New Wineskins
One of the more famous stories Jesus told during his life was the story of the Good Samaritan. Here’s how it starts off: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” Luke 10:30-32
The irony of the story was that the priest and Levite were deemed to be the most religious folks of that day. Today it would be like a pastor and deacon walking straight past a person in need. Why did they do it? There were issues of religious cleanness to consider, and most likely, they were just busy. They were on their way to the temple and didn’t want to be bothered. They were so busy trying to do things for God, they couldn’t see the ministry opportunity from God staring them right in the face.
When we get too busy, ministry opportunities begin to look like interruptions. The person in need becomes a nuisance. The demanding family member becomes a drain. The ministry opportunity becomes a menace. It’s happened far too many times in my life. I can overschedule my life to the point where I have no margin left. The problem? Quality ministry usually happens in the margins.
Slow down a little bit. Build margin into the rhythm of your life. And the next time God brings you an opportunity to minister to someone, you’ll see it for what it really is.
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