As Jesus and his disciples … were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus … was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46-47)

My life is busy. I’ll bet yours is too. So it’s easy, even for committed Christians, to think we’re too busy to serve Christ — at least right now. “After things settle down a bit,” we tell ourselves, “I’ll find ways to make a difference in God’s kingdom.”

Jesus was busy too. In fact, without the modern conveniences we enjoy today, it’s easy to imagine He was far busier than we are — not because He had 456 TV channels to choose from, but because every detail of life had to be sorted out by hand.

Yet have you ever noticed that much of Jesus’ ministry happened in the midst of interruptions? As He was “leaving the city,” for instance, a blind man called out to Him. It would have been easy for Jesus to say to His disciples, “Sorry, guys, it’s not on the agenda. We have other obligations to fill, so tell him it’ll have to wait.”

Can you imagine? Instead, Jesus asked the man what he wanted, and He ended up restoring the man’s sight. All on His way out of town!

A Life-Changing Pattern of Caring 

In Acts 3 we read that “Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer” when a man who was lame asked them for money (Acts 3:1). They could have decided prayer meetings were more important and kept on walking. Instead, they reached out to him, healed him, and changed his life forever.

And in Acts 16 Paul was looking for a prayer meeting down by a river. Apparently he never found it but instead “sat down and began to speak to the women who would gathered there” (Acts 16:13). This led to one of those women, named Lydia, along with her entire household, trusting in Christ (Acts 16:14-15).

See a pattern? No, we can’t meet every need or stop every time someone wants to talk — and neither could Jesus and His followers. But like Jesus and these early Christian leaders, we need to stay open, always watching for the divine interruptions that God might be opening up to us while we’re on our way to do other things.

Truth for Today

God might have a divine interruption plan for you today. Look for it. Don’t let busyness keep you from making “the most of every opportunity” (Col. 4:5).

 
Excerpted from the 180-day apologetics devotional Today’s Moment of Truth: Devotions to Deepen Your Faith in Christ, by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg, available at bookstores and online retailers. Copyright © 2016 by Lee Strobel. Used with permission. All rights reserved.