Burning But Not Consumed

How Can I Keep From Burning Out?

Exodus 3:2 NASB95

2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.

The burning bush was on fire, but it never burned out. Think about that for a moment. It was burning, but it was not consumed. Why? Because the fire did not originate in the bush. God supplied the flame.

The bush was not struggling to generate enough heat.

It was not manufacturing fire from its own resources.

It was simply carrying a fire that came from the presence of God.

And I think there is something here that speaks directly to how God has called us to live.

We were never designed to produce the fire. We were designed to carry the fire.

Ministry - that is the God life that is intended to be the life of every believer, is not simply performing religious tasks.Paul said:

1 Thessalonians 2:8 NASB95

8 Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.

Paul says, “We didn't just give you information. We gave you our lives.” That's ministry.

Ministry is the impartation of one life into another.

And if that is true, then there is something we have to understand: You cannot sustainably give away what you are not privately receiving.

We could also say: Our public expenditure cannot continually exceed our private replenishment.

At some point, something has to give. And that brings me back to the bush. The bush could keep burning because the bush wasn't the source. And I wonder if some of the exhaustion we experience comes because somewhere along the way we started trying to become the source.

1. YOU WERE CALLED TO BURN

God has called us to live lives that make a difference. I don't believe Christianity was ever intended to be passive. Jesus didn't save us so we could sit around waiting to go to heaven. God has placed His Spirit inside of us.

He has given us gifts.

He has given us opportunities.

He has put people around us.

There are things God wants to accomplish through your life. So this isn't a sermon telling everybody:

“Do less.”

Because sometimes we don't need to do less.

Sometimes God is actually calling us to step up.

Sometimes following Jesus is tiring.

Sometimes obedience costs something.

Sometimes ministry stretches you.

Jesus got tired.

John 4 tells us that Jesus was wearied from His journey and sat down beside a well. In Mark 6, after an intense season of ministry, Jesus said:

Mark 6:31 NASB95

31 And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)

So being tired doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. Sometimes being tired just means you worked hard. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to bed. But there is a difference between being tired because you've been faithful and being consumed because you're trying to sustain something God never asked you to sustain. Because here's the tension:

God called you to burn.

But He never called you to be the fuel. There are moments when God will call us beyond our natural strength. There are moments when the assignment is bigger than our ability. But God does that to each us dependence upon His ability. He may call you beyond your strength. He will never call you to become the supernatural Source. And when we forget that distinction, eventually the thing that was supposed to burn begins to be consumed.

2. YOU ARE NOT THE SOURCE

I think this is especially difficult for people who genuinely love people. Some of the people most susceptible to burnout are servant-motivated people.

You see the need.

You feel the need.

You know you can help.

And because you know you can do something, you immediately feel like you should do something.

Servant-motivated people tend to notice every unmet need.

They feel personally responsible for fixing things.

They have difficulty disappointing people.

They say yes before considering the cost.

They feel guilty when they rest.

They struggle to receive help.

And sometimes we begin to confuse being needed with being faithful.

Joey Royal describes what happened in his own ministry:

“I assumed success or failure hinged on my ability to meet people’s needs, so I over-functioned for people and neglected my own well-being. Soon I was teetering on the edge of burnout. Burnout, I discovered, is less about a lack of energy and more about a lack of meaning.”

Look with me at Jesus in Luke 5.

Luke 5:15–16 NASB95

15 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Crowds are gathering around Jesus.

People need healing.

People want ministry.

There are legitimate needs everywhere.

Luke 5:16 NASB95

16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Don't miss this. There were still needy people when Jesus walked away.

There were still sick people.

There were still hurting people.

There were still people looking for Him.

Jesus possessed the ability to meet the needs around Him. But the existence of a need did not automatically establish His assignment.

Jesus was compassionate. But Jesus was not controlled by everybody's expectations.

Jesus was not need-driven.

Jesus was Father-led.

That's a huge difference. Some of us are exhausted because we are allowing every need around us to become our assignment.

