Mix of Time With People and Tasks

[ITS]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

[Joeyb]

It seems to me that Jesus time here on earth was short and therefore, very direct. He was able to sprint as it were.

That being said, I think that he was purposeful enought to give us examples of how we to should live and balance our lives.

Certainly the aspect of his time alone with God is worthy of our imulation.
From two sides: 1. he was alone with God 2. He was alone from the world and its distractions.

I have taken to joggin early in the morning and I find there is no one but me and my creator to spend time alond both with him and away from the business of my life.

To me that is the main aspect of his ministry that I would like to continue working towards

[DBerg]

I agree with JoeyB that Christ did provide us a way to live through his example even though his time here was short. Too often we are caught up with the busy-ness of life, the cultural norm to look and be busy. I have found myself feeling guilty in admitting that at times I feel quite content with my life and not at all pressured, even though I have many things demanding my time. There is an expectation that busy-ness somehow denotes success in our lives.

Taking time for solitude whether at a monastery or a cabin has become something I long for. Once I find myself in these places there is a totally different atmosphere, one in which all the distractions have the possibilty of being let go, one in which I can hear from God in a totally different way. Christ knew that he needed time to hear from his Father, his example should tell us that we can need no less.

[pat engler]

It seems to me that Jesus time here on earth was short and therefore, very direct. He was able to sprint as it were.

That being said, I think that he was purposeful enought to give us examples of how we to should live and balance our lives.

Certainly the aspect of his time alone with God is worthy of our imulation.
From two sides: 1. he was alone with God 2. He was alone from the world and its distractions.

I have taken to joggin early in the morning and I find there is no one but me and my creator to spend time alond both with him and away from the business of my life.

To me that is the main aspect of his ministry that I would like to continue working towards
I do think He was very direct, but I also think He was very deliberate with His time, what towns He went to, and making sure people were able to reach out and touch Him. I'm not sure His purpose was to show us how to balance ministries and families, but I think He showed us that there is a tremendous amount of hurting people out there to minister to. He showed us His tremendous dedication to and need for the Father. I don't think many have been able to do exactly as Jesus did in His ministry because I think some aspects were unique since He was single and His purpose was different in some respects than ours is, ie., He was the sacrifice for our sins.

[pat engler]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?
For what Jesus came to earth to accomplish and in the short amount of time He did it in, I think Jesus was unique in how much time He spent with people, His disciples, and other tasks. He spent all day many times healing the sick and teaching God's word. Of course, He was single and He was God in the flesh. I think He needed to "touch" the masses so to speak so He could win as many as possible to Him while He was on earth and to show people the Father in heaven. Also, He spent His whole ministry teaching and training His disciples to lead His earthly kingdom (the church) after He was taken up to heaven. I don't recall that He had too many tasks that are mentioned in the Bible.
I don't think Jesus expects us to live like this exactly. He knows that many Christians are married and have children, jobs, homes. I think He wants us to give God our whole hearts and to serve people in whatever capacity we can. I think God is pleased with that just like I think God looks at the heart when we give our money, feed the poor, etc. I don't think if we give our time relunctantly all the time that He is pleased with that, although we probably all struggle with that many times and I wouldn't be surprised if Jesus may have felt that at times Himself. People can be pretty demanding. God also wants us to do the things we do in excellent and godly ways as examples to the world. I think Jesus' relationship with God is incredible and we can always grow in our devotion to God and to others.

[rschertzer]

If Jesus did provide the example who did? I think in a general sense we are supposed to model what Christ did while he was here. However, unlike most of us, Christ was solely devoted to his ministry. I have a job, a wife, and 2 sons to fit in to the mix. I do believe that parts of Jesus' ministry was specific to him, being in very nature, God.

[mbaxter_98]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

It is obvious that Jesus always did everything that God willed for Him to do. Jesus' life was very active and He was running a race during His three year ministry. However, Paul says we are in a race and admonishes us to run the race with everything within us. Also, Jesus told us to pick up our cross and follow hard after Him. Jesus' was involved in many tasks, but as you look at the tasks it was always ministry based for others. Even time alone on the mountain was time to pray for people. So I think it's hard to distinguish between time with people vs. time with tasks, I think they are identical questions. We must consume our lives with ministry as Jesus did.

[stauffer]

If Jesus did provide the example who did? I think in a general sense we are supposed to model what Christ did while he was here. However, unlike most of us, Christ was solely devoted to his ministry. I have a job, a wife, and 2 sons to fit in to the mix. I do believe that parts of Jesus' ministry was specific to him, being in very nature, God.

I would agree with this. Jesus isn't asking everyone to quit their jobs, sell their homes and spend their days street evangelizing. Being a parent and husband are honorable tasks that shouldn't be taken lightly. Each of us have different talents and are asked to use them in unique ways. That being said, there are traits that Jesus emulates that are certainly worthy of following. His balance of time to himself versus time spent with people, his early years presumably spent "in the woodshed" preparing for his ministry, and his devotion to spend time around the outcasts and downtrodden are all something we should strive for ourselves.

[JohnP]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

When we look at Christ's life, the key question is "what was His purpose?" In light of His purpose, His life was perfectly balanced, even though He was exhausted, hungry, cold, without a home or a place to call His own.

We are all called to serve Him. Each one of, unlike Christ, isn't perfect, but each one of us, like Christ, needs to know why we are doing what we are doing, and judge our balance of people and tasks against that question.

Of course there are aspects that were unique to Christ - He is God. But He lived on earth, subject to the same stresses, temptations etc that we are. He knew His purpose, and walked resolutely in it. Notice though, that He wasn't so rigid that interruptions caused Him to lose balance. People always came before tasks, and He always took the interruption and used it as teachable moment. That is an example that we need to emulate.

[Hansel Young]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

Jesus Christ always seemed to know how to manage the correct balance
between time, tasks, and people. I believe that there are several
principles which Jesus modeled in His approach to time management.

1. Jesus Christ was never in a hurry. He used 30 years of His life
in preparation for 3 years of ministry.

2. Jesus Christ prioritized His time. He did the things that were
most important at that moment for God's glory to be shone. For instance, He did not go to heal Lazarus before he died, but waited to ressurect Lazarus.

3. Jesus was willing to sacrifice. Instead of spending all of His time caring for His comfort and prestige, He submitted Himself to sacrifice.
He said, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of man has no place to put His head."

4. Jesus knew that people were more important than personal comfort. He carefully counseled His disciples and took care to prepare them for the future, even on the night before His terrible crucifixion. He could have run
for His life or called out angels to protect Him or at least taken the entire evening by Himself in preparation. Nevertheless, He spent this traumatic evening with His disciples, even as He knew Judas was betraying Him.

Should we try to model these principles? By all means!

[Hansel Young]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

When we look at Christ's life, the key question is "what was His purpose?" In light of His purpose, His life was perfectly balanced, even though He was exhausted, hungry, cold, without a home or a place to call His own.

