“Lift that barge and tote that bale, git a little drunk and you land in jail. I gets weary and sick of tryin’, I’m tired of livin’ and skeered of dyin’, but ol’ man river, he just keeps rolling along.”
Has your life become like the slave who sings this song, as he labors into exhaustion? He could not say no, because he was a slave. He couldn’t slow down because he was under bondage to his master. He would have liked to do something to help him forget his troubles; maybe getting drunk. However, that wouldn’t work, because he would be in a worse fix than ever - he was in a prison, whether within, or without. This, my friend, is called stress. He was caught in a place of being too tired and worn out to go on living, and faced the fearful possibility of dying. In the end, he finds it is a hopeless situation, for the river of life just goes on.
Are you like that slave, under so much pressure and bondage, it seems as though there is no hope? You are not alone. Christians all over the world are finding the pressures of serving God increasingly difficult. Why? It isn’t one specific thing, but a variety of things that drive us, condemn us and scrutinize us. Many of us feel driven to accomplish great things for the Lord. Webster’s dictionary describes ‘driven’ as a forward motion by physical force, authority or influence. It also means to have a compulsive or urgent quality, or sense of obligation.
Let’s examine the word ‘lead’. Lead means to guide on a way, by going in advance; to direct on a course, which naturally brings others to follow. If you take the words drive, or driven and compare it to the word ‘lead’, it would be like a negative and a positive. The negative is to be driven and the positive is to be led.
In studying the scriptures, we find that Christ never drives the believer into serving him, but gently leads his own, as the Good Shepherd, (John 10:11). One cannot lead unless someone will follow, and one cannot drive unless there is someone to push forward.
The song, “O’ Man River
We need to remember that although it is true, ‘God is good’, ‘everything that’s good is not always God’. An example of that is found in Job. God allowed Satan to test Job, and because of what Job was going through, his friends came to mourn with him and comfort him. When they saw his condition, they wept and tore their clothes, for they could hardly recognize him. What they did was good. They wanted to help him, and after much dialogue, came to the conclusion that in some way he had sinned against God. Then Elihu, a younger man, confronted Job and told him that his suffering was caused because he needed to change his attitude and become humble.
What these men did seemed good, but it wasn’t God. They did what they felt was righteous and godly. All of them proclaimed God’s justice and majesty, which was good. However, they were out of God’s will, and sought to drive Job to repentance, when he was not in the wrong. The whole book can be summarized in this: Grace is a gift from God and not a debt, for we cannot earn it.
In Acts, chapter five, we read about Ananias and Sapphira, a couple who sold their land and gave half of the money to the church. That was a good and godly thing to do. There was only one problem with it, they lied and held back from God. They died because of what they did. It seemed good, but it wasn’t God. What we learn from this example is that God knows the motives of our heart.
Who or what drives us in such a relentless way. Could it be we think we are gods who can single-handedly do every service that is needed in our church or Christian community? Who drives us to exhaustion, stress and poor health? Is it Christ, the Good Shepherd; the leader of whom we should be followers? I think not. Our Lord is not the one shouting out driving commands, “tote that barge and lift that bale!” Instead, “He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat.” (Mark 6:31)
Another time Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) Jesus knew the need for rest and it appears he did this often. He never seemed in a hurry, when he raised Lazarus from the dead, or when he brought the little girl back to life. Our Lord, who could do miracles such as these, also remarked to his disciples, “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matt. 9: 37,38) If he was going to do this by himself, why did he pray for laborers?
When we take too many tasks unto ourselves, we will short change someone. We may have many talents and gifts and enjoy using them for God’s purpose, but it may be time to examine ourselves and look at the real motive behind what we do. Are we afraid of saying ‘no’ to God, or to man? When we are so busy we have no time for prayer, we are saying ‘no’ to God. When we are so busy we neglect our health, we are saying, “I have no regard for this temple I live in”. Perhaps our pride won’t let us even admit we can’t ‘do it all’. It is impossible to please all the people all of the time. Someone will be neglected and at the speed most of us are driven, it will probably be God himself!
There are those who have pushed their bodies to the limit. Do they feel the need to endure because they like being a martyr? I am reminded of the monk who wore a garment of hair that constantly scraped his skin raw. There are people in South America , who on Good Friday, actually drive nails through their hands to experience the suffering of Christ. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? It’s really no worse than what some of us do, only in different a way.
I used to brag about how hard I worked. I loved to awe people with the load I carried. Then I discovered a truth. “There is none righteous, no not one.” (Rom. 3:10) Like Job, I cannot earn righteousness. I also cannot work my way to being ‘spiritual’. The only thing that really counts in life, after all, is my relationship with the Lord and to follow his direction. I don’t have to be everything to everyone. He has not asked me to be a martyr, or a slave. He doesn’t drive me to despair and illness. His living Word tells me this: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Ps. 23)
Many times we have heard this Psalm and yet, it is ever new. Listen how he tells us to come aside and rest and how he leads and guides us. Even when our life seems to be filled with enemies wanting a piece of our mind, our talents, our health, he says to us, “Sit down and rest a while. I’ll feed you and sustain you right in front of your enemies. I will anoint you with the oil of my Spirit and you will feel my peace flow over you. You will find contentment and relax in the love and goodness I pour out on you.” What hope - what joy, to know we will be with him throughout eternity.
Ol’ Man River
How can we, as busy Christians, find this place of refreshment? Psalm 84:1-7 in the Living Bible describes it for us. “How lovely is your Temple Temple Valley of Weeping Zion
When we follow him, he will take us through places we cannot go through alone. No matter how difficult it seems at the time, he will turn it into something good and we will be blessed and refreshed. Give your busyness to him, long to enter his courtyard - more than ministry; more than carrying that heavy load. Lay down the work load - the world will not stop. It won’t even miss a beat. How pompous we are when we think things can’t go on without us. What little humility we have, when we judge the rise or fall of our ministry, our work, our business, on our own overworked talents and efforts. It is he who “removes kings and raises up kings”. (Dan. 2:21 NKJ) Today, this moment, give it all to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
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