Wisdom to Stop

Are you a busy servant for the Lord?  What I mean is…Do you worship and serve regularly at your local church?  Does a particular ministry consume a lot of your time?  There is nothing wrong with that.  God calls us each to one or ministries.  After all He has given us one or more gifts to use to glorify His name.  So naturally we should be using them.  Sometimes though to our detriment, we get caught up in the busy-iness of our ministries.  We forget to pay attention to where God may be actually re-directing us momentarily or permanently for His particular purposes.  It is important to stay in constant communication with God and be in tune with His leadings.  We may be on the way to do our ministry or already involved in it and be interrupted by something God wants us to pay attention to.  I know I tend to get very frustrated with interruptions.  After all they slow me down and hinder the work I am doing for God.  In reality, those interruptions may very well be God’s work that needs to be done instead of my usual ministry.  The Apostles Peter and John were on their way to pray one day at the temple at the appointed time.  Read in Acts 3: 1 – 10 what happened:

¹ Now Peter and John were going up together to the temple complex at the hour of prayer at three in the afternoon. ² And a man who was lame from his mother’s womb was carried there and placed every day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg from those entering the temple complex. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple complex, he asked for help. ⁴ Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, “Look at us.” ⁵ So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have, I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” ⁷ Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ So he jumped up, stood, and started to walk, and he entered the temple complex with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. ⁹ All the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple complex. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

Now think what would have happened if they had not stopped to respond to the Lame man at the temple gate.  They could have said, “Not now man, we will be late for church”.  Then the man would have not been healed, and would not have come to know Jesus.  An appointment to do Jesus’ work would have been missed.  An opportunity to reach someone for the Lord would have been lost.  Sometimes we can get so busy doing our evangelism projects we miss our real opportunity to witness to someone.  It is true wisdom to know when God is calling you to stop what you are doing and do what new thing He is showing you to do instead.  So stay in tune with God and learn His wisdom to know when to stop what you are doing and join Him where He is working (as Henry Blackaby would say).

Wisdom to Stop

Are you a busy servant for the Lord?  What I mean is…Do you worship and serve regularly at your local church?  Does a particular ministry consume a lot of your time?  There is nothing wrong with that.  God calls us each to one or ministries.  After all He has given us one or more gifts to use to glorify His name.  So naturally we should be using them.  Sometimes though to our detriment, we get caught up in the busy-iness of our ministries.  We forget to pay attention to where God may be actually re-directing us momentarily or permanently for His particular purposes.  It is important to stay in constant communication with God and be in tune with His leadings.  We may be on the way to do our ministry or already involved in it and be interrupted by something God wants us to pay attention to.  I know I tend to get very frustrated with interruptions.  After all they slow me down and hinder the work I am doing for God.  In reality, those interruptions may very well be God’s work that needs to be done instead of my usual ministry.  The Apostles Peter and John were on their way to pray one day at the temple at the appointed time.  Read in Acts 3: 1 – 10 what happened:

¹ Now Peter and John were going up together to the temple complex at the hour of prayer at three in the afternoon. ² And a man who was lame from his mother’s womb was carried there and placed every day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg from those entering the temple complex. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple complex, he asked for help. ⁴ Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, “Look at us.” ⁵ So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have, I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” ⁷ Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ So he jumped up, stood, and started to walk, and he entered the temple complex with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. ⁹ All the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple complex. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

Now think what would have happened if they had not stopped to respond to the Lame man at the temple gate.  They could have said, “Not now man, we will be late for church”.  Then the man would have not been healed, and would not have come to know Jesus.  An appointment to do Jesus’ work would have been missed.  An opportunity to reach someone for the Lord would have been lost.  Sometimes we can get so busy doing our evangelism projects we miss our real opportunity to witness to someone.  It is true wisdom to know when God is calling you to stop what you are doing and do what new thing He is showing you to do instead.  So stay in tune with God and learn His wisdom to know when to stop what you are doing and join Him where He is working (as Henry Blackaby would say).

