Hi everyone. Rob here.
Last week I enjoyed a wonderful, refreshing Pastor’s Retreat by the shores of Lake Taupo. There was just one problem. I forgot my pillow. Yes, I’m now one of those people that has to cart their pillow everywhere to protect my poor old neck. Needless to say I came back with a sore neck! It’s not serious and it will get better but it did reinforce to me the value of knowing your limitations and intentional self-care. I love it when the Bible gets into the small details of life with offerings like:
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses (1 Timothy 5:23).
Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat (Luke 8:55).
If you find honey, eat just enough – too much of it, and you will vomit (Proverbs 25:16)
Every person is hard-wired with enormous potential and gifts, but every person is also limited and needs to live life with wisdom. We can fall into the trap of being over-cautious, but also over-zealous. We are asked to live courageous lives of faith, but also with prudent thinking. There’s really only one way to do this, and that’s to walk with God. This is the one area where there is no compromise, no ‘sensible’ thinking, only passion.
The irony is this: we can’t think clearly about ourselves while our eyes are focused on ourselves. Only God sees us clearly, and so, we are invited to learn to see with God’s eyes. This is where it gets personal. Some people walk with God and hear his voice promising them healing that then ensues. Others walk with God and hear his voice telling them to endure faithfully through their suffering. Some walk with God and hear his voice telling them to cross oceans for the sake of his name. Still others walk with God and are told to be faithful right where they are. I sought God about my dodgy back and he told me to look after it!
At any one time God knows our wounds, our fears, our hopes, our gifts, the state of our ego, the needs of this earth, the needs of his kingdom, the needs of our heart and the very best way to see his name honoured, his people thrive and his kingdom grow. Our job is to trust him. He is love after all. He is good and he is sovereign. And he is also our Father who embraces us as we are, our Brother who asks us to follow him and watch how he does it, and Spirit who enters our hearts with divine love and power. This is a God to draw close to, to open our hearts and minds to and to give ourselves over to. In the mundane and the messy; the scary and the spectacular; the joy and the sadness, may we walk with Him.
Grace and peace everyone.
Brand New Heart Ministries 