Life is full of false economies.
I am slightly addicted to special offers in supermarkets. As soon as I see those yellow stickers in Tesco’s or Sainsbury’s I start to get very bouncy and excitable – I mean really excitable! (Just ask my fiancée, Jenni, if you don’t believe me!). What might I be able to buy at a silly cheap price? How much might I be able to save on my shopping? It’s a bit like a competition in my family, because we’re all bargain hunters. I want to be able to buy a punnet of (probably almost rotten) strawberries for 50p. I can’t resist a ‘Buy-One-Get-Two-Free’ on Greek yoghurt – even though I won’t physically be able to eat them before the ‘Use by’ date. I feel an uncontrollable urge to stock up on ‘2 for £7’ Andrex, even though I bought 36 rolls last week on special offer.
And then I go clothes or furniture shopping, I don’t add up how much things cost, but how much I’m saving. I’m not interested that these cost £199 (or even whether they’re worth that) but the fact they were £200 off! £200 off! What a saving! They must be fantastic value! All these things are false economies. If you don’t need something, or you won’t use them, or eat them before they go off, it’s not a saving at all.
But what about the life of faith?
I confess that I pray less when I’m busy. And this is a false economy. When I spend time in prayer, life runs more smoothly. I can’t quite get my head around it, but I do notice the difference. Sermons come together more fluidly. I am more alert to what God might be saying to me and where God might be leading me. I am less likely to waste time on a dud idea. When I don’t pray, life can often feel like I’m swimming through treacle. I feel frantic and everything feels more stressful. Cutting out prayer is a false economy.
My reading – of the Bible and other Christian books – can suffer when there’s a long ‘to do’ list. And that too is a false economy. My sermons are meatier and more interesting, my Bible studies more detailed, my pastoral conversations more comforting when my brain has been engaged with scripture and theology. Cutting these things out of a daily routine is a false economy.
Worship is another false economy to cut. Some weeks when I’ve been on holiday, I’ve skipped Sunday worship. Some days, I don’t make time just to worship God – I’d rather not have the CD on in the car, I’d rather distract myself with something else. But this too is a false economy. Keeping God’s greatness in mind helps me to be humble. It keeps all of life in its right perspective. Reminding myself of God’s goodness and faithfulness helps me through stressful or worrying parts of the day.
Why do we allow ourselves to be distracted? Why do we think we can save time by cutting out God?
We need to stay focussed on Jesus – with the help of prayer, Bible study, reading and worship – for not only will it show in our lives, but He will equip us for His kingdom work and for the sake of His glory.
