The Pause That Refreshes

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1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, — Hebrews 12: 1 NIV

With all the “busyness” we are involved in each day, it is very easy to become fatigued. We rush here and there, doing this and that. This is the time satan is most likely to choose to attack us. All the “doing” leaves us tired and open to his attacks. When satan attacks us, we lash out at those around us. At the end of the day, sit down and evaluate what you have accomplished. Have you given of yourself and your time to help others? I know, you wanted to but you just didn’t have time. Do you want to do better? Then try this. Spend the first minutes of your day with Jesus There is nothing that will refresh us more than spending some downtime alone with Him. In Luke 3:5, we are told that Jesus fills the valleys, lowers the mountains, makes the crooked roads straight, and He makes the rough roads smooth. (my paraphrase) Your day will be better and you will be ready to keep on keeping on and you won’t even want to quit.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 01-14-2017

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I’m In Love!

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8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. — Romans 5:8 NLT

The more I study the Scriptures, the more I am reminded of the great old hymn, “I Love to Tell the Story”. The passages of Scripture are unique and different, but they tell us more about the same story, the story of Jesus. It is a complete story of His complete love. It seems incomplete to us in the beginning, but the more we study, the more we realize it is all there, we just haven’t understood it yet.  I have “loved” Jesus a long time, but it is only in the last few years that I have come to realize that what I really wanted was to be “in love” with Jesus. I used to know about Him, but now I just want to know Him. The only way to really fall in love with someone is to get to know them and the only way to do that is to spend time with them, whether that be physically with them or to be with them in Spirit.  God’s Holy Spirit searches our hearts and knows the heart of God (since He is God) and He communicates between those hearts because He indwells us. What a wonderful plan! Because of God’s Holy Spirit, we can spend time with Him all the time.

Post 09-25-2016

Cast All Your Cares Upon the Lord

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32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.—1 Cor. 7:32-35 NIV

​Paul continues to tell the Corinthians and us that the fewer concerns we have in this world, the more time we can devote to God.​ Again, Paul is not saying that we should never get married.  He is reminding us that for a marriage to work, it takes a huge investment of time and caring.  He even goes so far as to tell us how to do that in Ephesians 5. The spouses must be as devoted to each other as Jesus is to the church.  But the deeper question I see here is this:  If you weren’t married, would we spend any more time with the Lord?  The same is true of riches and possessions, those can take us away from God.  It appears the point Paul is making is that if you are not entangled in the cares of the world, you are freer to go if God says “go”.  If our hearts are set on loving God, we will make time to do that regardless of our situation. God wants us to love and serve Him in every situation and He makes a way for each of us to do that.  He wants us to depend on Him to take care of our concerns.

22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.–Psalm 55:22 NIV

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.–1 Peter 5:6,7 NIV
Post 05-28-2015