We are all called to serve Him. Each one of, unlike Christ, isn't perfect, but each one of us, like Christ, needs to know why we are doing what we are doing, and judge our balance of people and tasks against that question.

Of course there are aspects that were unique to Christ - He is God. But He lived on earth, subject to the same stresses, temptations etc that we are. He knew His purpose, and walked resolutely in it. Notice though, that He wasn't so rigid that interruptions caused Him to lose balance. People always came before tasks, and He always took the interruption and used it as teachable moment. That is an example that we need to emulate.

Jesus led a purpose driven life. He came "to seek and to save the lost."
He knew that His time was short and that He must make every minute count. Despite this time constraint, He never turned away an ernest seeker.

Also, He still had time to go into the wilderness and seek spiritual renewal. His life revolved around His objective, and everything else was subject to that objective.

As Christians, we should seek to know our purpose in life. It may not be
something grandiose, but something meek and lowely. Jesus was a carpenter to age 30. God may call us to a seemingly insignificant path, but it is crucial that we realize what that path is and follow God's will whole heartedly.

I agree that we do need to emulate His example.

[tgarner]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

One of the things I appreciate about Jesus was the way in which He managed His time. Throughout the gospels, we find Him saying things like, "the time has come," or "my time has not yet come," or "now is the time," etc. Jesus knew the appropriate time for the appropriate action. He brought this understanding to the way in which He divided His time between people and tasks. He spent a great deal of time investing into the lives of individuals, but the investment of time was never without purpose. I believe Jesus was accomplishing His mission (His tasks if you will) through the time He devoted to people. I believe we must strive to emulate Christ's model in our own lives. We must bring the same kind of purpose to our relationships, always striving to redeem the time allotted to us for the advancement of Christ's mission and the glory of God.

[tgarner]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

Jesus Christ always seemed to know how to manage the correct balance
between time, tasks, and people. I believe that there are several
principles which Jesus modeled in His approach to time management.

1. Jesus Christ was never in a hurry. He used 30 years of His life
in preparation for 3 years of ministry.

2. Jesus Christ prioritized His time. He did the things that were
most important at that moment for God's glory to be shone. For instance, He did not go to heal Lazarus before he died, but waited to ressurect Lazarus.

3. Jesus was willing to sacrifice. Instead of spending all of His time caring for His comfort and prestige, He submitted Himself to sacrifice.
He said, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of man has no place to put His head."

4. Jesus knew that people were more important than personal comfort. He carefully counseled His disciples and took care to prepare them for the future, even on the night before His terrible crucifixion. He could have run
for His life or called out angels to protect Him or at least taken the entire evening by Himself in preparation. Nevertheless, He spent this traumatic evening with His disciples, even as He knew Judas was betraying Him.

Should we try to model these principles? By all means!

Hansel,
I appreciate your insights. I find it amazing that Jesus was never in a hurry. I have no idea what an unhurried life would be like. I believe His ability to live in this way (aside from the fact that He was the eternal, all-powerful, and wise God) was tied to His purpose. Jesus never spent and idle moment, spoke an idle word, or thought an idle thought. (By the way, I have no idea what that kind of life would be like either.) He used relationships as a means of accomplishing His purpose. This is not to intimate that Christ carried ulterior motives into these relationships--quite the contrary. Instead, the relationships in which He engaged and the people He discipled through them were part of His purpose. I don't know about you, but I want to bring the same kind of purpose into my relationships.

[doliver]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

I think Jesus showed that we can do both. Jesus had time to both deal with people and be about His Fathers work. I think this is a great example on how we can balance our time. We need to make time for personal things such as friends and family, but also we need to spend time alone with God in prayer and reading of His word. Even with our full time jobs, we need to use our time wisely. I really believe Jesus lived His life the way He wants us to live ours.

[doliver]

I agree with JoeyB that Christ did provide us a way to live through his example even though his time here was short. Too often we are caught up with the busy-ness of life, the cultural norm to look and be busy. I have found myself feeling guilty in admitting that at times I feel quite content with my life and not at all pressured, even though I have many things demanding my time. There is an expectation that busy-ness somehow denotes success in our lives.

Taking time for solitude whether at a monastery or a cabin has become something I long for. Once I find myself in these places there is a totally different atmosphere, one in which all the distractions have the possibilty of being let go, one in which I can hear from God in a totally different way. Christ knew that he needed time to hear from his Father, his example should tell us that we can need no less.

I agree that life sometimes does get busy. I also think we need to take time and go somewhere where we can just be alone with God and know His majesty. This does not nessecarily have to be a remote place. There are times I will be driving or just out and about and I will look at all the things God created and see His majesty in them and just take a moment to honor Him and praise Him for everything.

[wanda]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

I think we should take Jesus' mix of time with people and tasks into consideration. However, I do not think it will be the same for all of us. It is not a "cookie cutter" formula. Our gifts from Him are different and have a part in determining the breakdown of time with people vs. tasks. The main thing is that we are obedient to the Father as Jesus was. Jesus said in John 17 " As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world". We are his hands and feet.
We must learn from His model. We need to realize that though he never wasted time, neither was he ever in a frantic hurry. Are we busier than Jesus? If so, we're doing something that is not from Him.
Even aspects unique to His life give us something to model. For example, only he could die for our sins, yet His willness to die for us is a model for us that we should die to self

[wanda]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

I think Jesus showed that we can do both. Jesus had time to both deal with people and be about His Fathers work. I think this is a great example on how we can balance our time. We need to make time for personal things such as friends and family, but also we need to spend time alone with God in prayer and reading of His word. Even with our full time jobs, we need to use our time wisely. I really believe Jesus lived His life the way He wants us to live ours.

In response to Doliver...You mentioned that we need to spend time alone with God in prayer as part of our mix. That is an excellent point since Jesus himself spent much time in prayer. We read often in the gospels that he either went off to prayer or got up early to pray. That was an important part of his mix, to spend time with the Father. If he, being Jesus, did this, then we certainly should make it a priority. It will give us direction in how to balance time with people and task. Satan will try his best to keep us from this even if we do not work fulltime outside our homes. He knows the value in it to our walk with Christ.

[brekar]

There are some aspects unique only to Jesus. We must always remember that He is God. While on the earth, Jesus took on voluntary, subordination; He took on the form of humanity, and He also emptied Himself – He took on the limitations of humanity. So during His time on earth, Jesus veiled His divine pre-incarnate glory and His divine knowledge within the limitations of humanity. This in and of itself should give us hope, and convince us that we can model Jesus' humanity while we live on this earth - for in accepting and subjugating Himself with human limitations, He became just like us. Jesus was very focused while on His assignment. He was perfectly in tune with the Holy Spirit, which kept His mix of time with people and with His tasks in perfect order and in perfect timing. He was always in control, always on target with His assignment. As we continue to mature, and become more and more like Jesus, we also increase our "focus" on the things of God - what He has ordained for our assignment - this includes people and tasks.

