what Paul had to say so he tried to hang in there for the whole message. In your mind, picture this scene: what did the meeting place look like? Feel like? Smell like? Eutychus was either there because he wanted to be, or perhaps friends invited him. But because Paul spoke late in the night, Eutychus got sleepy and started to doze. What was working against him?
Can you think of times when you wanted to do something, but the circumstances just seemed to work against you? You waiver back and forth between “Maybe God is trying to tell me something” on the one side, and “I am determined to see this thing through” on the other. Perhaps Eutychus was extremely interested, but exhaustion and the late hour won out. By the way, Eutychus means "fortunate." Go figure.
Paul wanted to share so many things with these people he loved that he couldn’t stop talking about Jesus. He was undeterred from his teaching, but certainly responded to the tragedy at hand. You may be wondering why Paul felt the need to teach all night long? The answer comes later in the story: “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again." Acts 20:22-25 NIV
When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. (vs. 37) They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. Acts 20:36-37 NIV
Paul knew this was the last time to see these dear people. He wanted them to know what was most important in life. This echoes another place in the Bible: “We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over.” (John 9:4 The Message version) This doesn’t mean it’s wrong to work a night job, it’s simply saying we need to get important things done in the time we have. At some point, we will run out of time.
Quotable Quotes:
How did it get so late so soon?
It's night before it's afternoon.
December is here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon? ~Dr. Seuss
Every man dies. Not every man really lives. ~Braveheart
As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do. ~Zachary Scott
Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you. ~Annie Dillard
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~ Jesus in John 14:27
4832 Ponderings…
Do I make the most of each day, and the most of my time?
Is there a goal, challenge or desire I would like to accomplish? Am I devoting time and energy toward making it a reality rather than simply a wish?
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Run the race set before you ... not all races are the same, most are seldom the race we would have chosen or are prepared for in our thinking. Some are longer & grueling, some are short & intense, some call for patience & self control. Some are never understood