Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O! And on that farm he had some…
Now’s the point you insert “chicken” or “cow” and go “bock bock!” over here or “MOOOOOOO” over there, right?
Maybe in a normal household, but not mine. Kayda prefers to make it hard on me when we sing this song. Oh sure, things started off rather status quo, with a gobble gobble here and an oink oink there. Actually at first it was only a gobble gobble and an oink oink as she preferred Old Mac’s farm be stocked with turkeys, pigs and nothing else. Then she took the mound and started throwing curve balls. It went a little something like this…
And on that farm he had some…(this is the part where I pause and wait patiently for her to decide turkey or pig)
HATS!
Hats? Hats. Ok. With a… …. hat hat here and a …. cap cap there, here a … hat, there a cap, everywhere a hat hat…
Hilarity ensued as all of a sudden animals were no longer welcome on Old MacDonald’s Farm, in lieu of eyes, doors, other farmers, heads, towels, tables, feet, etc. For whatever reason Kayda switched things up on me and a simple, run of the mill song got a little trickier.
This is sort of like God, right? He makes our burdens lighter, yes, but He also calls for more and more excellence out of us. The longer and more ferociously you follow Jesus, the more Jesus expects from you. Sort of counter cultural I know. Paul, in the book of Ephesians calls the church at Ephesus to continued excellence. He calls them to not get content but to press on toward Jesus and Holiness. In particular he warns them to not waste their time; to spend it wisely. This is a hard thing to think about because we all have these great little routines don’t we? We wake up, carry out the non-negotiable parts of our day, feed our families, tidy up, then take the remaining few hours to kill time with our WEAPON OF CHOICE.
Some of the most popular weapons in our culture tend to be Facebook, TV and video games, among lots of other things. These aren’t bad things. That doesn’t mean they can’t become idols either, playing a greater role in our lives than Jesus. We’ve got to be wise about the portion of our lives we hand over to time killers like these.
Jesus never tells you how much or little time to spend doing anything. Instead, the Bible says over and over that as Believers, we are FREE IN CHRIST! (Run far away from pastors that put heavy burdens on you the Bible doesn’t). We are free to choose what to do with our time, but evidently are expected to still be wise with it.
Maybe you, like me, need to evaluate your “day in and day out.” Maybe we need to weigh out our do’s and don’ts. Here are a few Scriptures I find very beneficial for this. Jesus did enough sacrificing, right? Maybe it’s time we do some ourselves by cutting some fat out of our free time so He gets more of our life?
- 1 Corinthians 10:23 (We are free to do whatever, but that doesn’t mean “whatever” is beneficial or worth it.)
- 1 Corinthians 13:11 (We’re adults now. Let go of the childish things. Replace with more Jesus. Will you really regret the swap?)
- Mark 11:12-14 (If something doesn’t bear good fruit it’s expendable. Like THIS. Maybe just get rid of it like Jesus did.)
Your time is limited. There are no do-overs. Reset buttons are for video games and the college boys that play them still. Spend it wisely. Accomplish more for Jesus with it. Honor Him a little more with your time tomorrow than you did today. You’ll never regret it. More on how exactly to do this later…
And on that farm he had some…
EARS!
With an ear ear hear and a hear hear there, here an ear, there a hear, everywhere an ear ear!
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