Wise Words

One of my biggest battles in life is controlling the words that come out of my mouth when I speak to others.  After being reminded about the importance of controlling my speech from scripture and starting out to pay attention to what I say, it seems like within seconds I have already blown it.  I mostly have this problem, because I don’t stop to think before I speak.  I speak based on some emotion pushing me to speak.  Whether it be anger, fear, silliness, know-it-allness, or activism. My words can show others my wisdom or my foolishness.  Read Proverbs 12:18.

There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise [brings] healing.

If I am taking time to stop and think before I speak, I will put others first.  I will think about whether my words are really necessary or helpful.  I will think about whether they put others first in their feelings and needs.  I will think about whether they will bring spiritual, physical or emotional healing to their lives.  This will be the wise way to speak.  My emotions and needs should not dominate my speech.  My care for others should dominate my speech.  Above all my need to glorify God should dominate my speech.  When I pray, think and engage my brain before speaking, my speech will show wisdom.  Rashness of speech will usually only end up cutting someone else in the process.  In Proverbs 16: 27 -28 we see that the unwise person’s speech burns up the good things in life and brings out evil in life. 

 ²⁷ A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire. ²⁸ A contrary man spreads conflict, and a gossip separates friends.

More friendships have been lost by careless words of unwise friends.  Businesses and churches have been destroyed by foolish words.  Even what might seem like insignificant or casual speech can do harm if it is unwise.  Gossip is fire out of control once it begins.  I pray for God to take over my brain and tongue.  May my words glorify Him and help others.  May I be deemed wise by my words and glorify God.

Limitless Energy

According to the X-journals, “Next year, 192 giant laser beams at the National Ignition Facility in California will target this pea-sized capsule, which contains hydrogen, in an effort to trigger the world’s first controlled nuclear fusion reaction. (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)” Scientists goals with these experiments is to hopefully one day to lead to the taming of the sun’s energy and other sources like the sun to produce limitless energy.  I am always amazed at the new developments and experiments taking place in science.  It’s a wonderful thought to think that there could be limitless energy to use.  It would bring down our expenses, and probably have a whole ripple effect on the economy.  People who were previously without energy could now have energy.  Our cars could be fueled and the environment helped as a result.  It is going to take time though.  This is just the next step in the experiments.  For now we are going to have to make due with energy systems we have now.

There is good news now on the energy front though.  God has limitless energy.  Read Isaiah 40: 28 – 29.

“28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. 29 He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.”

There is only one way God could constantly be strengthening the powerless or helping the weary to not grow faint.  That is because He has limitless power.  Nothing will ever make His power grow dim.  No matter how many times humans may have to call on Him to regain their spiritual and physical strength, God will not run out of energy to provide them so they can revive.  What an encouragement to know our God is limitless in energy and so many other ways we could name.  So don’t be afraid to ask for help from God.  Why keep struggling along on your own God is there to help. Don’t think you will be a burden to Him.  He is limitless!

In the Habit of Remembering

We all have good memories and bad memories.  Sometimes we dwell on those memories for the wrong reasons.  We think over and over again on the bad memories and drive ourselves insane with what we could have done differently to make the outcome better.  We focus on good memories to pump ourselves emotionally.  Remembering things is important.  God expects us to remember.  However in Psalm 63:6 – 8 God gives us instructions on the best way to use our time to remember things:

“6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.”

David was on the run from King Saul when he wrote this Psalm.  He was hiding in the wilderness.  His life was in shambles.  His family’s lives were at risk.  He spent his time thinking about what God had done.  He realized that God had been his help all that time and that He should stay faithful and rejoice in what God is doing.

Like David when we have free time, we are to focus on God.  For example, many of us have trouble falling to sleep.  We are consumed with the stresses of our day at work or in our family.  That’s a great time to think on the character of God.  We can spend time remembering the stories we have read or learned out of the Bible about God and His people, we learn about how God thinks and works.  We see fellow believers struggling with issues and learning to hear God and obey.  We see God responding to needs and providing.  We realize that we are not alone and God is there for us.  We, too, can rejoice in what God will do in our lives knowing that He love us.

So, start changing some of your thinking habits.  Get in the habit of remembering what God has done for those in the Bible and what God has done for you and your family during your lifetime.