Series: PAUSE
Today’s Message: BEATING BUSY
Text: Luke 14:28-30 NLT
Pastor Tom Cogle
Sunday, February 8, 2026
DECEPTION OF BUSY:
- If you’re busy, you’re important.
- If you’re busy, you’re getting a lot done.
- If you’re busy, it’s okay to not return phone calls, texts, or
emails. - If you’re busy, that’s the reason your work is mediocre and
behind schedule. - If you’re busy, it’s because you’re the only one who can do
it right.
SYMPTOMS OF BUSY: - It DISTRACTS us from what’s most important.
- It’s a form of ESCAPE.
- It’s a false substitute for our SELF-WORTH.
- Our genuine value comes from WHO we are and not in
WHAT we do.
- It’s ADDICTIVE with negative side effects.
Elijah – 1 Kings 19:4 NLT
Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day.
He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he
might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life,
for I am no better than my ancestors who have already
died.”
Philippians 2:30 MSG
Remember the ministry to me that you started but weren’t
John 15:2 NLT
able to complete? Well, in the process of finishing up that
work, he put his life on the line and nearly died doing it.
- It hinders our personal growth and life’s PURPOSE.
- We’re so busy putting out FIRES we lose sight of our
purpose.
It impedes our PRODUCTIVITY.
Proverbs 21:5 MSG
Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run. Hurry and
scurry puts you further behind. - We can’t keep charging without RECHARGING.
Proverbs 19:2 NLT
Haste makes mistakes. - Being busy is how we SPEND our time, whereas
productivity is what we accomplish.
- It steals our JOY.
My life passes more swiftly than a runner. It flees away
without a glimpse of happiness.
BEATING BUSY: - Take an INVENTORY of time.
Luke 14:28-30 NLT
But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would
begin construction of a building without first calculating
the cost to see if there is enough money to finish
it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation
before running out of money, and then everyone would
laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person
who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ - Regularly PRUNE our life and schedule.
John 15:2 NLT
He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce
fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so
they will produce even more.
- Saying “no” is really saying “YES” to something
better.
- Establish boundaries based on our personal
VALUES, not necessity.
Proverbs 25:28 NLT
A person without self-control is like a city with broken
down walls.
Proverbs 21:5 NLT
Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but
hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
Write down the top TEN things that have the
highest value and priority to you:
a.
Place an “X” by your top three.
b.
c.
Daily block sufficient time in your schedule for
these three.
8 hours of sleep and 8 hours of work leaves you
960 minutes of FREE time every day that you
choose on who and how it is spent.
- Tap into the power of a PAUSE.
Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to
me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show
you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with
me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of
grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep
company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
- Pause Challenge:
1) Set aside 30 min per day, for five days, to be ALONE,
pause, and do nothing.
2) No technology, no music, no books or reading, no social
interaction, and definitely no phone.
3) Learn to be comfortable in the quiet and let your mind
simply wander.
COMING NEXT WEEK: “Pause for Love”
Everything ELSE is taking a greater priority over our
relationships rather than speaking, showing, and
demonstrating, genuine love.