Encouragement News Issue 5...Welcome back :)
Does the man have an eye or a nose?
Hey readers,
I notice that it has been a long time since Issue 4, which can be found in the archive if you missed it. What I want to talk about this time, is business or busy-ness, if that helps your understanding...
Not too long ago, I was standing in my kitchen preparing my evening meal. Just the same as any other day, usually crammed full with whatever I could find to fill it. But something amazing and certainly unique happened: the stereo turned on by itself. I was instantly startled and a little bit scared if I am honest (which I should be). The strange thing is and well, the real blessing is, that it played a song with a message that I really needed to hear at that time. It was one of my usual Christian CDs of a band I regularly listened to.
The message of the song was to slow down. To stop being so busy. It told of how we almost rush through life and it made me think of how I often look forward to the next social event, which for me, can be a big thing. But in the process, I can write off the day as something unimportant. The Bible says: 'The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad' in Psalm 118:24 and 'They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness.' in Psalm 89:16. None of us ACTUALLY know what is going to happen in our day. I mean, we can plan it. We can make plans until every minute of the day is covered. In fact, I saw a programme once where every 15 minutes of a boy's day was planned out by his parents.
Business is nice and it is good to feel purposeful in our work and certainly laziness is not good. But if we just take the time each day to make ourselves available to God, and to ask Him what He wants us to do with the day He has given to us, then it could be SO MUCH BETTER! The reason why God brought this song to my attention - now, you may say that there is some scientific explanation for it, and perhaps there is, though I believe that God used it, regardless of the labels we can put on it - was because I was too busy to really settle down and listen. To just stop, perhaps read His word and just do nothing. I have a friend who says that each of us is a human being, not a human doing. I don't know if he was quoting somebody else, in which case, I apologize for not citing the quotation.
Our worth, does not come from what we do.
We cannot earn salvation or deserve any blessing from God. It is given freely by our loving and merciful Father. Therefore, if we cannot earn something as important as salvation, then why work so hard to earn something that lasts less time and ultimately rusts away, is stolen or eaten by moths? (According to Matthew 6:19 ('Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and thieves break in and steal')). I mean, provision is needed and I know that it is important to work and that it may be hard this message coming from me who only has a part-time degree to do at the moment whilst searching for work, so I am not condemning working hard or anything like that. What I am simply suggesting is to give God some of our leisure time - I am still to learn more of this, of course. Perhaps five minutes a day? Or ten? At whatever time works for you. Maybe, read a daily chunk of the Bible (if your Bible is split up into day-sized chunks then that would help). I just want us to relax a bit from unnecessary business. To not just focus on how productive or unproductive our day is.
If we do not learn this as soon as possible then you may, like me, get to a point where you feel you cannot continue by yourselves. That you need God's help. Really you needed it all along, so why wait until you are desperate? We top-up our phones don't we? And why do we do that? To talk to others? We even PAY for this service - it is FREE with God! So why not go to Him now and each day, and just ask Him what He wants you to do? Because He wants to equip you, anoint you and bless you for the day ahead.
Without Him, we will reach the end of our tether - I know a friend or two of mine who have from time to time, and usually they have not been spending much time with God or perhaps they have been neglecting Bible reading. Not that this is punishment from God or anything - though some do come to fear that, when things go wrong in their lives. It is just that we need His help and it is all there in His word. Rejoice in the new day, for it is a gift and we do not know what lies ahead.
For those who already find this a manageable task, please pray for the rest of our brothers and sisters, and keep it up! I encourage you to continue your work in Christ and to keep spending time with Him.
God bless, Jason :)
'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!' -Philippians 4:4.
I notice that it has been a long time since Issue 4, which can be found in the archive if you missed it. What I want to talk about this time, is business or busy-ness, if that helps your understanding...
Not too long ago, I was standing in my kitchen preparing my evening meal. Just the same as any other day, usually crammed full with whatever I could find to fill it. But something amazing and certainly unique happened: the stereo turned on by itself. I was instantly startled and a little bit scared if I am honest (which I should be). The strange thing is and well, the real blessing is, that it played a song with a message that I really needed to hear at that time. It was one of my usual Christian CDs of a band I regularly listened to.
The message of the song was to slow down. To stop being so busy. It told of how we almost rush through life and it made me think of how I often look forward to the next social event, which for me, can be a big thing. But in the process, I can write off the day as something unimportant. The Bible says: 'The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad' in Psalm 118:24 and 'They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness.' in Psalm 89:16. None of us ACTUALLY know what is going to happen in our day. I mean, we can plan it. We can make plans until every minute of the day is covered. In fact, I saw a programme once where every 15 minutes of a boy's day was planned out by his parents.
Business is nice and it is good to feel purposeful in our work and certainly laziness is not good. But if we just take the time each day to make ourselves available to God, and to ask Him what He wants us to do with the day He has given to us, then it could be SO MUCH BETTER! The reason why God brought this song to my attention - now, you may say that there is some scientific explanation for it, and perhaps there is, though I believe that God used it, regardless of the labels we can put on it - was because I was too busy to really settle down and listen. To just stop, perhaps read His word and just do nothing. I have a friend who says that each of us is a human being, not a human doing. I don't know if he was quoting somebody else, in which case, I apologize for not citing the quotation.
Our worth, does not come from what we do.
We cannot earn salvation or deserve any blessing from God. It is given freely by our loving and merciful Father. Therefore, if we cannot earn something as important as salvation, then why work so hard to earn something that lasts less time and ultimately rusts away, is stolen or eaten by moths? (According to Matthew 6:19 ('Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and thieves break in and steal')). I mean, provision is needed and I know that it is important to work and that it may be hard this message coming from me who only has a part-time degree to do at the moment whilst searching for work, so I am not condemning working hard or anything like that. What I am simply suggesting is to give God some of our leisure time - I am still to learn more of this, of course. Perhaps five minutes a day? Or ten? At whatever time works for you. Maybe, read a daily chunk of the Bible (if your Bible is split up into day-sized chunks then that would help). I just want us to relax a bit from unnecessary business. To not just focus on how productive or unproductive our day is.
If we do not learn this as soon as possible then you may, like me, get to a point where you feel you cannot continue by yourselves. That you need God's help. Really you needed it all along, so why wait until you are desperate? We top-up our phones don't we? And why do we do that? To talk to others? We even PAY for this service - it is FREE with God! So why not go to Him now and each day, and just ask Him what He wants you to do? Because He wants to equip you, anoint you and bless you for the day ahead.
Without Him, we will reach the end of our tether - I know a friend or two of mine who have from time to time, and usually they have not been spending much time with God or perhaps they have been neglecting Bible reading. Not that this is punishment from God or anything - though some do come to fear that, when things go wrong in their lives. It is just that we need His help and it is all there in His word. Rejoice in the new day, for it is a gift and we do not know what lies ahead.
For those who already find this a manageable task, please pray for the rest of our brothers and sisters, and keep it up! I encourage you to continue your work in Christ and to keep spending time with Him.
God bless, Jason :)
'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!' -Philippians 4:4.
Many thanks to www.biblegateway.com for using its passages.
