Too Much of a Good Thing?

  If anyone on the face of this planet said to me that their life was better than mine, I would challenge them. If you think that your life is better than mine, then you are wrong:) I love my life. And I'm confident that you won't find a happier man on the face of the planet!
   I would rather do good than do bad. I would rather serve God than serve myself. I would rather minister the Gospel and than minister discord. I love doing what I'm doing. I love living here. I love ministering to these people. I love my life!
   I love being a Christian. I love the Spirit of God. I love His bearing upon my conscience. I love the forgiveness of sins. I love the new life in Christ. I love that God is MY God. I love that heaven is MY heaven.
   I love my family. I love my wife. I love her affection. I love her constructive rebukes :) I love my children. I love their silliness. I love their sweetness. I love their hugs. I love my life. I wouldn't trade it for the world!
   You often hear people say things like, "Too much of even a good thing is bad." Is that true? Can there really be too much of a good thing?
   It is not possible for God to give us too many blessings. He, being sovereign and omniscient, gives us exactly what we need to give Him the glory due to His name. But sometimes we aren't the best at juggling those blessings.
   In a typical week, I put in about 60 hours of study time. On top of that, I teach a teens and university-age Sunday school class every Sunday morning, preach in the evening, teach a three-hour Hermeneutics class on Monday night, do discipleship on Tuesday mornings, occasionally teach Bible study on Tuesday nights, disciple another on Thursday afternoons, teach a two-hour Personal Evangelism class on Saturday mornings, and teach a teens and twenties Bible study on Saturday nights. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do! But I'm not the greatest multitasker (one task at a time is difficult enough). With so many blessings and opportunities for service, it is sometimes very difficult (seemingly impossible) to juggle them all.
   For every genuine problem that the servant of God faces, there is a solution in God's Word. As I read in Proverbs 11, verse 1 really shines forth: "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight." To be balanced: this is missing element. It's what I've been in search of.
   When I read this verse I thought, "How can I learn to multitask like that?" How does a person become balanced? I think the key is found in the words of the Lord Jesus:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6.33)
   This is exactly what I need! This is the great lesson of multitasking the various blessings/opportunities that the servant of the Lord receives. My first and foremost obligation is to God, Himself. How can I really be involved in the work of God if I am not seeking to know God in a greater way? I think the answer is, I can't. You see, if my "service" is mere work and not an act of worship to Him, then how could I call it the work of God? Why should I call it the work of God? The truth is, when I am concentrating on the work (itself) I am not doing the work of God- I am doing the work of man- I am doing my own work.
I want to get back to the basics. I want to seek the righteous God and His kingdom first. I want to do the work of God. 

Praying for Others

"Intercession! Would not one say that this is the very holiest exercise of our boldness as God's children." (Andrew Murray)
   I love read Murray on prayer! He makes it sound so desirous- as it should be. Intercessory prayer is one of the most selfless acts that the Christian may perform. It is one of few things that we can do for other, and still take no credit for. I mean it is one thing to pray for ourselves and things that we desire for ourselves (like a McLaren P1...), as well as things that we know we need. But to pray for the benefit of others is a different animal altogether.
   Do you ever have moments like me? Often when I pray for others, I cannot quite think of what I should actually be asking for them. I mean, I try to pray for friends, family, and even fellow ministers and their families. But how should I be praying for them?
I think a Paul gives us a good answer is Ephesians 1.15-20- "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places..."
   What strikes me the most about Paul's prayer is the focal point of His prayer. His prayer is so God-centered! Yes, He prayed for wisdom, revelation, understanding, and remembrance to be bestowed on them. But all the while he is also mentioning "the Father of glory", "the hope of his calling", "the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints", "the exceeding greatness of his power", "the working of his mighty power", Christ's resurrection and Christ's ascension. So Paul wanted good for the Ephesians, but only as their blessing would exalt God.
   I'm not saying not to pray for the healing of the sick or the family with the dad that's lost his job. I'm not saying not to pray for the persecuted Christians in other countries. But the question is, "Why should I ultimately pray for them?" Murray said of prayer, " It is the highest privilege and enjoyment connected to our COMMUNION WITH GOD." (Emphasis added by me) Ultimately, prayer is an act of worship and communion with God. In everything (prayer not excluded), we should be seeking the benefit of God, Himself. I want sick people to get well. I want jobs for families. I want to see Pastor Saeed freed. But what I want more than that is for God to be glorified. I want to pray more like that. I want to live a God-centered life.