Taking A Rest

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