“The city never sleeps.”
“We’re here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
“If you snooze, you lose.”
With so much business to attend to, personal interests to pursue, and the buzz of so much social energy, there seems to be hardly any time for rest. But taking time out is part of the natural order of things. Without rest, we find ourselves in an ongoing cycle that leads to becoming burnt out, sick, and just plain exhausted.
God created the world in six days. After putting forth all the energy and detail into creating the earth we live in, He took a seventh day to rest (Genesis 2:2-3). When leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, God directed His people to follow His example and set aside a Sabbath day for rest and worship (Exodus 20:8-11).
Today, the pressure is on. For many people, in order to be the best at what they do and get the things they want—or even just to keep up—means putting in extra hours and putting personal needs aside. This leads to a cycle of people working late, working weekends, and working themselves to death. Literally.
The saying, “I’m sick and tired,” is actually very revealing. Studies have proven that a lack of sleep can wear down the body’s immune system. The more tired you are, the more vulnerable you become to getting sick. Rest is essential to good health.
On another note…”the city that never sleeps” is also the city that has one of the highest crime rates. Ever wonder why residential neighborhoods with hardly any illicit activity are called, “sleepy towns”? Because when almost all of the residents are in bed at 9 p.m., there’s not a lot of criminal activity going on!
Rest is also important to our spiritual health. A weary mind gives way to low impulse control, leading us more susceptible to sin. And when we neglect to set aside time for worship, we not only disobey God’s ordinance to keep the Sabbath holy, but we don’t get the rejuvenation we need to stay spiritually refreshed.
I’m taking another look at the importance of rest in my life—and adjusting my schedule accordingly!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
What Would YOU Do?
You are walking down the street and you hear the sound of a baby’s cries coming from inside a locked car on a hot day…. You are shopping at a local store and you hear the cashier making derogatory comments to someone who is disabled…. You see someone who appears to be stealing a bike from the local park…. What would you do? A television show—armed with hidden cameras—seeks to answer that question.
It is so interesting to see human psychology at play while watching this program. What Would You Do, which airs on ABC, exposes the absolute worst and the very best of our natural response to various situations. And week after week, the program brings to life the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25-37.
While almost all of us celebrate the humility of the man who would help someone in need—even going so far as to do it at his own personal expense—the fact is that many people have a hard time putting this into practice. And there are plenty of reasons, too. Sometimes, we are too caught up in our own lives and oblivious to the needs of others. Sometimes we are afraid for our own personal safety. And sometimes we just don’t know what to do.
A couple of years ago, the popular phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” was everywhere. As Christians, the Spirit of Christ is in us. So what WE do should actually be a reflection of what HE would do. If the hidden cameras caught our response to any of the situations proposed by the program, would the Christ in us shine through?
What would you do?
It is so interesting to see human psychology at play while watching this program. What Would You Do, which airs on ABC, exposes the absolute worst and the very best of our natural response to various situations. And week after week, the program brings to life the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25-37.
While almost all of us celebrate the humility of the man who would help someone in need—even going so far as to do it at his own personal expense—the fact is that many people have a hard time putting this into practice. And there are plenty of reasons, too. Sometimes, we are too caught up in our own lives and oblivious to the needs of others. Sometimes we are afraid for our own personal safety. And sometimes we just don’t know what to do.
A couple of years ago, the popular phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” was everywhere. As Christians, the Spirit of Christ is in us. So what WE do should actually be a reflection of what HE would do. If the hidden cameras caught our response to any of the situations proposed by the program, would the Christ in us shine through?
What would you do?
Sunday, September 12, 2010
“Bring Another Race to Church Sunday”
Okay, so the idea was a bit heavy handed, but the pastor wasn’t completely off his rocker. Ministering to a large inner-city congregation, he wondered aloud why he didn’t see more diverse faces in the pews. Certainly the members had coworkers, neighbors, friends, and acquaintances of different backgrounds and nationalities. Why weren’t members of the congregation extending the invitation to their house of worship?
Truth be told, many of us attend racially and culturally segregated churches. Of course, there is a difference between de jure segregation (which is mandated by law) and de facto segregation (which happens by coincidence)—and I would believe that there are very few churches left in this country that would openly denounce the mixing of races in the pews. But in this day and age, having just one or two families in the church who don’t fit the congregation’s racial or cultural majority isn’t enough. A true multicultural worship experience still lacks in many churches.
One may cite language barriers, denominational differences, or simple fear of the unknown as factors that prevent more interracial worship. But as Christians, we need to simply get over it. It is concerning that there are more churches that are willing to travel abroad to reach people of different races than go into a local community to do the same. As the saying goes, “Charity begins at home.” Charity, by the way, is another word for Love.
The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In Christ, there should be no cultural fear, no racial hatred, and no ethnic discrimination. As the song goes, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!” I tend to believe that the rejoicing will take place among people of all nationalities, cultural backgrounds, languages and traditions. Why can’t we start here on earth?
I believe it’s important to fellowship with all Christians—including those who don’t look like me!
Truth be told, many of us attend racially and culturally segregated churches. Of course, there is a difference between de jure segregation (which is mandated by law) and de facto segregation (which happens by coincidence)—and I would believe that there are very few churches left in this country that would openly denounce the mixing of races in the pews. But in this day and age, having just one or two families in the church who don’t fit the congregation’s racial or cultural majority isn’t enough. A true multicultural worship experience still lacks in many churches.