[FrankP]

Before answering this question, I believe we need to define what is meant by people and tasks. For my answer I will define time with people as, teaching and instructing the requirements for entering the kingdom of heaven to the Jewish population as a whole, and teaching the disciples their responsibilities. The definition of tasks would include miracles and healings as demonstrations of His Divine authority.

With this in mind then, during the first part of His 3 ½ year ministry, Jesus spent a great deal of time with tasks that were intermingled with bouts of teaching in the synagogues. While all of His tasks involved some degree of teaching, generally it was to small numbers of individuals. As His ministry progressed, Jesus focused less on the tasks and more on the instructing of the believers and His disciples.

As we know, Jesus’ had the task of salvation of an unbelieving nation, and therefore it required more demonstration of the presence and power of God. Our task in life is much easier, while we may need to spend performing tasks in our ministry, much more attention should be focused on teaching and personal relationship with God.

[FrankP]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

I think we should take Jesus' mix of time with people and tasks into consideration. However, I do not think it will be the same for all of us. It is not a "cookie cutter" formula. Our gifts from Him are different and have a part in determining the breakdown of time with people vs. tasks. The main thing is that we are obedient to the Father as Jesus was. Jesus said in John 17 " As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world". We are his hands and feet.
We must learn from His model. We need to realize that though he never wasted time, neither was he ever in a frantic hurry. Are we busier than Jesus? If so, we're doing something that is not from Him.
Even aspects unique to His life give us something to model. For example, only he could die for our sins, yet His willness to die for us is a model for us that we should die to self



I like your comment that we are “His hands and feet” and that He is our example to live by. The gifts that He gave us are different and do determine our actions. While utilizing those gifts, we need to temper our tasks with our interactions, in a manner that never lets us lose sight of the ultimate goal, bringing the Lord’s Word to others.

[rcasillas]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

Jesus was well in control of His scheduled appointment at Calvary. This was what He was sent for and was always in His mind. At least ten times there is reference to "His hour" or "the hour" which was pointing to the cross. He was on a mission and had His eyes set on it.

What made it possible to balance His time while preparing for this great event and still ministering to the multitudes were the many refences we have of Jesus departing alone to pray. It was that connection He had with the Father that kept His life well balanced.

[kyle.hurst]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

We should definitely model Jesus’ priorities. He always showed that people were more important than tasks. He did not come to die simply to complete a task, but to seek and save the lost - to offer us a way to get to the Father.
Obviously there were many aspects of Jesus’ ministry that were unique to his life, but this is not one of them. The way we spend our time shows where our priorities are. The commandments can be summed up in two statements – love God, and love your neighbor. This is our priority list given to us in scripture. I do not see anywhere on this list where it says get lots done…

[Timothy]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?
I see that Jesus began by reaching out to people in a way that continued to increase. The crowds grew, people were healed and delivered from demons. Jesus seemed to be more people outreach oriented in the beginning of His ministry. But after His first official rejection by the Pharisees when they said He was casting out demons by the prince of demons Beelzebub, we see that He became more intent on the task of training His disciples for a ministry that they did not even know they were going to have. He spent a great deal of time alone with them preparing them for His service after His ascention. As ministers we need to consider preparing people for ministry as Jesus did. Intense training for those who will head the charge into enemy territory to win the lost. We also need to spend quality time with our congregations for their encouragement and strengthening.

[Timothy]

rcasillas, I agree that Jesus had His eye on the target of the cross. But He also had a number of tasks that needed to be accomplished before He could get there. He had to train His disciples, and not just the 12. He sent out 70, 2 by 2 to train them to preach the gospel to all they came in contact with during their ministry. He trained His disciples to heal the sick and cast out devils. He also taught them to fast and pray. Through out these many task, I agree with you that He needed that time alone to pray. It did help bring balance to His life while He walked this earth. We should also learn how to bring prayer into our lives as a regular balancing agent. Without it we could really be in trouble.

[spiritword]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

Considering Jesus’ mix of time with people and time with tasks, I do think we should try to model this mix by and large. There are definitely some aspects unique to Jesus’ ministry and life; however, I believe the principles are the same regardless of the differences of ministries and callings. He spent a large portion of time seeking the Father. In fact, He prepared Himself thirty years before His public ministry. He also spent a considerable time ministering to the crowds, general disciples, and the twelve. The emphasis and amount of time apportioned to each group differed according to the different phases of His earthly ministry.

[spiritword]

I see that Jesus began by reaching out to people in a way that continued to increase. The crowds grew, people were healed and delivered from demons. Jesus seemed to be more people outreach oriented in the beginning of His ministry. But after His first official rejection by the Pharisees when they said He was casting out demons by the prince of demons Beelzebub, we see that He became more intent on the task of training His disciples for a ministry that they did not even know they were going to have. He spent a great deal of time alone with them preparing them for His service after His ascention. As ministers we need to consider preparing people for ministry as Jesus did. Intense training for those who will head the charge into enemy territory to win the lost. We also need to spend quality time with our congregations for their encouragement and strengthening.

I agree with Timothy’s point of view that as shepherds of God, we need to spend a good deal amount of time training up disciples and minister to the congregation. And the way to do this effectively is to model Jesus’ life and ministry. It seems to me that the reason Jesus could successfully train up the twelve and other disciples was because of His relationship with the Father and abiding in Him. Hence for us, this should be achieved through spending time with the Father in prayer, meditation of God’s Word, and in worship. We will then be like branches rightly linked to the Vine and thus bear fruit that will last for eternity. I believe true influence that has an eternal impact is not just in the numbers, outward display of religiosity, head knowledge of the Bible and church traditions, or even talents and giftings, but in a true inner transformation to be Christlike. When one is like Jesus more and more, he or she will do the works of Jesus and greater works in time.

[Phil B]

We must be careful not to create a false dichotomy and say that Jesus’ life was somehow split or divided between time spent on tasks and time spent with people. I submit that this division did not exist in the mind of Christ but that He was always perfectly devoted to the will of the Father (“tasks”) and the good of those He had been sent to save (“people”). What part of His life was not lived in selfless, sacrificial love for people? Even His time spent praying alone was ultimately for the good of all people. When was He not focused on His mission to fulfill the “tasks” or purposes for which He had been sent? Every task was involved in the great plan of redemption for those who would place their faith in Him. For example, the washing of the disciples’ feet was clearly a task that Christ completed yet was also an intimate time of fellowship with, service to, and teaching for the Twelve. Or consider the cross: the ultimate “task” for which Christ had been sent but clearly the cross was endured among people (including the thief, John, the Roman soldiers, etc.) and to purchase salvation for all people. Christ’s life and ministry was fully devoted to the tasks assigned to Him by the Father as well as the people whom He had come to save.
As fallen creatures, we tend to compartmentalize our lives and divide our time among different roles and responsibilities (e.g. balancing ministry with family time). The commandments to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength and to love one another are not two separate paths but one. We do not choose whether we will love God or others- God or my wife, God or my church family. We are called to love God at all times and to love people at all times- never loving one to the exclusion of the other. Real love for people does not inhibit our ability to love God. We should view our tasks as opportunities to love people and love God. We ought to model our lives after Christ’s perfectly intertwined, interconnected obedience in “tasks” and love for people.

