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Acts 20:28 Heart
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 ESV
When is More, Enough? Part Two
Could our lack of connection to the vine have us chasing the “more” in life? In Nineteen Eighty-Seven my boss told me to hang in there, things will slow down. Well, I am still waiting… it hasn’t happened yet. Let's face it, we are not going to stop being busy, especially if you have children and/or grandchildren. However, we need to learn how to get balance back into our lives. I don’t know about your family, but even our vacation can quickly turn into a hectic and frantic few days. We tend to pack so much “fun” into a few days that we need to get home to rest. Then it starts all over again. And now, Monday is here, and we are all exhausted from vacation as we begin another week...
Let us consider what scripture teaches us that would help us get back to a balanced life. The word Sabbath means the day of rest. In the Old Testament Hebrew, the word means cease or desist. In Exodus 20:8, we find the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” In the New Testament Greek, Sabbath means a day or weekly repose from secular avocations. Jesus said in Mark 2:27, “And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” You see, God has given us a day to cease, desist, to take a break. The fact is, we all need rest! God made us and He knows we must have downtime… God loves us so much, He not only sent Jesus to die for us, but He also gave us a full day every week to rest. The problem occurs when we use the day for everything but rest…
For me personally, my problem is that I want to make sure I am making the most of every opportunity. I want to pack as much into every day as possible. I don’t want to let anyone down. Also, I want to make sure I am giving everyone my best. Then, I must admit, I am driven, I am focused, and I am disciplined. Rest seems contradictory to who I am, what I want to achieve, and how I want to add value to my life and to those around me… But then, I notice how many “I s” were used in this short paragraph. Could it be that my focus is too much on what “I” want? Could
it be that I have not completely surrendered my life to The One that made me and wired me to be focused, driven, and disciplined? And could it be that I would be much more effective, and that I would accomplish much more if I did things His Way and not mine? Maybe I need to come as I am today and ask Him to forgive me for apparently thinking He needs my focus, drive and discipline in order for Him to accomplish what He desires. Then, I must prepare for some time to cease,
desist, and rest in His Presence. Not doing, but just being…
Maybe you are like me and need to be reminded that God has given us permission to rest. May we accept it and apply it this week. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 ESV. I believe there will be less strife, frustration and confrontations in our homes when we make time to rest, and we decide to stop chasing the more that will never be enough.
In Christ,
Randy
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