But:

Not every need is your assignment.

Not everything you can do is something God has called you to do.

That's hard for some of us to hear. Because you can do it. You have the ability. You know how. You see the problem. And if you're not careful, your gifting begins to control you rather than serve God.

You begin serving out of guilt. You begin serving out of insecurity. You begin serving because you're afraid of disappointing somebody. You begin serving because you need to be needed. And before long, what looks like faithfulness on the outside is actually something very different happening on the inside.

So we have to ask ourselves:

Is the Holy Spirit leading me, or is my personality driving me?

Am I serving from love—or from a need to be needed?

Have I accepted responsibility for something God never assigned to me?

Have I started believing that success or failure hinges upon my ability to meet everybody's needs?

Because listen to me: You are not their Savior. You are not the source.

You're the bush.

God is the fire.

And maybe that sounds obvious, but we forget it.

We forget it in our families. “I've got to hold everybody together.”

We forget it at work. “If I don't do this, everything is going to fall apart.”

We forget it in ministry. “Nobody else can do this.”

We forget it with our children. “If I can just make every right decision, I can guarantee the outcome.”

We forget it when people we love are hurting. “I have to fix this.”

No.

You have to be faithful to whatever God has actually assigned you.

And sometimes faithfulness means working.

Sometimes faithfulness means serving.

Sometimes faithfulness means staying up late.

Sometimes faithfulness means sacrificing.

But sometimes faithfulness means saying:

“That isn't mine to carry.”

Because Jesus was not governed by the endless demands of people. Communion with the Father governed His ministry.

3. LEARN TO BURN WITHOUT BEING CONSUMED

So how do we live this way? How do we live lives that are fully given to God without being consumed by everything around us? I want to give you three simple rhythms.

STAY WITH JESUS

Before Jesus sent His disciples out to preach, before He gave them authority, before He gave them assignments, Mark tells us:

Mark 3:14 NASB95

14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,

Notice the order.

First, with Him.

Then, sent by Him.

We get that backward. We want to be sent. We want the assignment. We want to accomplish something. We want God to use us. But the first calling of every disciple is not to do something for Jesus. The first calling is to be with Jesus.

Before I'm a pastor, I am a disciple.

Before you're a parent, you're a disciple.

Before you're a leader, you're a disciple.

Before you're an employer or employee, you're a disciple.

Before you're on Dream Team, you're a disciple.

Before you lead a Life Group, you're a disciple.

Our first calling is to be with Jesus.

And one of the great dangers of ministry is becoming so familiar with working for Jesus that we neglect being with Jesus. You can serve at church without being with Jesus.

You can read your Bible looking for something to teach somebody else without allowing the Bible to search you.

You can pray for other people while neglecting your own communion with God.

You can lead people into an encounter that you are no longer experiencing yourself.

You can become very active around Jesus while becoming increasingly distant from Jesus.

And eventually your work for Jesus begins to exceed your life with Jesus. That's when we begin manufacturing fire. We start trying to produce publicly what we are no longer receiving privately.

But the bush didn't produce anything. It carried what came from God's presence.

So let me ask you: Are you with Jesus?

Not just at church.

Not just listening to Christian music.

Not just serving.

Not just reading something because you need an answer.

Are you with Jesus? Because you cannot sustainably impart what you are not privately receiving.

LEARN TO STOP

The second rhythm is Sabbath. And Sabbath is difficult for productive people.

Because there's always something else to do. There will always be another email.

Another project.

Another person who needs something.

Another room that needs cleaned.

Another task.

Another problem.

Another opportunity.

Another conversation.

Everything will never be finished. If your condition for resting is, “I'll rest when everything is done,” you will never rest.

Sabbath is not a reward you earn after you've finished everything.

Sabbath is an act of faith.

Sabbath says: God is still God when I stop working.

That's what makes stopping spiritual. When I stop answering the phone— God is still God.

When I leave the office— God is still God.

When I go to sleep— God is still God.