[Phil B]

rcasillas, I agree that Jesus had His eye on the target of the cross. But He also had a number of tasks that needed to be accomplished before He could get there. He had to train His disciples, and not just the 12. He sent out 70, 2 by 2 to train them to preach the gospel to all they came in contact with during their ministry. He trained His disciples to heal the sick and cast out devils. He also taught them to fast and pray. Through out these many task, I agree with you that He needed that time alone to pray. It did help bring balance to His life while He walked this earth. We should also learn how to bring prayer into our lives as a regular balancing agent. Without it we could really be in trouble.

I think it's important to clarify what you mean by using prayer to "bring balance" to our lives. There is the very secular idea/goal of being balanced- "well-rounded"- balanced in different roles, juggling our responsibilities well, fulfilling others' expectations of us. Many wrongly see prayer as a mind-relaxer, a sedative, an avenue to peace. I don't see anything in Scripture that hints that this kind of "balance" is a main purpose of prayer. Prayer was not bringing that kind of balance to Jesus' life as He prayed in Gethsemane (sweating blood) or as described in Hebrews 5:7 ("loud cries and tears"). Sometimes having peace during prayer would be inappropriate- e.g. as we confess sin, as we pray for the lost, as we cry out to God for mercy on us and our generation. Prayer is not chiefly about finding mental and emotional balance but rather intimate communion, communication and trust in the Lord. Prayer often produces peace, but only as a by-product as we depend fully on God. With the onslaught of the "prosperity gospel," I think it's essential that we not let prayer become just another step in a self-help program.

[Susan E.]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

Jesus time of ministry with people involved teaching, healing, loving others. Our time with people involves the same, but we also spend time with people because we need to be taught, to be healed, and to be loved. As we read scripture, we see little need for Jesus to learn the things of God - although we are told he learned obedience, the knowledge of truth was certainly a given for him. He needed no healing. He stated very few needs and wants, (he was a thirsty man, and wanted us to be with him where he is). He was loved abundantly by his Father and by crowds of people (though to no avail in saving his earthly life, for his great desire do the will of the Father led him lay his life down.)

I am thinking of our tasks as being talking with and listening to the Father, and studying to know his Word. The amounts of time that should be spent in each would be different according to the individual, I think, according to the needs at the particular time in the individual’s life. In my life, for instance, this is a time to study the Bible, to learn more of truth from God, with less input from other people. At other times, I have very much needed the guidance of others, and there have been times when I was the guide for others. Jesus structured his time according to God’s purpose and plan for his life. We should do the same.

[Susan E.]

Taking time for solitude whether at a monastery or a cabin has become something I long for. Once I find myself in these places there is a totally different atmosphere, one in which all the distractions have the possibilty of being let go, one in which I can hear from God in a totally different way. Christ knew that he needed time to hear from his Father, his example should tell us that we can need no less.

Time alone is essential for me, since I’ve always been more comfortable in solitude than with people, it’s a personality trait and part of my make-up as an individual. It also happens that I teach 35 classes of 20 students per class every week. I understand your thoughts of longing for time for solitude; I’m never sure if my seeking time with God is truly “seeking time with God,” or simply “seeking escape from people,” but I am certain of the need to be alone.

Modeling Jesus’ mix of task/people time, for us, needs to include both, but not necessarily in the same proportions. He was prophet, Priest, lamb, Son of God. We simply cannot have all those tasks, we certainly cannot affect all those people. We do what we can as we are given ability.

[Macatawa]

Since Jesus came to earth knowing the amount of time he had to live, he used every moment incredibly wisely. He also knew the purpose for which he was sent. This meant that he had a limited amount of time to accomplish his mission and fulfill the prophecies that had been spoken about him. While this would feel like an amazing amount of pressure to us, this was not so for Christ. Jesus was God and he also was empowered by the Spirit. Since this was the case, he accomplished more in his three year ministry than any human could throughout his lifetime. Even though this is the case, I believe there are some important lessons he modeled for us as believers.

First, when Jesus knew when he was tired, he rested. He didn't try to keep going and accomplish more than he was physically able to do. We should learn much from this since sometimes we do not listen to our bodies.

Secondly, he escaped the crowds in order to have time alone with his Father. We often struggle with being alone. Yet this should not be so. In times of quietness we have the opportunity to pray and reflect upon the God who loves us so much. In a nutshell, we have the opportunity to build our relationship with Him. Jesus modeled this for us and we would do well to follow his example.

Thirdly, Jesus did not feel guilty when others tried to keep him from resting. While others looked at the importance of the needs around him, Jesus knew something greater. He knew that if he did not rest and get his time alone with his Father, he would not be able to truly meet the needs of those around him. Often we can get led astray by what seems urgent around us. When we do so, we neglect what is often more important. Let us be like Christ and do as he did.

Jesus was perfect, so we will never be able to follow his lead perfectly. Nevertheless, there are some simple things we can do that very much reflect what Jesus did. We can rest, focus on our relationship with God, and ultimately prepare ourselves for the next leg in our journey of following Christ.

[Macatawa]

Jesus Christ always seemed to know how to manage the correct balance
between time, tasks, and people. I believe that there are several
principles which Jesus modeled in His approach to time management.

1. Jesus Christ was never in a hurry. He used 30 years of His life
in preparation for 3 years of ministry.

2. Jesus Christ prioritized His time. He did the things that were
most important at that moment for God's glory to be shone. For instance, He did not go to heal Lazarus before he died, but waited to ressurect Lazarus.

3. Jesus was willing to sacrifice. Instead of spending all of His time caring for His comfort and prestige, He submitted Himself to sacrifice.
He said, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of man has no place to put His head."

4. Jesus knew that people were more important than personal comfort. He carefully counseled His disciples and took care to prepare them for the future, even on the night before His terrible crucifixion. He could have run
for His life or called out angels to protect Him or at least taken the entire evening by Himself in preparation. Nevertheless, He spent this traumatic evening with His disciples, even as He knew Judas was betraying Him.

Should we try to model these principles? By all means!

I totally agree with this post as it illustrates how Christ truly ministered. Even Jesus accomplished more in his three year ministry than anyone else has ever done over their entire lifespan, he was not running a race. It is very difficult, from reading scripture, to get the idea that Jesus was running his life at a pace that was super human. In fact, he rested when the need arose. He also knew the mission his Father had given him, so he prioritized his time accordingly. While many people wanted his time, he often reserved it for his own well being or for those who were greater in need.

