Dear
Fellow Children of God,
Summer is supposed to be a time that our hectic lives
slow down. But, I’ll ask the somewhat sarcastic
question I’ve heard others ask me. “How
is that working for you?” Did summer
really slow down? Or, do your lives seem
to be getting busier and busier, even when we are supposed to have down times?
For a number of years, with the encouragement and blessing
of our Elders, I have tried to take two days off each week during the summer,
instead of the one day off I take during the school year. But, this year from the end of May through
the end of June I managed only 3 days total when I had a whole day off during
that five week period. Does that sound
familiar to you too?
During the third week in August we had friends visit who
had arranged their trip months ago. They
wanted to go fishing and I actually took people fishing 3 days that week. Still, when one of our Elders asked me on
Sunday about my week, it turned out that I had appointments every evening that
week which included various counseling sessions, a wedding, worship, an Elders’
meeting, jail worship, and a funeral.
These activities brought God’s presence and love to others. But, when I was asked to share my schedule I
was surprised at the amount of activity.
There are dangers in being too busy. For one thing our busy-ness can get in the
way of our time with God. It is for a
purpose that God says, “Remember the
Sabbath Day by Keeping it holy.” (Exodus
20:8) Do you spend time each week in
worship? Do you spend time each day with
our Lord in devotion and prayer? We not
only need time with our Lord and fellow believers in worship for our spirits, but
our minds and our bodies also need rest.
The Sabbath is part of God’s original rhythm and plan for His people.
Another danger of our busy-ness is that we can fool ourselves
into thinking that we are the ones accomplishing the good which happens in our
lives. Actually, God can and does use
our efforts in His kingdom. But, when
good things happen it is God working, not us.
You know Romans 8:28 “ . . . in all things God works for the good
of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
So, does it seem to you like our world and our lives are getting
busier and busier? It seems that way to
me. Maybe the growing world population
causes need for more activity. Perhaps our
technology and the constant contact with the events of our world brings
frenetic lives. You probably know that many
of us are affluent on a level seldom seen in the history of the world. Our possessions require maintenance and care,
and this care requires time and attention. Perhaps our many possessions are
causing our busy schedules. Or, maybe
this busy-ness and stress exerts itself in our world as our world drifts further
away from God and away from His plan for our lives.
But, our generation is not the only one who was
busy. We are told of Jesus in Mark 6:31,
“because so many people were coming and
going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with
me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’" Jesus and
His disciples were busy. And, if
you remember, Jesus was often criticized for healing on the Sabbath. So, if Jesus was busy when He lived in this
world, why should we be surprised when we are busy?
I have learned two practices based on what I read in
God’s Word that help me deal with busy lives and with stress. Maybe these habits can help you. First, we are
told to “Remember the Sabbath Day by
Keeping it holy.” So I schedule
regular time with my Lord. It is not
just because I am a pastor that I worship regularly. When we travel and I am not responsible for
leading others in worship, Kathy and I still find a place to spend time
listening to our Lord and praising Him with fellow children of God. And, every day I try to start with Bible
readings and prayer. If you read the New
Testament you will find that this time in prayer was the practice of
Jesus. I know that I need time with my
Lord and Savior for my health. So, one
way I deal with stress is to make sure I spend time with Jesus. Sometimes this time with Jesus pre-empts some
of my other activities, and makes me a little less busy. That helps.
But, even the best laid plans can fail. So, I also remember the words of Philippians
4:7. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Even when we plan time for worship and prayer time,
our lives are still busy. Remember
Jesus. But, in Jesus God gives us peace. We have peace through His presence and His
strength and His love for our lives. We
have peace as He forgives our sin. In
the middle of the busy-ness and stress of life, Jesus gives peace. This peace of Jesus brings balm for my busy
soul. I pray the same for you.
Does the busy-ness of
your life bring you stress? Imagine how our Lord Jesus gives us direction
that leads us to schedule time with Him.
Consider how, in our busy and stressful lives, God gives us peace in
Jesus that transcends all understanding.
In Jesus God gives peace that guards our hearts and minds. May God bless you with His presence and His
peace.
A
Child of God, Seeking Help with my Schedule and Peace in Jesus,
Pastor
Jonathan
P.S. This weekend I am in Albuquerque bringing
God’s blessings to the wedding of JC Forrester and Rachel Bass. What a blessing to bring God’s presence and
peace to the marriage of this member of our St. John family who is serving us
in the Air Force! Please keep this
wedding in prayer.
****
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE
PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to
all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am regularly
adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this
e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this
e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for
this message.
****
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