For thought and meditation

[rl69]

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.—Isaiah 26:3 (http://harvest.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4f108f827aed8d503b5fca9fa&id=08af955228&e=3dd732485b)I remember asking Billy Graham a number of years ago about what he experienced when he gave the invitation for people to come to Christ at a crusade. He said, "When I am preaching and giving the invitation, I feel like power is draining out of me." I understand that, because it is a spiritual battle that rages on. When we are serving the Lord, it can be draining in many ways. It can even be draining spiritually.

Jesus, who was fully God, also was fully man. That means He was human just like you and me. He felt pain. He felt sorrow. He felt hunger. And He could feel weary from a hard day's work. In Matthew 8, we read that Jesus, tired after a day of ministry, was sleeping soundly. He and the disciples were on a very primitive wooden boat, being tossed back and forth like a cork in the ocean.

How do you sleep in a storm like that? You can sleep in a storm when you're confident in the will of God. In other words, you know you're doing what you should be doing. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."

Sometimes the worries and pressures of life keep us awake at night. When this happens to me, I'll pray about it and say, "Lord, I can't worry about this for a while, so I'm going to let You worry about it. I'm going to get some shut-eye." I'm being humorous, of course, because I know God isn't going to worry about it. But I'm entrusting the matter to Him. That is what we need to do when we're tired and overwhelmed by worry. We need to cry out to God

[Boaz]

Good reminder to let him carry your burdens . Thank you rl69 !

[Preacher Jim]

one sermon is harder than a whole days work on your body. you are drained from the war in the room.

[Blackwater]

Once again, RL, your selections just keep getting better and better. Thank you. Your posts are a highlight of my days. And the first step toward attaining higher knowledge of, and a closer walk with our Lord, begins with recognizing our shortcomings. We can't overcome them without recognizing them, and these days, a complacent spirit is very hard to find. And that's probably mostly because of the concepts contained in your post for today. It's also why a humble spirit is such a wonderful asset in receiving God's messages. The more we recognize our limitations, the more we CAN receive from God's words, and the more fittingly we can respond to them, and draw nigh unto our Lord. And really, it's the only game we have to play in this life. It'll never happen that we come to a point where we can afford to become complacent within ourselves, but with God, and full commitment to Him, we CAN reach a very different kind of complacency - a simple acceptance of whatever He puts in our path, without fear or complaint, and just the realization that whatever it is, we're to deal with it with joy and thanksgiving. With the good stuff, stuff we like, that's easy. Not so easy with the challenges he puts before us, but that's when we grow most, and become ever stronger in our faith. And it's so very WORTH it!