When I don't solve everybody's problem— God is still God.

When I take time to enjoy my family— God is still God.

When I say, “I'll deal with that tomorrow”— God does not get off His throne.

Sabbath reminds us that we are servants, not saviors. And sometimes our refusal to stop isn't dedication. Sometimes underneath our dedication is the belief:

“Everything depends upon me.”

It doesn't.

Your family belongs to God.

Your future belongs to God.

Your ministry belongs to God.

Your business belongs to God.

Your children belong to God.

The church belongs to Jesus.

You can stop. Rest isn't always irresponsibility. Sometimes rest is an expression of faith.

REFUSE TO CARRY ALONE WHAT GOD DESIGNED US TO CARRY TOGETHER

This is something I want us to understand deeply as a church.

We Build Together.

Because God never designed ministry to be carried alone. When Elijah became exhausted, one of the things that distorted his thinking was isolation. He told God:

—1 Kings 19:10

1 Kings 19:10 NASB95

10 He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

But Elijah wasn't alone. God had preserved seven thousand who had not bowed their knees to Baal.

1 Kings 19:18 NASB95

18 “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Exhaustion had distorted Elijah's perspective. Isolation does that. Burnout begins telling you:

“Nobody understands what I'm carrying.”

“Nobody else can do this.”

“It'll be easier if I just do it myself.”

“I can't trust anybody with this.”

“If I stop carrying this, everything will fall apart.”

But that's not God's design.

Jesus sent disciples in pairs.

Paul traveled with teams.

Moses needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his hands.

And eventually Moses' father-in-law Jethro watched him trying to carry the needs of an entire nation by himself. And Jethro said:

Exodus 18:18 NASB95

18 “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.

Notice something.

Moses wasn't doing something sinful.

Moses wasn't lazy.

Moses wasn't uncommitted.

Moses was doing necessary ministry in an unsustainable way.

And the answer wasn't: “Moses, stop caring about Israel.”

The answer wasn't: “Forget the people.”

The answer wasn't: “Walk away from your calling.”

The answer was not abandoning the responsibility. The answer was sharing the responsibility.

There are things in your life that God never intended you to carry alone.

That's why we need the Body of Christ.

That's why we need community.

That's why we need Life Groups.

That's why we need relationships where we can actually be honest.

That's why we need people who can recognize when we're depleted.

You are not alone. We do nothing alone. We Build Together.

COME BACK TO THE SOURCE

So let's go back to where we started. Moses sees this strange sight in the wilderness. A bush. On fire.

But not consumed. The bush burned. But the bush wasn't the source. And I wonder if there are people here today who are exhausted because somewhere along the way you forgot that.

You've been trying to be the source.

“I've got to hold this family together.”

“I've got to fix this person.”

“I've got to keep everybody happy.”

“I've got to make this business work.”

“I've got to make this ministry work.”

“I've got to meet every need.”

“I've got to carry everybody.”

“I've got to keep producing.”

And eventually what was supposed to burn begins to be consumed. Listen:

God never asked you to be the source.

Your talent cannot sustain your calling.

Your personality cannot sustain your calling.

Your discipline cannot sustain your calling.

Your organizational ability cannot sustain your calling.

Even your passion cannot sustain your calling.

Only the presence of God can keep you burning without being consumed.

Maybe you've been asking: “How do I keep from burning out?”

But maybe there's another question we need to ask. “What fire have I been trying to manufacture?”

What have I picked up that God never assigned to me?

Where have I confused being needed with being faithful?

Where has my work for Jesus exceeded my life with Jesus?

Where have I refused to stop because somewhere inside of me I believe everything depends upon me?

Maybe today isn't about abandoning your calling. Maybe it's about returning to the Source of your calling.

Some things may need to change.

Some responsibilities may need to be reorganized.

Some things may need to be delegated.

Some of you genuinely need rest.

Some of you need to let somebody help you.

But above everything else: Come back to Jesus.

Because the answer isn't simply doing less. The answer is returning to the proper Source.