Out of his sacrificial love Christ not only went to the cross for us, he also prepared his followers to carry on the mission given to him. This is precisely why I am able to write these words today. Christ knew that the best way to further his mission was to multiply. Since he was God he could have done this all by himself, but he chose to use humans. He did so to provide an example for us. This was his strategy and it worked incredibly well. Since this is the case, Christ modeled for us exactly how we should do ministry. If it all rests on our shoulders the mission will not proceed onward. I am thankful for Christ's leadership in demonstrating how we can multiply what he has given to us to do so that His mission can be furthered for his glory!

[dpkeaton]

Jesus spent a huge amount of His ministry "working" with people and on various tasks. While we as His followers should certainly emulate Him, we need to understand that He was sent to accomplish a lot in a short period of time. Jesus did try and escape the crowds for periods of rest, but even that was interupted. Even when He want to parties (what we would normally think of as a relaxing) He was still "working". I think it's important for us to spend time with people, building relationships and modeling Christ. And I think it's important for us to spend time on tasks that may take us away from people. But, we must make time to re-charge. Scripture commands us to live like Jesus-to be poured out for others. if we are to live like this then we must make to for God to pour back into us.

[dpkeaton]

Hansel,
I appreciate your insights. I find it amazing that Jesus was never in a hurry. I have no idea what an unhurried life would be like. I believe His ability to live in this way (aside from the fact that He was the eternal, all-powerful, and wise God) was tied to His purpose. Jesus never spent and idle moment, spoke an idle word, or thought an idle thought. (By the way, I have no idea what that kind of life would be like either.) He used relationships as a means of accomplishing His purpose. This is not to intimate that Christ carried ulterior motives into these relationships--quite the contrary. Instead, the relationships in which He engaged and the people He discipled through them were part of His purpose. I don't know about you, but I want to bring the same kind of purpose into my relationships.

I like how you said, "He used relationships as a means of accomplishing His purposes." This is so true! How often did Jesus spend time with someone or have a conversation with that person to enable them or teach them a greater truth. I think of when he told the disciple that they could move mountains if they had even the smallest amount of faith in Him. No doubt, there were times later in their lives where they thought back to that instance and it gave them the assurance to do what God was commanding. Or think about Jesus' post-ressurrection talk with Peter at the Sea of Galilee. I think that conversation set the stage for Peter to take the leadership of the early church. To some, those conversations may have been insignificant. But Jesus was indeed using relationships to accomplish His purpose.

[bassworks]

Jesus' mission was certainly unique. He didn't have the usual dilemma of figuring out how to spend time with a new girlfriend and hang out with the guys. His main task was to die and then raise up from the dead. The whole of His agenda was orchestrated to make the cross happen at the right time, exactly as the prophecies foretold. He, of course, did many great deeds along the way (spent time with people). Most of this was from His heart of love as He could tell what was in the hearts of th people. He also used the miracles to prove His identity, which would put Him on a cross, by the way. No, our mission is not the same. We should apply as much WWJD toward our people time, though. What the balance should be, I am not sure. It seems the Holy Spirit helps with that.

[bassworks]

As you mention, He was here to get a lot done in a short period of time. Even though, He started His public ministry at age 30, three short years and BOOM. The shout heard around the world, "It is finished." Yes, we emulate His servanthood attitude, His resolute pace, and His retreat for times of prayer.

[SWORDBEARER4HIM]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

Many believers go wrong in trying to exactly imitate Christ in everything that He did. Though there is much that Christ has taught us in His time spent with people and time on the tasks of the Lord, we cannot imitate Him exactly. What we should imitate is the principle behind how Christ balanced His time. We are NOT to become obsessed with how to perfectly divide our time among the people we minister to and the tasks of the Lord, but should be careful to devote ourselves fully to the time we spend on each of these at the leading of the Holy Spirit. Christ was not “worried” about things that He needed to complete on His “TO – DO” List while ministering to the people, and was not distracted by the crowds when He was about the Lord’s will.

[SWORDBEARER4HIM]

For what Jesus came to earth to accomplish and in the short amount of time He did it in, I think Jesus was unique in how much time He spent with people, His disciples, and other tasks. He spent all day many times healing the sick and teaching God's word. Of course, He was single and He was God in the flesh. I think He needed to "touch" the masses so to speak so He could win as many as possible to Him while He was on earth and to show people the Father in heaven. Also, He spent His whole ministry teaching and training His disciples to lead His earthly kingdom (the church) after He was taken up to heaven. I don't recall that He had too many tasks that are mentioned in the Bible.
I don't think Jesus expects us to live like this exactly. He knows that many Christians are married and have children, jobs, homes. I think He wants us to give God our whole hearts and to serve people in whatever capacity we can. I think God is pleased with that just like I think God looks at the heart when we give our money, feed the poor, etc. I don't think if we give our time relunctantly all the time that He is pleased with that, although we probably all struggle with that many times and I wouldn't be surprised if Jesus may have felt that at times Himself. People can be pretty demanding. God also wants us to do the things we do in excellent and godly ways as examples to the world. I think Jesus' relationship with God is incredible and we can always grow in our devotion to God and to others.


Though I absolutely agree that much of what Christ did on Earth was completely unique, I feel that though we can’t spend ALL of our time in ministry, the principle that Christ’s life teaches us is that ministry is about living out your faith. Jesus’ life was about living out the work of the Lord, and what we can take away from the model of His life is that His life, friendships, activities, etc. were all structured around His mission on earth. He was always about the business of the Lord, and all of His relationships incorporated His great love for the Father and the work He was sent to do. I agree that the heart attitude is important, but what we must learn/realize that the most important and valuable relationship we can have is with the Lord, and when this is as it should be, all other relationships will fall into place.

[deb3]

I think that Jesus' ability to mix time with people and time with tasks was totally unique to Him. He always had time for the individual. He would interrupt His breaks or time away if needs arose. He would stop travelling long enough to heal a sick person or speak to a woman by the well. People were important to Him. They were His reason for being here. That being said, I think that He was able to "multi-task" unlike any of us ever could hope to do. I think that He does not intend for us to be like Him, but to strive to balance our time between the two--people and tasks. Perhaps we need to learn the difference between God-centered tasks and "our"-centered tasks.

[deb3]

Many believers go wrong in trying to exactly imitate Christ in everything that He did. Though there is much that Christ has taught us in His time spent with people and time on the tasks of the Lord, we cannot imitate Him exactly. What we should imitate is the principle behind how Christ balanced His time. We are NOT to become obsessed with how to perfectly divide our time among the people we minister to and the tasks of the Lord, but should be careful to devote ourselves fully to the time we spend on each of these at the leading of the Holy Spirit. Christ was not “worried” about things that He needed to complete on His “TO – DO” List while ministering to the people, and was not distracted by the crowds when He was about the Lord’s will.

I agree totally with this post. We are so into completing our "To-Do" lists and at any cost. We do need to lean more on the Holy Spirit to lead us in our ministries.

[jakefair]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

First off Jesus was divine as well as human and his mission was for a short time. I think that they way he ministered should be emulated but we must guard ourselves with our time with God. Jesus made his priority to spend time alone. We see him constantly in scripture going away from people. Even though He really only had three years of ministry he made sure that his time alone with God was a priority. We can model this to make our relationship with God put first then all will follow.

