My goodness do I have a lot on my plate at any given time! I have a backlog of lessons to post and comments to moderate on my congregation’s blog. I have tons of videos to post to my school’s new YouTube account. I have web coding to clean up, lesson plans to prep, an iPod touch review that’s been sitting here unfinished for weeks, and other stuff I can’t even remember at the moment. Chances are, however, I’m no busier than you are.

We live in a culture that is always moving, that is always busy. If we have any real free time, we feel we are doing something wrong. Even our vacations are itinerary-laden and fast-paced. We can’t just stop. We have to be occupied. But being so busy often comes at the expense of our spiritual well-being and work.

Acts 18 opens with Paul coming to Corinth, and we can see his balance between secular work and spiritual work:

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

Yes, Paul engages in gainful employment with some fellow Christians in Corinth, but that’s not the point of his trip. Nor does he fill his days with seeing every conceivable sight. His main work was with the word of Christ, and it says he is occupied with the word when Timothy arrives. Making tents keeps food on the table, but his real occupation is teaching others about Christ.

How much time does Christ’s word occupy in your life? Perhaps it’s time you and I sat back and de-cluttered the business from our lives, making more time for Him. Perhaps we are too busy because it’s a habit we’ve allowed ourselves to develop. What can I drop to break that habit? What can you?