What am I doing?

I've been reading a lot lately - I can't put this book down --> Just Courage - God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian by Gary Haugen who is the founder of the International Justice Mission. I've found myself reading chapters twice just so I can chew on it some more.

Early on in this book the author talks about what kinds of things and careers and pursuits we as "Christ followers" allow to consume our entire time on planet earth. The following is an excerpt from the book:

"The Source of Abundant Life

How do we find that abundant, heroic life for which we were made? How do we enter in to God's kingdom now and experience the authentic power and presence of God?

I can take my gifts and passions and training and strengths beyond the places of safety and control, and in to the sphere of the kingdom where I actually need God.

Perhaps the first indicator that I am approaching such a place will be seen in my prayer life. Mother Teresa said that she couldn't imagine doing her work for more than thirty minutes without prayer. Do you and I have work that we can't imagine doing for thirty minutes without prayer?

If not, perhaps we need a new life's work. Or perhaps we need to do an old life's work in a new way.

I won't need to be in prayer every thirty minutes in my work if I don't really need God's power to get it done, or if it's work that God doesn't really need done because it has nothing to do with his kingdom."

So I've been chewing on this one for days - how much of what I do is just going through the motions or doing things that "need to get done" and seem critical that day in my mind but perhaps have nothing to do with God's kingdom and what He'd prefer I spend myself day and day and hour and hour doing?

Isaiah 58 talks about what we should be spending ourselves and our lives doing: fighting on behalf of the hungry, satisfying the needs of the oppressed, the trafficked, the enslaved, the captives, loosing the chains of injustice in our world. Isaiah 58 says that when I do these things, that is when God will listen to my prayers and answer me. I've been thinking a ton on prayer lately and how in Matthew 6 Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray and he said they should pray like this, "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I should be praying for God's justice and mercy and grace and holy spirit to just fill planet earth, right here, right now because that is in line with his will and know that He will answer it. Our world is disgusting and full of horrors for far too many little children and people who are just begging for anyone to help them. Being a "Christ follower" means that I'd follow Christ and what he's about and what he's doing on earth right now. I'm confident Jesus is on mission to save the lost, and rescue the little kid in a brothel and free the slave that made my hershey's chocolate bar in africa or the forced labor slave in your home town.

Psalm 27:13, "But I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."