Rushing or Resting- Encouragement Café - July 3, 2015

Rushing or Resting

Café Menu for Friday, July 3, 2015

Today’s Special is: Spend Time Beside the Still Waters

Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Carolyn Dale Newell

Main Ingredient:

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

Psalm 23:2 NKJV

Entrée:

I vividly remember my parents relaxing on the front porch every summer evening.  They did their yard work, and Mom tenderly cared for her flowers.  They didn’t have the conveniences of a microwave or computer, so where did they find that time to relax?

Perhaps you are on vacation this week, but the days leading up to your departure were chaotic.  Once you return home, if you are like us, you will hit the ground running.  It’s so easy to slip into bed at night and remember that you never opened the pages of your Bible today.  Except for the blessing, you never had time to pray.  Friend, I hate to admit it, but I have had those days.

We make sure our gas tanks are full before embarking on our summer journeys, but what about our spiritual tanks?  If we are not diligent about our time with God, our spiritual lives will begin to sputter, running on empty.

Our Good Shepherd knows exactly what we need.  Time to rest in the green pasture.  Time to graze upon God’s Word, savoring each morsel.  

Like the Apostle John, we need to rest upon the chest of Christ.  We need to designate a specific time to spend beside the still waters, not rushing in and out of prayer.  We need to take a mini vacation every day to talk with our heavenly Father who desires time with us.  

Yes, the God of the universe wants to spend time with us.  That is hard to believe, but it’s true, and we must set aside time to do it.

I don’t have a plan to stop the rush, but I do know that our quality time with God is something we cannot skip.  Every aspect of our lives will be enriched when we spend time beside the still waters with Jesus.

Will you make time for Him today?

Take Out:

Read John 10:7-11.

In verse 10, the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus gives abundant life.  Meditate on this verse, considering your busy schedule.

How can you shield your quiet time from Satan’s clever attempts to steal it?

Dessert:

Lord,

We are honored and humbled that You desire time with us.  Help us schedule our quiet time, and guard it from interruptions.  Stop the rush that has become the daily pattern of our lives, so that we may enjoy time with You and our families.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

© 2015 by Carolyn Dale Newell.  All rights reserved.

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