To do list?

How often are we consumed with a long list of things we want or need to do?

Maybe household tasks – the endless washing up, laundry, food shops, cooking. Or, your job continuously involves sending and receiving countless emails, projects to finish and meetings to contribute to. Perhaps you’re a parent – enduring the never-ending cycle of nappy changing, meal preparing, cleaning and disciplining.

These are good and useful things to fill our time with. But if it gets to a point where we place our value in how much we are doing, there is a danger that we are focussing too much on our own capabilities.

In the book of Zechariah, Joshua is to become the high priest. This passage tells us what the Lord says about Joshua, and this is also a picture of Jesus.

“Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne.” Zechariah 6v12-13

This is a long list of things that “He will”. The Branch (Jesus) will build the temple of the Lord. “The temple” is a picture of the church, God’s people. Jesus will rule from his heavenly throne – calling us to obey him.

Life can feel like a long list of “I will”. But this is a list of things that Jesus will do. Jesus is building us into God’s church, and reigns over us from Heaven.

Next time you feel overwhelmed with everything you need to get done, take a moment to pause, and think about what God has done for you. This passage is a piece in the puzzle of Jesus coming down from heaven to make things right between us and God.

Find peace as you meditate on all that God has done for you. You may feel like your work is never done, but God’s work is perfect and complete!

Thank you, Jesus, that you love your people, the church. Jesus, may we be reminded daily of your heavenly rule over us, and seek to please you even in the monotony of our day to day tasks. Amen.

Katrina is a member of Hope Church. She is married to Alex, mother to their two-year-old son and eleven-month-old daughter.