One may cite language barriers, denominational differences, or simple fear of the unknown as factors that prevent more interracial worship. But as Christians, we need to simply get over it. It is concerning that there are more churches that are willing to travel abroad to reach people of different races than go into a local community to do the same. As the saying goes, “Charity begins at home.” Charity, by the way, is another word for Love.
The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In Christ, there should be no cultural fear, no racial hatred, and no ethnic discrimination. As the song goes, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!” I tend to believe that the rejoicing will take place among people of all nationalities, cultural backgrounds, languages and traditions. Why can’t we start here on earth?
I believe it’s important to fellowship with all Christians—including those who don’t look like me!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Put to the Test
“Oh no!” I screamed, staring at the computer screen. I had just fully completed that week’s blog and as I tried to save it, Microsoft Word “quit unexpectedly.” I broke out into a sweat. “Oh, please don’t tell me it’s lost,” I mumbled. When I tried to reopen the doc, it “recovered” a previous version that had most of the good stuff missing. All that work! It was all lost! And not to mention the fact that my deadline was quickly approaching! When we’re faced with these types of unfortunate circumstances, what do we do? What would you do?
I let out a deep, disappointed sigh. And I said, “Well Lord, help me prepare the blog You want me to publish this week.” I acknowledged that He gave me the strength and inspiration to prepare the first draft, so I was going to trust Him to help me prepare the new one. I quit the “recovered” document and reopened Word. And through some miracle, every single word of the blog that I lost was right there on the screen! (Okay, it’s not quite a “fishes and loaves” type of miracle, but at that moment, it was just as impressive to me!)
I actually felt relieved—and rewarded—for passing the test with my spiritual maturity. I had put Philippians 4:6 into action. I turned over my problem to Him and He worked it out! But there’s more…
Not even a week later, I upgraded my electronic calendar system to new software. Now, due to my frail memory, I rely heavily on my calendar. I write down everything and set lots of reminders. However, somewhere in the transfer process, I completely wiped out my entire calendar history! Years of appointments, birthdays, special occasions, and upcoming events were instantly obliterated. And in almost the same blink of an eye, I freaked out!
I spewed a few choice words at the computer, let everyone in the house know how angry I was about the situation, and sat there trying to remember every calendar entry that had been deleted. And I spent hours in a state of complete agitation. Eventually, I was able to recover some of my calendar—but not all of it. And that’s when I realized…I had failed the test!
All of that spiritual maturity I had demonstrated just a few days before completely evaporated when presented with this new, and arguably, slightly greater challenge. I mean, really—I’ve been through some things over the last couple of years, and I’ve faced some situations that were a lot more difficult than a lost document or a deleted calendar. And because of those trials, I thought I had learned to trust God for ALL things—even computer glitches. But this little incident served as a reminder that there’s still some room for improvement.
In the end, I had much more to recover than a lost calendar: I had to regain my spiritual footing. I apologized to everyone in the house for the histrionics. And it took me a while, but I eventually brought it before the Lord and asked for forgiveness from Him. How awesome is it that we serve a God who never runs out of second chances?
When put to the test again, I’ll remember to look to the Lord for the answers!
I let out a deep, disappointed sigh. And I said, “Well Lord, help me prepare the blog You want me to publish this week.” I acknowledged that He gave me the strength and inspiration to prepare the first draft, so I was going to trust Him to help me prepare the new one. I quit the “recovered” document and reopened Word. And through some miracle, every single word of the blog that I lost was right there on the screen! (Okay, it’s not quite a “fishes and loaves” type of miracle, but at that moment, it was just as impressive to me!)
I actually felt relieved—and rewarded—for passing the test with my spiritual maturity. I had put Philippians 4:6 into action. I turned over my problem to Him and He worked it out! But there’s more…
Not even a week later, I upgraded my electronic calendar system to new software. Now, due to my frail memory, I rely heavily on my calendar. I write down everything and set lots of reminders. However, somewhere in the transfer process, I completely wiped out my entire calendar history! Years of appointments, birthdays, special occasions, and upcoming events were instantly obliterated. And in almost the same blink of an eye, I freaked out!
I spewed a few choice words at the computer, let everyone in the house know how angry I was about the situation, and sat there trying to remember every calendar entry that had been deleted. And I spent hours in a state of complete agitation. Eventually, I was able to recover some of my calendar—but not all of it. And that’s when I realized…I had failed the test!
All of that spiritual maturity I had demonstrated just a few days before completely evaporated when presented with this new, and arguably, slightly greater challenge. I mean, really—I’ve been through some things over the last couple of years, and I’ve faced some situations that were a lot more difficult than a lost document or a deleted calendar. And because of those trials, I thought I had learned to trust God for ALL things—even computer glitches. But this little incident served as a reminder that there’s still some room for improvement.
In the end, I had much more to recover than a lost calendar: I had to regain my spiritual footing. I apologized to everyone in the house for the histrionics. And it took me a while, but I eventually brought it before the Lord and asked for forgiveness from Him. How awesome is it that we serve a God who never runs out of second chances?
When put to the test again, I’ll remember to look to the Lord for the answers!
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