The “R’s” Part Eight

Rest

Exodus 20:8-11 – “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy . . .”

I just returned from a week in South Dakota where I was one of the speakers at a camp.  The surroundings were amazing (I’ve never been to the Black Hills before), the ministry was refreshing, but it was the rest that may have saved my life!

I have been running at a break neck pace for a long time now.  Just before I left for this trip, I was having anxiety problems, struggling to complete basic tasks, and I was down right irritable. I needed to rest!  I have mentioned before here and it bears saying again, “if the devil can’t kill you, he’ll keep you busy”.  You know why?  Because you’ll kill yourself spirituall, physically, and emotionally.  Rest is not something that just happens to us!  We must, as Exodus 20:8-11 commands, “remember” and “keep” the Sabbath.  It is a discipline.

Remember

We must keep a constant eye on our habits.  We’ve got to acknowledge that if we don’t dicipline ourselves to watch over our schedules and commitments, then they will get out of hand.  So many people plead for our time and attention.  Tasks and emergencies each plead to be number one on our to do list.  Oswald Chambers calls it “the tyranny of the urgent”.  We must remember that rest is a non-negotiable in our lives.

Keep

It is not enought to to recognize our need to slow down.  We must choose to do it.  It isn’t just going to happen to you.  I have heard myself say, “I’ll take some time next week”.  And all the while, as work becomes my idol, my relationship with God, my family, and those I’m called to serve gets pushed to the side and I wear myself out.  We’ve got to schedule it and be obnoxious about keeping it.  When Paul tells us to “press on” and “run the race”, what is included in that is proper rest.  You can’t set your eyes on the prize and win the race if you are not taking the time to rest in the mercies and grace of God.

The “R’s” Part Six

Relationship

Genesis 2:18-25

“It is not good for man to be alone . . .”

What an amazing statement God makes.  Think about it for a minute.  God of all the universe, creator of all things, all powerful, all knowing, all present declares the first thing in creation that was not good.  Everything so far in the creation account God had declared to be good, but not so for the absence of human relationships.  You see, Adam up until this point had perfect fellowship with God.  They walked in through the garden together and they conversed.  Yet God declared that was not enough.  Crazy!

We need each other.  We need the divine mystery of human companionship in the context of biblical community.  We need a place where we can live out the day to day triumphs and struggles holding each other’s arms up and each fulfilling their purpose in Christ.  (See 1 Corinthians 12).

Yeah, we get it wrong and hurt each other.  We do struggle with selfishness and wound one another in the process.  But hear me, we will not make it with out the relationships that God designed us for.

I always quote Luke 10:27, it’s about Loving God and Loving People.  People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.  Righteousness is all about right relationships – Being right with God allows us to become right with ourselves and then we can become rightly related to those around us.

The “R’s” Part 4 Continued

Realness

John 13:3-5

It just  doesn’t get any more real than the King of all of the universe stooping down and wiping the mud, grime, camel poop, and general nastiness off of the feet of the disciples.  You want to find out what someone is made of, then watch them when they are in situations that could be considered beneath them.  Do they turn up their noses and get a sour attitude? Do they proceed with a determination to complete the task with excellence and servanthood?  Do they display a desire to obey God in all things? Do they display a compliance instead of obedience mindset? When it’s hard or humiliating . . . it gets real.

We need to learn to be real.  What is real?  Real is being like Christ.  He did the hard thing with a tender heart.  He loves others enough to serve them when they aren’t servants.  He put obedience to His Father above all of the draws and pulls of the world.

If we love God then we’ve got to love what God loves and God loves people.  If we say we love God then we need to keep His commands.  He told us to “Love the Lord our God with all . . . and to love our neighbor as ourselves.”

The “R’s” Part Three

Reliability

Phil. 2:19-23

“Timothy has proved himself . . .”

In a world that is so erratic and shaky, things that are reliable can be rare.  In my ministry travels I have often shared about identity and understanding who we are.  If we place our identity in anything other than Christ, we are on shaky ground because everything else can change or be taken away.  But once we find through faith in Christ that have been adopted as children of the most high God and that is who we are (1 John 3:1), then we need to begin to live out that new nature that has been placed in us.  Being reliable has to do with pursuing and living “God Interests”.  It’s putting others first, looking out for the needs of others, and obeying God’s commands.  This was Timothy.  He was reliable.  The passage states, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news  about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.”

We as a culture are trained to look out for number one.  We are taught that YOU can be and do anything that You desire. Our society pushes gaining wealth and materials for YOU.   That lifestyle will fail you and others.  But if we pursue God with a passion and live to serve Him, we will please Him and have a powerful impact in the lives of people.  We will become reliable.

The “R’s” – Part Two

Responsibility

Matthew 7:1-5

This is a tough one in today’s society.  Typically we are looking for reasons for our circumstances everywhere but within.  It is so much easier to look at the rest of the world and determine how bad it is and blame it for the problems we have.  Jesus is pretty clear to all of us here in this passage in Matthew 7 that we need to own our mess first.  We need to look for our own culpability.  Then we will be able to properly deal with the world around us.  Am I nervous at the tons of spending that our Government is doing?  Yup.  Do I like some of the negative impact of high official’s decisions are financially having on my family? Nope.  But you know what?  I need to make sure that first, I am spending and saving wisely.  Maybe a few less trips to McDonalds and few more meals at home are in order.  Maybe I need to drive out for entertainment less and spend more time at home with my family doing things that don’t cost.  I need to take responsibility for my mess first.

The amazing thing is that freedom comes in the process of dealing with my own mess.  For example, as we have responded to the financial crisis in our country by making better decisions and working harder in our own home, we are able to give more and be more helpful to others who are struggling.  Freedom!

We all need to pray about our lives and take responsibility for our mess.  There God can free us live more abundany lives in him.  Taking responsibility allows us to live more authentic lives in Christ and with one another in community.

During this time of crisis in our nation, the church has an amazing opportunity to be the church God designed us to be.  If we will take responsibility for our lives and our messes, God will free us to have powerful impact for Him!

The “R’s” – Part One

The “R’s”, at least that what I can them.  At our church, Eagle’s Nest Christian Fellowship, we hold to some core values, based on scripture.  Our Pastor, Bob Weed, has spent a ton of time in teaching these and infusing them in the life of our staff and church community.  Over the next week or so, we’ll briefly cover these and I pray that these are things you can begin to incorporate into your life as core principles for yourself.

RESPECT

Matthew 22:37-40

This is our chief value.  Why?  Jesus himself said that “all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Love God and Love People.  Respect isn’t simply an issue of treating people like you should, it goes so much deeper than that.

If we respect God we will:

• Become a follower of Christ
• Take His word seriously and live it
• Love and pursue Him relentlessly as He has loved and pursued us
• Allow and trust Him to guide and build our lives

If we respect People we will:

• Love others as Christ loved us
• Treat everyone with dignity and worth
• Serve others with selflessness and wisdom
• Understand that they too are people that Jesus died for
• SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH THEM in the works we do and with the words we say

Next we will take a look at Responsibility.