[jakefair]

It seems to me that Jesus time here on earth was short and therefore, very direct. He was able to sprint as it were.

That being said, I think that he was purposeful enought to give us examples of how we to should live and balance our lives.

Certainly the aspect of his time alone with God is worthy of our imulation.
From two sides: 1. he was alone with God 2. He was alone from the world and its distractions.

I have taken to joggin early in the morning and I find there is no one but me and my creator to spend time alond both with him and away from the business of my life.

To me that is the main aspect of his ministry that I would like to continue working towards

I am still early in my ministry but I find that the first thing to go is my personal time with God. I know that it is so important and I feel beat up and let down when I do not get that time. I want to make that a priority but it seems hard. Joey with your jogging in the morning is a good idea of getting away from the distractions. Jesus did that on a mountain. I do not have a mountain to go to but I need to find a place to be alone a focused and make it a priority in my walk.

[gwoodrum]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

Jesus' entire life was about relationships. Every task that he had was built around a relationship. The Bible tells us that early in the morning he would slip away to be with his father. His time alone and time with his heavenly father took priority, but the rest of his life was invested in others.

The mix of our lives should emulate the life of Christ. Our lives should be full of JOY. Jesus, others, and then yourself. If our time and tasks are built around relationships then our focus will be on others and their needs.

[gwoodrum]

One of the things I appreciate about Jesus was the way in which He managed His time. Throughout the gospels, we find Him saying things like, "the time has come," or "my time has not yet come," or "now is the time," etc. Jesus knew the appropriate time for the appropriate action. He brought this understanding to the way in which He divided His time between people and tasks. He spent a great deal of time investing into the lives of individuals, but the investment of time was never without purpose. I believe Jesus was accomplishing His mission (His tasks if you will) through the time He devoted to people. I believe we must strive to emulate Christ's model in our own lives. We must bring the same kind of purpose to our relationships, always striving to redeem the time allotted to us for the advancement of Christ's mission and the glory of God.
If we could only manage our time as Jesus did. It was obvious that Jesus put a great deal of emphasis on relationships. When you look at His life, and even the Ten Commandments, the first four are about our relationship with the Lord, the rest have to do with relationships with one another. I think if our priorities are like those of Christ's then His mission becomes our mission and we are able to accomplish in our lives what He has called us to.

[abarber]

It seems to me that Jesus provided the perfect example in virtually every way. Certainly He spent time on tasks, and He said at John 5:17 that He was always at work. We are to have the mind of Christ (1 Co. 2:16). Jesus’ tasks were often wrapped around spending time with people. We should follow this example. We should be engaged in work that draws us closer to people and work that draws us and other people closer to God. For example, if we are busy with material “tasks” that serve God, like cleaning up at church, we should bring others along side us and help them know what it is like to serve God together. Jesus was such a servant-leader and we should emulate this. This was shown when Jesus had his disciples distribute bread and fish when He feed thousands. The task was feeding people, but Jesus was also showing His disciples to be engaged with the people they were feeding.

[abarber]

I totally agree with this post as it illustrates how Christ truly ministered. Even Jesus accomplished more in his three year ministry than anyone else has ever done over their entire lifespan, he was not running a race. It is very difficult, from reading scripture, to get the idea that Jesus was running his life at a pace that was super human. In fact, he rested when the need arose. He also knew the mission his Father had given him, so he prioritized his time accordingly. While many people wanted his time, he often reserved it for his own well being or for those who were greater in need.

Out of his sacrificial love Christ not only went to the cross for us, he also prepared his followers to carry on the mission given to him. This is precisely why I am able to write these words today. Christ knew that the best way to further his mission was to multiply. Since he was God he could have done this all by himself, but he chose to use humans. He did so to provide an example for us. This was his strategy and it worked incredibly well. Since this is the case, Christ modeled for us exactly how we should do ministry. If it all rests on our shoulders the mission will not proceed onward. I am thankful for Christ's leadership in demonstrating how we can multiply what he has given to us to do so that His mission can be furthered for his glory!
It may be a little off topic, but I agree with Macatawa about it not all resting on our shoulders. The great prophet Elijah thought for a while that it all rested on his shoulders too, even though God had told him there were at least 7000 other faithful people remaining. We do need to be disciples who produce disciples who produce... A goal of any Christian shoud be to replace himself as Paul did with Timothy and others.

[alancullen]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

I believe that Christ lived the life of perfect balance. I also believe that he lived a life of simplicity. He did this to underscore the fact that people matter more than things and the ascendancy of a life of servant hood over an endless quest for more stuff, more power, more prestige, more cars...

We witness occasions where Christ leaves the crowds and takes time to be alone with his Father. Practical or logical ministry plans would never advise a minister to walk away from a crowd of people. Modern strategic thinking would recommend capitalizing on such numbers of people as an opportunity to start a capital campaign!

Jesus knew when to say NO to the good things so that he could say YES to the right things.

I think Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman is a prime example of how Christ placed people first on his agenda - especially the kind of people that others would not prioritize.

YES - we should try to model this. We live in a complex world that screams for our attention. The opportunities for distraction in today's reality are staggering. We should look to the example of simplicity that Christ modeled for us.

[alancullen]

It seems to me that Jesus provided the perfect example in virtually every way. Certainly He spent time on tasks, and He said at John 5:17 that He was always at work. We are to have the mind of Christ (1 Co. 2:16). Jesus’ tasks were often wrapped around spending time with people. We should follow this example. We should be engaged in work that draws us closer to people and work that draws us and other people closer to God. For example, if we are busy with material “tasks” that serve God, like cleaning up at church, we should bring others along side us and help them know what it is like to serve God together. Jesus was such a servant-leader and we should emulate this. This was shown when Jesus had his disciples distribute bread and fish when He feed thousands. The task was feeding people, but Jesus was also showing His disciples to be engaged with the people they were feeding.

My Response:

I think there is some real wisdom in the comments made above.

The idea of serving God in the context of people has great merit. Our lives need to be 'other' focused. Our lives also need to be centered around serving. Perhaps the community (a vital part of our spiritual growth) can happen while spending time with people.

In fact, the idea of serving God with non-Christians can be powerful. Feeding the poor in the name of Jesus with a friend who does not know Christ can have significant impact.

[ajedwards]

I doubt very much that Jesus ever pondered such a question when considering his own ministry. This question seems to reflect a paradigm of western compartmentalization that I find unnecessary and unhelpful in this case. The two items contrasted here (people and tasks) are not mutually exclusive (especially as seen in the life of Christ) and there is no reason to separate them. Why not adopt a more holistic understanding of ministry wherein time with people and time with tasks come together under the will of the Father? Finally, to answer the question: Yes, let’s model our use of time after the example of Christ, in whose life we find a proper understanding of people, tasks, and the nature of ministry.

