via TJC
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11: 28-30
REST - uuugh!! I've struggled with this topic. And subsequently this scripture. For all of us it’s been some wearying times, and the challenges keep piling up. Who has time to rest?
We are in a series talking about being FIT. That means F- frequency, I - intensity and T - time or duration. We strive to increase our fitness by increasing how often we workout, how long and the intensity of the workouts. But the missing element there is rest - allowing our bodies to recuperate, recover and repair. But the real reason for rest is for our minds and our souls need to recuperate, recover and repair.
God is our creator, he designed us and knows our need for rest. He commanded rest “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.” In fact it’s above murder and adultery in the big 10.
I’ve had to redefine how I perceive rest.
For some it might be sleeping in, taking a nap, reading a book on the patio. It can be restful activities - maybe it’s an enjoyable kayak enjoying the water, versus let’s make this a workout event.
It can be intentionally putting aside the laptop and unleashing the cell phone for the day.
TJC partners with and integrates Every Man a Warrior (EMAW) lessons into our operations. The very first principle in EMAW is seeking and finding the “one thing”. That one thing is “Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” Matthew 22:37. It is so hard to seek God, when we don’t put down our burdens.
When we continue in our business, please remember that BUSY stands for Burdened Under Satan’s Yoke. Loving God requires intentionality and choosing His yoke, not ours or the world.
You will not grow FIT, recuperate, become faster, leaner and stronger under Satan’s yoke.
Daily Battle Order:
Today is Thanksgiving; a lot of work will have gone into place to be together, prepare the feast. Today choose to be like Mary, versus Martha and sit down and be present and seek Jesus in the family and friends you will assemble with. Make the rest of today a no-cell phone day (recognizing your likely reading this on a phone), go for that walk in the woods. Don’t ask one another what they are thankful for- unless you like the corny answers. Instead you as Kingdom Man talk into each persons life and tell them why you are thankful for them, and how blessed you feel to be with them. And rest in the presence of the Lord wherever you are.
Happy Thanksgiving.