A time to Work and a Time to Rest

Ironically, this week's sermon was exactly that, - as our week went, it was exactly the same. Remember last week when I reminded you to watch the lunar eclipse?? Well, guess who forgot??? Yep, by Saturday night we were both so tired from working at various projects, that we totally forgot about it. Thanks to everyone who posted pictures on facebook, we had the opportunity to see it - even if it was only in a picture.                                                          

thanks to the son of a friend who posted this great picture

It was a week of loose ends - finishing up lots of started  but forgotten projects. Even one unexpected project that could have been disastrous. One evening as Fred was in the living room and I was in the bedroom, an outlet in the living room made a noise and then quit (the air conditioner was on it, so we knew it had stopped). Luckily, our neighbor is a retired electrician, so we called him (at 9 PM) and he came right over. We could even smell a burnt wire smell in the house. He found the outlet that was singed black, and tried to figure out where it came from, but to no avail. So he left us a heavy duty extension cord for the a/c until morning when he and Fred could investigate further. Fred found a spot where the a/c had leaked a bit and then spotted a wire that was actually burnt in half. After a late evening of taking off paneling, door frames, etc. we went to bed, still a bit shaky about the situation. The next morning the neighbor came back, looked at the wires, and informed us that if the a/c had not leaked in that spot, the whole house would have caught on fire. My first thought was - thank You Lord for letting this happen in the evening when we were home and thank You for the moisture that saved the house from burning and thank you for a great neighbor. Our neighbor fixed the faulty outlet, and is going to check all the outlets in the house to make sure that there are no more bad ones. Again, we praise God for His protection. It was a day of putting everything back to normal, but with gladness instead of sadness. The rest of the week was busy with finishing projects and meeting with the possibility of a new ministry - one which needs food, clothing, bedding, etc. We are in the process of providing food right now, but are looking into the possibility of helping out further. Please pray that this is what God is leading us to and that He will help us to help them. There are a few loose ends (again loose ends!!) that need checking into and prayer for a positive answer from God.

The weather is cooling off a bit - very nice in the morning, heating up during the day, then cool evenings again. At least no more 100's! Fall is certainly here - the birds are singing in the coolness, fall colors abound in the stores (even if the trees here do not change color), apples and pumpkins look so inviting, candy corn and peanut butter kisses are on sale in every store and county fairs and carnivals are in full swing.

 

 our grandson and his twin daughters at a carnival this past week in Arkansas - he is an amazing father

the joys of autumn

 

As I said earlier, Pastor Israel's sermon this morning was based on a time to work and a time to rest. Imagine our lives if the Lord decided that we did not need to rest at all - no more nights of sleep under warm blankets, no more lovely dreams (although sometimes they are not so lovely), no more waking up to the sound of the birds singing in the early dawn. Just think of what we would miss. How weird it would be to work in darkness - but then maybe He would not have created nighttime. I love His balanced creation! Jesus worked daily - perhaps in His early years as an apprentice carpenter to His father, Joseph. But in later years in His ministry which was to save humanity. He sent His disciples out for the heavy work of spiritual ministry which they obeyed without a word. Do we do that? Or do we question God's plan for our lives and try to do it our way? After the disciples went out in pairs, they then became apostles which means messenger or one who is sent. If God sends us out on assignment, He will provide for that assignment which is why we are praying for the new ministry - it seems as if God lead us to it through a series of seemingly coincidental incidents (were they really coincidences or were they God's calling). If you sense a hesitation in us, it is because we are not totally convicted that we should be involved with this ministry. I have faith that God will definitely let us know. Why does it seem that every Sunday morning sermon seemed to be directed at ourselves, no matter the subject? God orchestrates it perfectly. After the work of the day, God created a time for rest, just as He rested on the 7th day, we rest at night. Rest time is a quiet time - what we learn in this quiet time will sustain us in the troubled times. So take time to work - work to the best of your ability, but take advantage of the time to rest. God created all of this just for you. Just as God told His apostles in Mark 6:31 after they returned from their work "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest".

 

Take time this week after a day of work, to just sit quietly, reflect on the day, enjoy the stillness of the day, and rest.