[ajedwards]

We must be careful not to create a false dichotomy and say that Jesus’ life was somehow split or divided between time spent on tasks and time spent with people. I submit that this division did not exist in the mind of Christ but that He was always perfectly devoted to the will of the Father (“tasks”) and the good of those He had been sent to save (“people”). What part of His life was not lived in selfless, sacrificial love for people? Even His time spent praying alone was ultimately for the good of all people. When was He not focused on His mission to fulfill the “tasks” or purposes for which He had been sent? Every task was involved in the great plan of redemption for those who would place their faith in Him. For example, the washing of the disciples’ feet was clearly a task that Christ completed yet was also an intimate time of fellowship with, service to, and teaching for the Twelve. Or consider the cross: the ultimate “task” for which Christ had been sent but clearly the cross was endured among people (including the thief, John, the Roman soldiers, etc.) and to purchase salvation for all people. Christ’s life and ministry was fully devoted to the tasks assigned to Him by the Father as well as the people whom He had come to save.
As fallen creatures, we tend to compartmentalize our lives and divide our time among different roles and responsibilities (e.g. balancing ministry with family time). The commandments to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength and to love one another are not two separate paths but one. We do not choose whether we will love God or others- God or my wife, God or my church family. We are called to love God at all times and to love people at all times- never loving one to the exclusion of the other. Real love for people does not inhibit our ability to love God. We should view our tasks as opportunities to love people and love God. We ought to model our lives after Christ’s perfectly intertwined, interconnected obedience in “tasks” and love for people.

Phil B., After answering the question myself, I searched through the posts for one to comment on for the class requirement and I found a kindred spirit in your remarks (and I chose to attach my response to your post because rather than criticize one of the other posts, I would rather applaud yours). In the structure of the question and many of the responses, I find an unhelpful desire to make distinctions between things which are “ministry” and things which are somehow not (i.e., preparing for a sermon vs. spending time with the wife and kids) as well as other false dichotomies (like one respondent who absurdly claimed that Jesus’ healings and miracles were not to be considered “time with people”). I believe your answer reflects a more healthy and holistic understanding. I think we essentially said the same thing in our responses, although I admit you probably put it better. Down with false dichotomies!

[Ted Duncan]

The amazing thing to me is that Jesus never seemed to be upset about interruptions. You see Him intentionally trying get away by himself or with his disciples and then interrupted by some kind of question, crowd or crisis. He got up early to pray and His disiciples chased after him telling Him that everyone's looking for Him, He went away to pray again and His disicples come along requesting a lesson in how to pray. He tried to get away and rest with His disicples by taking a boat trip, but when they arrived on the other side, He was met a huge crowd who travelled on foot.

[JSpelman]

My friend in the previous post pointed out how Jesus would attempt to get away by Himself or with His disciples only to be met with lots of needy people. When my schedule gets interrupted I am tempted to get annoyed (unless I am really Abiding closely with Jesus that day!) but Jesus only showed love and compassion. Of course Jesus, being a member of the Triune Godhead, had the advantage of knowing that those "interruptions" would happen before they happened.

Jesus was all about people and relationships. His tasks were necessarily a part of those relationships but I see Jesus being primarily relational. (I do wonder, though, what Jesus was like before His public ministry. When He was between 17 and 27 did mainly do carpentry work? Was He much more task-oriented? Possibly.)

As a stay-home dad to 4 kids aged 8 and under, I spend a large chunk of time in the kitchen. I clean lots of stuff - constantly. My challenge is to learn how to Abide in Jesus and worship Him even I am scrambling to make mac-n-cheese for an impatient toddler who wants to eat NOW! I need to learn to give genuine heartfelt thanks when I am up with a non-sleeping child at 3am after staying up until 12:30am working on seminary stuff (am I hitting close to home for you fellow distance-learning friends?). I cannot go out and spend lots of hours cultivating relationships at this stage in my life nor do I think God expects it of me (although I do my best within my church body). Someday I will be much more relationship-focused. Right now I have some very important "tasks" to take care of. Gotta go, I think my baby is crying...

[adamsjb@grace.edu]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

It seems to me that Jesus spent most of His time engaging people. An old preacher, when I was a young pastor, used to always tell me that, "the ministry is built first upon people, not programs, models, or strategies." Yes, I think we should try to model this mix of putting people first.

[adamsjb@grace.edu]

My friend in the previous post pointed out how Jesus would attempt to get away by Himself or with His disciples only to be met with lots of needy people. When my schedule gets interrupted I am tempted to get annoyed (unless I am really Abiding closely with Jesus that day!) but Jesus only showed love and compassion. Of course Jesus, being a member of the Triune Godhead, had the advantage of knowing that those "interruptions" would happen before they happened.

Jesus was all about people and relationships. His tasks were necessarily a part of those relationships but I see Jesus being primarily relational. (I do wonder, though, what Jesus was like before His public ministry. When He was between 17 and 27 did mainly do carpentry work? Was He much more task-oriented? Possibly.)

As a stay-home dad to 4 kids aged 8 and under, I spend a large chunk of time in the kitchen. I clean lots of stuff - constantly. My challenge is to learn how to Abide in Jesus and worship Him even I am scrambling to make mac-n-cheese for an impatient toddler who wants to eat NOW! I need to learn to give genuine heartfelt thanks when I am up with a non-sleeping child at 3am after staying up until 12:30am working on seminary stuff (am I hitting close to home for you fellow distance-learning friends?). I cannot go out and spend lots of hours cultivating relationships at this stage in my life nor do I think God expects it of me (although I do my best within my church body). Someday I will be much more relationship-focused. Right now I have some very important "tasks" to take care of. Gotta go, I think my baby is crying...

JSpelman I love your answer. "Jesus was all about people and relationships." In fact, I would say, it appears to me, that people were His task. For me the most successful method of evangelism has always been by cultivating a relationship, and then useing it as a bridge for the Gospel message. Thanks for your insights, Jesse.

[ianth]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

You and I have jobs that demand our attention be diverted immedietely from people for hours at a time, whether on the computer or at a job site. These jobs are good; they provide for our families and put our bodies and minds to work (hopefully).

Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks was definately one-sided towards the people aspect. Where our negotiation is to make sure we do include people in our lives when we can, Jesus negotiation was to include time alone with the Father when he could (often through the night). Jesus' unique mission was to "seek and save the lost... to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many."

Some of us will be priviliged enough to have a similar ministry to Jesus, where most of our time is engaging with people. But, not all of us will have this privilege. HOWEVER, Jesus life tells us that people are our task. In the scope of eternity, a person's choice to follow Christ is the greatest choice, we must be with people to encourage their making the right choice.

I don't think Christians should model Jesus' mix, or else we'd all be poor missionaries asking for financial support from other poor missionaries. Some will need to mix their time differently than Jesus - but to neglect mixing people in is a sin and a neglect of Jesus' call of discipleship.

