30 Days of Purpose – 4 – Busy… but Not Building Anything

https://youtu.be/q9bs_jArVQ0?si=1R8u6nN7BVUDCw-m Welcome to week 4 of 30 Days of Purpose. And today is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost Sunday 50 days after Crucifixion/Passover Acts 2 – The Holy Spirit is poured out Power for world-wide witness The Spirit came with power. But the power was not random, or goosebump feels. In Acts 1 the resurrected Jesus makes His followers a promise. Jesus has defeated death. Jesus has risen from the grave. Jesus is preparing His followers for what comes next. And He says in Acts 1:8: Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” Power for what? To be witnesses. Power for mission. Power for purpose. The resurrected Jesus promises power, but He also gives purpose. And that matters because sometimes we ask God for more power, but we have not discovered or surrendered to His purpose. We want God to move. We want Him to strengthen us. We want Him to help us. We want Him to open doors. But if we are honest, we still let distractions lead. That is not just a time management problem. That is a purpose problem. Stephen Covey popularized an idea called the Time Management Matrix. It separates life into what is urgent and what is important. Urgent means it demands attention now. Important means it actually matters. Notice… Important & Urgent Important but NOT Urgent Urgent but NOT Important NOT urgent & NOT Important Here is what I want us to focus on. A lot of the things that matter most are important, but they are not urgent. Your kids are important, but they may not feel urgent until there is a crisis. Your marriage is important, but it may not feel urgent until distance has already grown. Your prayer life is important, but it may not feel urgent until your soul is running on empty. Your health is important, but it may not feel urgent until your body starts breaking down. Your purpose is important, but it may not feel urgent until you wake up one day wondering what your life has been about. Important things rarely scream.Urgent things always scream. Your phone screams. Drama screams. Deadlines scream. Notifications scream. Other people’s expectations scream. But God often whispers. Your soul whispers. Your family whispers. Your body whispers. Your calling whispers. Your purpose whispers. And if you only respond to what screams, you will miss what God is whispering. And that is why I am calling today’s message: Busy… but Not Building Anything. There is a difference between having a full schedule and building a faithful life. There is a difference between doing a lot and doing what matters. There is a difference between being tired because you were faithful and being tired because you were distracted. If you do not define what matters, urgency will define your life for you. And God has a lot to say about this.Let’s look at Nehemiah 6.  Nehemiah knew what mattered.Nehemiah 6:1-4 Nehemiah was a Jewish man living far from Jerusalem, serving as cupbearer to the king of Persia. That might sound like a nice royal job, but a cupbearer was basically a poison detector. He tasted the king’s wine before the king drank it. So Nehemiah did not start with a dream job. He did not start in a perfect situation. He was living under a foreign empire, working close to power, but still carrying a lot of pain. One day, Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem was in trouble. The wall was broken down. The gates had been burned. The people were vulnerable. And something broke inside him. He cried.He prayed.He fasted.He asked God for favor. And eventually, God opened the door for him to go back and rebuild the wall. But this was not just a wall. It was restoration.Protection.Identity. Purpose. Nehemiah knew what mattered. And if you have ever felt like God put purpose in you, but you can never find the time to build it, pay attention to Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 6, the wall is almost finished. No gaps are left. Something terribly destructive happens… He gets a note from surrounding leaders who opposed the work send Nehemiah a message… Read these terrible words… Nehemiah 6:2“Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” Doesn’t seem terrible or destructive. Seems friendly and neighborly.  They request a meeting. It sounds harmless. Just a meeting. Just a conversation. Just come down for a minute. Nehemiah says they were scheming to harm him.  …but I don’t even want to focus on that… I want to point out this… They wanted him to stop what was important and busy himself with something that was urgent but not important. Do you see this? This is more destructive than you realize. They invite him to Ono, and Nehemiah basically says: “Oh no.” I am not coming down. When the urgent tries to steal the important we need to say Oh no. When distraction tries to interrupt obedience Oh no. When people pressure you into something God did not assign you… Oh no. Here is how Nehemiah responded. Nehemiah 6:3“I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.” Nehemiah knew what mattered. He knew what he was building. He knew the work would stop if he came down. So he refused. Not every invitation is an assignment. Not every opportunity is your opportunity. Not every urgent request deserves your yes. Not every good thing is a God thing. When you know what matters, you can recognize distraction. I am doing something important!And I can’t meet with you at this time. Nehemiah 6:4“Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.” How many times? Four times. The distraction came back.The pressure came back.The invitation came back. Important work is not just about one big decision. Important work is about repeated obedience. Distraction is repetitive, so obedience must become repetitive. The habit was not just building the wall. The habit was also refusing to be distracted. The apostle Paul says like this in Ephesians 5: Ephesians 5:15-16“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Be careful how you live. Your time matters. Your attention matters. Your yes matters. Your no matters. Your wall matters. So let’s make this practical. What is your wall? Nehemiah had a wall. What is yours? What is the good work God has put in front of you in this season? Not your whole life. Not ten years from now. This season. What matters right now? Your walk with Jesus?Your family?Your marriage?Your kids?Your health?Your calling?Your recovery? Your serving?Your peace?Your obedience? Call to Action: Don’t Let Urgent Steal Important Today, I want you to take three steps. If you do not name what matters, urgency will name it for you. 1. Write it.I’m building ______, so I will not come down for ______. Pray over that answer. Do not just write something down. Ask God, “Is this what You are calling me to build?” Then keep it somewhere you will see it. Put it on your mirror.Put it in your Bible.Put it on your dashboard.Remind yourself of your purpose. 2. Start a conversation about your calling. (fill out a Connection Card) Use your connection card to start a conversation. Give us your prayer request.Learn more about your next step. Turn that card in today. 3. Come pray. Prayer is important. But a lot of us only pray when it becomes urgent. Today, make prayer important before life makes it urgent. If you need God to show you what matters, come pray. If urgency has been running your life, come pray. If you know what matters but need strength to stay faithful, come pray. We have people ready to pray with you. The resurrected Jesus promised power for purpose. Come pray and ask the Holy Spirit for power to build what matters.