Aches and Praise Five Hundred & Eighty Two

November 4, 2022
 
 
Dear friends,  
 

In his book “Mastering Life Before It’s Too Late” Robert J. Morgan examines ten Biblical strategies for a lifetime of purpose. In recent weeks we have looked at the first four patterns: “Listen to a Twelve-Year-Old,” “Redeem the Time,” “Clear the Decks,” and “Maximize the Morning.” The fifth pattern – “Pull Off at Rest Stops” – deals with a subject that some people find challenging. In Mark 6:31, the Lord Jesus instructed His disciples to “rest a while.”  Dr. David Jeremiah comments on this: “Jesus again displayed His concern for practical matters. His disciples had just returned from a long and exhausting ministry trip, so He instructed them to come aside … and rest a while.”

Robert Morgan writes: “It’s not just a three-syllable statement spoken by Jesus in Mark 6:31; it’s a consistent teaching throughout Scripture, established at the Creation when God sanctioned the Sabbath as the ultimate example of resting amid our work. God didn’t create humans to run like robots. We have limited reservoirs of energy, and we require frequent periods of rest – mental, physical, and spiritual intermissions – to replenish our resources.”

This weekend we gain an hour as the clocks are moved back. This is a good time to reflect on whether we are too busy or taking time to get the rest we need. Morgan observes: “Some people burn their candles at both ends; others burn their ends at both candles. In either case, the light goes out. The old proverb about burning candles is usually misunderstood. When we say we’re burning our candles at both ends, we don’t mean both ends of the candle but both ends of the day. We wake up too early and have to light our candles till the sun comes up; and later when the sun retires we have to light our candles again to work into the night. Too many days like that, and we’ll burn out both our candles and ourselves. Constant activity frays our nerves, agitates our minds, drains us spiritually, plunders us emotionally, and debilitates us physically.”

Last night, I did something that I rarely do. I arrived at an appointment more than an hour early so that I could prepare myself for something that I had never experienced before: getting an MRI. I was very impressed by the staff at the Montreal Neurological Institute, including a man who had worked at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where I went in September. Thank you for praying for me as I try to regain some of the thirty pounds that I have lost since December.

Yesterday, a friend in Ontario phoned to say that his wife went to be with the Lord on Tuesday. Karen and I had several wonderful visits with this dear couple, who were married 69 years. Please pray for John and his family at this difficult time.

Scripture for the weekend: “It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.” Psalm 127:2 (The Living Bible)

Thought for the weekend: “It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.” – Mary O’Connor

 
By His grace,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
Steve

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