[ianth]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

It is obvious that Jesus always did everything that God willed for Him to do. Jesus' life was very active and He was running a race during His three year ministry. However, Paul says we are in a race and admonishes us to run the race with everything within us. Also, Jesus told us to pick up our cross and follow hard after Him. Jesus' was involved in many tasks, but as you look at the tasks it was always ministry based for others. Even time alone on the mountain was time to pray for people. So I think it's hard to distinguish between time with people vs. time with tasks, I think they are identical questions. We must consume our lives with ministry as Jesus did.

I disagree if this ministry you're talking about is living day-to-day off the support of others to spend time engaging people about the gospel. This kind of ministry was modeled by Jesus and will be the privilege of some Christians - but it is not the calling of everyone. Every single moment ought to be spent to glorify God, but some people will do that by working a 12 hour shift six days a week on the assembly line trying not to let bitterness creep in. I would have trouble telling this person they need to consume their life with ministry as Jesus did.

I think Jesus sets the importance of people high - our life is to be a witness to others in their company, vocally and in presence. Maybe I just don't like the wording "consume our lives with ministry;" sounds very spiritual but unrealistic. Instead, I think we ought to say, "look to what extent Jesus loved people, loved you. If this love filled you, how would your interactions with people change, would you want to do anything during your day differently?" Ministry can be with family, with money spent, with letters written.

I don't want people feeling guilty if they don't have the freedom to choose a life of "consuming ministry" with people.

[JSpelman]

I am responding to the post titled "Aspire to it, but it was unique" by ianth, posted on 11/25/08.

Good insight. I was thinking, before I read your post, about the book The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. In my own life recently I have struggled with the tension of wanting to go away on prayer hikes in my favorite park, hang out at the coffee place and maybe meet a few students from the nearby university, and meet with with friends to pray together and sharpen one another. These are things I love to do. But 90% of the time there is something else more pressing such as taking care of my 4 kids while my wife is working, making dinner, or cleaning a toilet (not always a pressing task but it needs to be done occasionally). It has gradually been dawning upon me that the Christian life is not about "doing" all of the good, spiritual things. Those are a part of it, more or less depending upon your vocation. But for most of us, living the Christian life is doing all the "little things" (including cleaning toilets) with an attitude and a Joy that reflects the Love of Jesus. I am learning that the greatest "battle" of my day-to-day life is simply learning to Abide - just like Brother Lawrence learned to abide - in the Vine of Christ at all times...especially when I am cleaning a toilet.

[revlaing]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

Looking at Christ as the shepherd and pastors as under-shepherds, we find that we need to model His example when it comes to the mix of time with people and tasks. Pastors are called to be shepherds of God’s flock. Certainly, we must study for and prepare for our role as preacher/teacher. We must give clear, expositional teaching from the pulpit on a regular basis. However, we cannot “hole ourselves up” in our offices all week and use the primacy of preaching the Word and its preparation as our excuse. We must interact with people of the church and community. We have to visit the sick, counsel those with needs, be involved in the community, etc. Jesus did spend a large amount of time investing in people, but He also drew away for prayer in private. We must do the same.

[revlaing]

My friend in the previous post pointed out how Jesus would attempt to get away by Himself or with His disciples only to be met with lots of needy people. When my schedule gets interrupted I am tempted to get annoyed (unless I am really Abiding closely with Jesus that day!) but Jesus only showed love and compassion. Of course Jesus, being a member of the Triune Godhead, had the advantage of knowing that those "interruptions" would happen before they happened.

Jesus was all about people and relationships. His tasks were necessarily a part of those relationships but I see Jesus being primarily relational. (I do wonder, though, what Jesus was like before His public ministry. When He was between 17 and 27 did mainly do carpentry work? Was He much more task-oriented? Possibly.)

As a stay-home dad to 4 kids aged 8 and under, I spend a large chunk of time in the kitchen. I clean lots of stuff - constantly. My challenge is to learn how to Abide in Jesus and worship Him even I am scrambling to make mac-n-cheese for an impatient toddler who wants to eat NOW! I need to learn to give genuine heartfelt thanks when I am up with a non-sleeping child at 3am after staying up until 12:30am working on seminary stuff (am I hitting close to home for you fellow distance-learning friends?). I cannot go out and spend lots of hours cultivating relationships at this stage in my life nor do I think God expects it of me (although I do my best within my church body). Someday I will be much more relationship-focused. Right now I have some very important "tasks" to take care of. Gotta go, I think my baby is crying...

My heart goes out to my brother here who has the divinely appointed challenge of family, study and ministry! We have four children ourselves. It is so important to make sure our family does not get neglected. My seven year old loves to come up and give me hugs during our sound checks at church. I could get annoyed, but I want to stop and give her a hug before we go on with business as usual. Certainly ministry tasks are important, but it is about people! Jesus was all about people and He never did get annoyed. I need to work on that when it comes to some of our church members, but mostly I do give folks the time they need. My hat is off to the previous writer! Keep up the balance of family and ministry through God’s power.

[Dave Herbster]

Jesus spent the vast majority of His time with people. He did spent time alone with His Father, but for the most part people were His task. Jesus had to teach His disciples in a very short period of time. He knew that in just over three and a half years He would be returning to His Father and the disciples would have to carry out their commision to reach the world with with the Gospel.

As a believer, my first responsiblity is to know God. As my relationship with God grows, I believe that I will then, like Jesus, devote myself to ministering to people.

[JND]

Consider Jesus' mix of time with people and time with tasks. Should we try to model this mix, or were some aspects unique to His life?

In response to this question, I suggest the response is not an either/or consideration, but that each part warrants a “yes” response. He came to Earth as man, but as God incarnate. Therefore, His very nature indicates uniqueness to His life. However, He came to earth for us. His mission was to save the world through Him. He taught us to follow Him, and we are to be like Him, and lead others to Him. So, His time was spent with and for people. A difference is that He knew the duration of His earthly ministry, whereas we do not know ours. I think we should try to model this mix, in the context of his teachings: seeking the lost, ministering to those in need, bearing fruit.

[JND]

I doubt very much that Jesus ever pondered such a question when considering his own ministry. This question seems to reflect a paradigm of western compartmentalization that I find unnecessary and unhelpful in this case. The two items contrasted here (people and tasks) are not mutually exclusive (especially as seen in the life of Christ) and there is no reason to separate them. Why not adopt a more holistic understanding of ministry wherein time with people and time with tasks come together under the will of the Father? Finally, to answer the question: Yes, let’s model our use of time after the example of Christ, in whose life we find a proper understanding of people, tasks, and the nature of ministry.

Interesting perspective on this question. I suggest however, that the array of varied and thoughtful responses indicate that there is value in posting a question of this nature. It appears to stimulate thought concerning how to live as Christ against the backdrop of today’s lifestyles ands responsibilities. Also, as Jesus was human, perhaps He did ponder such a question, given His frustration with the twelve disciples, who so often seemed to just not get it; and having to deal with chronic antagonism from the religious establishment throughout His ministry. That being said, the last sentence of your post sums it up nicely!