7-21-2026 | While We’re Busy Doing “the Right Things”
“Be still, and know that I am God.” - Psalm 46:10
“Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:42
It is possible to be so committed to doing good.. godly.. responsible things that we become distracted from the voice of God Himself.
We can fill our days with church work... helping others... serving faithfully... reading plans... attending meetings... and trying our best to “do what’s right”.… yet still miss the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit…. Not because those things are wrong… but because...
"Activity is not the same as intimacy."
“The Holy Spirit does not only lead us through duty…. He leads us through relationship.”
Sometimes we become so focused on checking the right boxes that we no longer pause long enough to ask… “Lord… what are You saying right now?”…. We assume that because something is good… it must be God’s present direction.
But God is not only concerned with what we do…. He is deeply concerned with whether we are walking with Him while we do it.
Think about Martha in Luke 10…. She was serving…. She was working…. She was doing something honorable…. But Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened…. Martha was distracted by much serving… while Mary chose the one thing that was needed…. Martha wasn’t rebuked for loving Jesus…. She was corrected because her service had become louder than His voice.
How often does that happen to us?
"We can become so determined to do the right thing… that we stop listening for the God thing."
The Holy Spirit often speaks softly…. He nudges…. He convicts…. He redirects…. He comforts…. He may tell us to slow down… stay still… speak up… apologize… wait… or change direction.
But if our hearts are racing ahead with our own plans… even spiritual plans… we may not hear Him.
“Obedience is not just doing what seems biblically correct in our own understanding…. True obedience is responding to the living voice of God.”
That kind of sensitivity requires stillness.
It requires surrender.
It requires us to admit that even our best intentions are not a substitute for daily dependence on God.
So the question is not only… “Am I doing the right things?”
The deeper question is…“Am I listening?”
“Because you can be busy for God and still out of step with God.”