By Kayode Crown

Philippians 2:21

Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ.

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This is not a throwaway line but an indictment.

God spoke to some people through Haggai, that they were all about their own businesses while God's temple lay in ruin.

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: “These people have said, ‘The time for rebuilding the Lord’s temple has not yet come.’” The Lord’s message came through the prophet Haggai as follows: “Is it right for you to live in richly paneled houses while my temple is in ruins? (Haggai: 1:2-4)

The easy thing to do is to mind your own business. The "others" Paul was referring to are Christians, but Paul said they are busy. They are not bad people, just busy. Busy seeking their own things, not the things of God. They may be content to be seeking their own things and not feel the urgency that Paul feels for the things of God. And he spoke in that tone at different times in his ministry, reflecting his loneliness.

For example, he said:

At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me—may they not be held accountable for it. (2 Timothy 4:16)

So this was a man in prison, but after years of ministry, he did not have many close associates. And we can look at the beatings Paul took, the times he almost died, the hunger and the nakedness he suffered, and see that as being the composite of the suffering that Christ said he would suffer for His sake (Acts 9:16). But we often ignore the loneliness, which is not nothing.

The people that Haggai brought the word of God to had come to a conclusion about timing. For whatever reason, they thought it was not the time. Maybe they were too busy establishing a life for themselves. Someone may say, I have so much debt I need to pay for, another may say, I just got married, another may say, I just started a business and I need to get it off the ground. The reasons can go on and on.

But, Matthew 6:33 says:

But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

It's not about trying to fit God into your schedule; it's about taking God's schedule and making it your schedule.

That is why Paul prayed that some people be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom (action to get results) and spiritual understanding (live lived by conviction) (Colossians 1:9).
That is why we are meant to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).

Taking God's schedule and making it yours is what Jesus meant when he said What I see the Father doing, that is what I am doing (John 5:19). It is lining up your will with God's will and doing His bidding every step of the way. And how that looks would be different from one person to another.

That does not necessarily mean spending 24 hours in the church, and not working with your hands to provide for your needs and those of your household and the people around you. But it definitely means not thinking of those things as the be-all and end-all of your life, as the things that must define you to the exclusion of everything else.

So Jesus said above all, pursue his kingdom and righteousness. That means that should be what defines you. That is what colors everything, that is your underlying motives, and if the demand is for time, resources, and energy, we do it as God lays it in our heart to do, and as you have the grace.

And we are supposed to pursue His kingdom and righteousness in both public and private lives, private devotion in time in prayer, fasting, and His word, and public in spiritual service. We don't have to be mono-dimensional persons.

And we should not just be public devotees without seeking God beyond the public purview. And personal devotion will outflow to public expression of service to God. As we seek His face, we get infused with His passion, mission, and purpose. And part of the Lord's prayer is asking that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). And we know it is His will for us to work with our hands to provide for our needs (1 Thessalonians 4:11).

But there are some things that have to do with Christ in the purest sense, like Timothy was concerned about the church in Philippi.

Everyone is called to share in that concern and to express it based on the gift we have been given (Romans 12:1-8) as we express love for God with all our heart, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). We should act based on the grace we have been given by God (1 Corinthians 15:10).