For the next two Sundays, Rev Bob Hillock will be bringing a
message for us and I, for one, am truly grateful for God providing numerous
gifted messengers in our church. When you are rolling along at a hundred miles
an hour, there comes a time when a rest is a welcome relief. It recharges and
gives us an opportunity to get our feet under us for a while. The way I know I
am ready for a bit of time away is I tend to get a bit testy and short tempered
around others and, I have to tell you, people notice. Years ago, a peer told me
that friends will be there to help when needed, a true friend will sit you down
and tell you, “take a break, I got this”. When a respected and caring friend
tells you to take a break, rest up and, when you return, things will look a lot
better. We all have those times when the only thing that comes out of our
mouths are jabs and barbs. The tongue is sore and bleeding from biting it and,
on occasion, the words delivered are regretted the moment they leave the lips
and you can instantly see the damage done as it hits the ears of the hearer.
Many times, the words land on those we care about the most because we think
they love us enough that they can handle it. Now before anyone starts to ask, I
am not to that point yet but some personal time in scripture, prayer and
meditation is truly needed so that I don’t do something stupid. So, why do I
say this? With all the negativity on the news and the lockdown protocols taking
their toll on individuals and families, I thought it would be helpful to share
this as not only a look into my life but also pass along what I hope to be some
wise counsel.
Step 1: When you are in a bad frame of mind and the only
thing you can think of is negative, consider your audience. Do they deserve to
be brought into that dark area with you?
Understand this, my dear
brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow
to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God
desires. So, get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept
the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your
souls. James 1:19-21 NLT
Step 2: Be honest with yourself. Many think of themselves as
a lone wolf capable of taking on all situations on their own. Others would just
muddy the waters and mess things up. Truth be told, we all need help, we all
need each other, we all need a lot more Jesus.
“Ask, and it will be given to
you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Math 7:7 ESV
Step 3: Make time for your emotional, physical and spiritual
well-being. So many out there spend their days focused on the world and give
whatever time they have left to their family and then to their own overall
health. Shift the priorities. Yes this will mess things up for a while but, in
the end, all those around you will benefit as will you.
But don’t just listen to God’s
word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For
if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a
mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you
look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it
says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If
you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling
yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the
sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress
and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:22-27 NLT
In First Aid, I teach that the most important person on the
scene is yourself and then the casualty. If we bring this forward to our own
daily lives consider this; purposely take time to pray, meditate and spend time
in the Word. So much of what messes us up during the day, the week, the month are
false priorities and we, in turn, suffer on a variety of levels and we affect
the lives of those around us. In the days following Christ’s resurrection, He
walked among the people preaching, teaching and showing others how to live in
loving relationship. We owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to rest, relax
and rejuvenate our lives before we go off the rails.
This Sunday, we welcome Rev. Hillock and look forward to his
wonderful message. We invite you to join us either in person (we are
limited to numbers inside the building) or online. Should you wish to join us
online, click on either link below to join us live:
Facebook Live - https://www.facebook.com/main.ave.31
YouTube Live – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs9LIkN_QTdVM6eVXEgy9QA
See you all Sunday.
Blessings,
Pastor Todd
www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca