A mind is a terrible thing to waste, especially when you’re tired.

It’s 8:30 P.M. on a Friday night, and I’m going to bed. As I get ready to get some much deserved rest, I feel sort of guilty about wasting a perfectly available evening on sleep, but then as I think more and more about it, I realize how important rest is. It’s actually Biblical to retreat and rest. So why is that?

I think one of the biggest reasons we need rest is that the devil will play with a tired mind, and that’s when we’re at our weakest. To fight the daily fight against the wiles of Satan, we need to be at our best, which is well-rested.

The Lord created a special day for us to rest and honor Him with, yet so many of us feel badly for doing it. What we need to do is to learn to spend more time relaxing and less time stressing. Having said that, I’m off to bed for a good night’s rest, and leaving you with some good old fashioned scripture supporting my new found peace of mind as I go to sleep. God Night… :

 

Psalm 127:2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

 

Mark 6:31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

 

Hebrews 4:9-11 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

 

Proverbs 3:24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

 

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

 

Matthew 11:26-30 Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

Mark 2:27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

 

Luke 14:1-35 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” …

 

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

Hebrews 12:3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

 

Mark 6:32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

 

Mark 2:23-27 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

 

Proverbs 24:30-34 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

 

Deuteronomy 18:1-22 “The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord’s food offerings as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. And this shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time. …

A checklist for a healthy church. How does yours measure up?

Acts 42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Why are many of the Churches of today so different from the passage describing the early Church above? All Bodies of  Christ are different, so each member could read this passage and see what they’re Church is, or is not doing like the successful one above. This of course is not the only indicator or example of a perfect Church (Which there is none), but it’s certainly a good foundation.

Here’s an exercise for you. Write the above passage down, and take it to your Church. If you don’t have a Church, then start looking for one, but hold it to the Biblical example above. It doesn’t have to fit this model exactly, but if it falls to far short, then you may want to pray for the Holy Spirit‘s moving within the Body. Don’t leave the Church, pray and discuss it with your Pastor. Don’t be confrontational, be loving and inquisitive. If a Church is struggling, it needs support, not abandonment. I’ll write the key points of the Church below so you can copy and paste it, and take it to you next service. Pray about this, you may be the instrument of change and growth.

Key points of a loving Church.

1. Biblical teaching. Remember that all Sermons and teaching are based on the Bible, not supported by it. In other words, if the preaching has an occasional passage in it, rather than an occasional commentary or parable, question it.

2. Fellowship. Does the Church meet every Sunday, or is there a constant reaching out and being a part of each others lives.

3. Do you see Things happening for the Lord, or is it just a building?

4. Do you all believe in the teaching and support the leadership, or is there doctrinal division? If there’s division, there needs to be prayer, not parting. Hold all disputes up to the Bible and let God’s Word be the mediator.

5. Taking care of those in need. Does the Church spend more money on it’s appearance and fancy things, or does it go out in to the world and help it’s members and neighbors?

6. Is it Spirit filled? In other words, are people happy, or complacent. This one is a church killer.

7. Is it growing in numbers, maturity, evangelism, etc? If not, once again, don’t sit on the sidelines, help out.

OK, there you go. Now, see how your church is doing, then do something for it….:)

A walk through Proverbs, Chapter 1-The storms in life.

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

² for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,^[a]
knowledge and discretion to the young—
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.^[b]

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools^[c] despise wisdom and instruction.

Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

⁸ Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
⁹ They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.

¹⁰ My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
¹¹ If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
¹² let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
¹³ we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
¹⁴ cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot ”—
¹⁵ my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
¹⁶ for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.
¹⁷ How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
¹⁸ These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!
¹⁹ Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.

Wisdom’s Rebuke

²⁰ Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
²¹ on top of the wall^[d] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:

²² “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
²³ Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
²⁴ But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
²⁵ since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
²⁶ I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you —
²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸ “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
²⁹ since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
³⁰ Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
³¹ they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
³² For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
³³ but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 1:4 The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.
2. Proverbs 1:6 Or understanding a proverb, namely, a parable, / and the sayings of the wise, their riddles
3. Proverbs 1:7 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient.
4. Proverbs 1:21 Septuagint; Hebrew / at noisy street corners

What can man do to me if I have God? Whatever I allow him to!

I am in the middle of a full out attack by some rather unscrupulous people right now, and I wish I could say that it doesn’t ever bother me, but sometimes it does. I know, I know, I should have the strength to not worry or fret about it, but I’m only human.

‘The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe’ (Proverbs 29:25)

I guess what bothers me the most about this recent smear campaign on me is that I’m not really sure why they’re doing it. I mean I think I know why, but if it’s for the reason I think it is, they don’t need to be going through all of this. But like the verse above says, the fear of man brings a snare.

So what kind of snare could fear of man bring? Fear, which makes us focus more on what could happen if we do it on our own rather than to let the Lord handle it. Lack of faith, we know in our minds that we should put it in God‘s hands and walk away, but that seed of doubt in our hearts makes us keep turning around and trying to handle it ourselves. Preoccupation, we become so wrapped up in the drama, our focus on the lord is lost, and we find ourselves reacting as the world would, not the kingdom. These are just a few that popped into my mind right off the bat, and I’m sure if we all put our heads together, we could come up with a lot more.

So now we know why the fear of man isn’t something we should indulge in, so what do we do? Matthew 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, This is so hard for most of us to do. Our first inclination is to retaliate against those who are persecuting us, but if we’re to be Christlike, we should love them where they’re at, and become more concerned about their salvation or restoration than our anger. Satan will tell us how good it feels to just let em have it, but the Bible clearly tells us that we have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) just like they have, and having said that, they deserve the same forgiveness as we do. Can you imagine if God retaliated against us every time we sinned? We all deserve a second chance. So wrapping this up, it’s better to pray and watch them become restored or saved than to retaliate and lead them down the wrong path. Hard to do in our hearts? Yes, but it’s what Jesus would do.

I feel a little long winded today, so I’m going to go pray for those persecuting me and pray along with those who need me.