We Must Be About Our Father’s Business
A child confounds Pharisees
Luke writes,
“And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.”
Luke 2:49,50
Jesus was the original “home alone” kid. Except, instead of forgetting him at home, they forgot Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem. After three days Mom and Dad finally found him (interesting that it was three days) and were more than a little annoyed.
I must be about my Father’s business
Jesus, though, saw things a bit differently. He assumed they would understand that He needed to be about the things of God and thought it natural that he had stayed behind to talk with the Pharisees. Jesus operated from a different point of view than His parents. While Jesus’s parents busied themselves with the things of daily life, Jesus wanted to do His Father’s business.
Daily life wants to pull us away from the things of God. The “grind” as some call it, wants to focus all our attention on paying the next bill, or working at our jobs, or upon whatever problem is bothering us. However, as Christians, we all have a calling and it is more important than mundane life.
Taking the eternal view
As I have walked with God, my attitude about things has changed too. Often times I make decisions based, not upon what is expedient for the here and now, but upon what is best in view of eternity. I really do believe that what we do here on earth can last forever if we choose to be in the will of God.
In a very small way, I want to be about my Father’s business too. I want to see the kingdom of God built in me and in others and therefore I order my life in such a way to help that happen. However, I cannot do this alone because I am part of the “body of Christ.” In the natural, people say “it takes a village” but in the spiritual, I say “it takes a body.” A body of believers who make doing their Father’s business a priority.
Crisis management
I talk to a lot of people and they seem bogged down in life lurching from one crisis to next. To them, it seems natural but to me, it seems futile. There are things they could do to change their lives and thus free themselves to be about their Father’s business but they cannot see these opportunities nor do they seem to want them.
To be sure, when you are in a rut the only clear way ahead seems to be forward or backward. However, God is not in the rut but stands above all and thus sees endless possibilities for each of us. Some say a rut is just a coffin with the ends knocked out. If God offers you a hand to climb out of your rut, grab hold by faith and do it. Once you are out, you may find that there are other ways to live and do the will of God that you never saw before.
It is really not about what we want
God bought us with the blood of Christ and we are not our own. God has a right to do with us as He wishes. It is not about what we want but what we can do for Him. God does not follow convention because convention does not follow Him. The world and its ways are almost always opposite of what our Savior wants. Therefore, when we align with our Father, we are often maligned by the world.
Let’s be about our Father’s business
Finally, to be about our Father’s business we must stop being consumed with our own business. Trust that God knows better than you what is most important. If God commands you to write a blog (as I am doing now) then trust that His priority is the correct one. If God wants you to do something different, even unusual, let Him do it. Allow God to order your life so that He can accomplish His will even if you do not understand it. As kids of the king, our Father’s business is our business and we must be about it.