Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Busyness vs. Business

Right now I am sitting in a Smokey Mountain chalet. We are spending the Thanksgiving holiday in the Smokies with my family. Our chalet isn't just up in the mountains. It is WAY up in the mountains. Driving up to the cabin is an interesting trip. The roads are narrow and crooked. It's a steep drop off the side of the road and there are no guardrails. So it doesn't take a genius to know that you'd better take it slow.

That's been the theme for me the last couple of days. Maybe it's the mountain air, maybe it's just getting away from home and work, but the pace of my life has ground to a screeching halt. And through that slowness comes perspective. I have a ton to be thankful for. However, I often miss most of it in the busyness of my life.

In busyness, I forget my true business. The business of a believer is to honor God, and I can't do that when I don't stop to thank Him. I don't thank God often enough for my family. For my church. For my home. For my food. For my stuff. For my health. For His Son.

This past Sunday I taught from Psalm 100. The crux of this Psalm is found in verse 3. It's all about this concept of "The More You Know." Yeah, God came up with that idea well before NBC did. The bottom line message of Psalm 100 is this: the more you know God, the more thanksgiving becomes your natural language. The people who don't thank God consistently are the people who don't know God intimately.

More than anything, I want to know God. And I can't let the pace of my life or anything else keep me from that goal.

God, thanks for these slow times. Thanks for all the blessings that you have given me. Too often I'm an ingrate who doesn't deserve them. Thanks for not giving me what I deserve!