fun

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We need to put the best people on the horses and don’t apologize for it.”
Warren Wiersbe

I have to ask you – who have you placed as your “experts” in life? Your “ruler who sits on the horse,” (Ecc 10:6&7) who is ready to lead you into battle? Are they leading you in the right hand life of Christ or in the left hand life of folly? How can you know? The Bible. It is the preserved Word of God that does not change, no matter the era or point in history.

When faced with people who think following the truth and wisdom of the Bible say that’s “old fashioned” or irrelevant today, all you really need to do is read through the entire book of Ecclesiastes to see Solomon’s study of life in his age. We are no different. We want what we want and we want it now. Preferably served with a slice of fun and merriment.

If you want to rejoice in the “right hand” life (by the way, the word “sinister” comes from the Latin word meaning “on the left hand”… sorry again lefties), what do we need to do?

Look to and at Jesus like we do our cell phones. When we abide in Him, we experience abundance.”
Pastor Ryan Paulson

When I heard this a few weeks ago at church it really hit home. I carry my phone around in my back pocket throughout my small home. I can hear the phone ring from any room in my house. Yet I keep it close. I look at it even when it hasn’t rung or chimed in a while just to make sure I haven’t missed a call or text.

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4

That’s how we need to place God – right in our back pocket. Right in front of our face. Not in a drawer we pull out in times of trouble or a couple times a year. We dust off our Bibles, we sign up for Bible study (and actually do the work and attend), we find a church that is biblically based, not wishy washy. We commune — not on-line in a faceless, non-participatory way — with other Christians to help bolster us and them. We make God our expert, our Lord and our Holy King.

“If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.” Ecclesiastes 10:10

Do you need to sharpen up your edge so that you can cut through the lies of this life? A knife so sharp we can spot the people we should and shouldn’t allow to guide us in the right handed life?

It’s time to learn that the way we’ve always done “life” may not be working out so great for us. We are weak and feel so much rejection from the left hand way of the world. It’s time to step up and rejoice! To enjoy a life of strength and wisdom and acceptance given to us freely by God. The God we put squarely in the center of lives, riding us onward into victory.

"For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;he will lift me high upon a rock. ⁶And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord."  Psalm 27:5 & 6

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Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31

After a busy Thanksgiving, taking relatives to the airport, and doing some holiday shopping, my husband, older daughter and I took a day off from all the busyness and played golf. I suppose you could call what I played “golf” even though it didn’t go so well! But it was nice to get out with them and enjoy a relaxing, beautiful day.

For a long time, I struggled with resting. With just doing something fun that had no goal. Before kids, my husband and I would spend Saturday running around doing errands. Come Sunday I would start stressing out about Monday’s workload! When my kids were younger, we always had sports on the weekends with tournaments lasting from Thursday until Sunday afternoon. These last couple of years I’ve finally taken to heart the idea of resting. Resting and enjoying all the blessings that God has gifted us.

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2

Toiling and striving and anxiously lying awake thinking about how we can toil some more the next day! It’s not good for our health and it’s not the life God intended for us. It’s so sad that two major companies in the United States who made the choice to stay closed on Sundays have received so much grief for that decision. But the leaders of those companies are Christians who take the message and gift of the Sabbath to heart.

I still catch myself feeling guilty for resting. I have to remind myself that it’s not a luxury. It’s a requirement by God. Whether we are rich or poor, with children or not, retired or still working, God wants us to be rested, ready to do His good works when needed.

I’m so thankful for this gift of rest. It shows how much God loves us and wants the best for us. He wants us to be recharged and energized followers of Jesus. Not burned out, overworked, stressed and therefore unable to see how beautiful this world is He created. Unable to stop and help someone in need. So today on this Sabbath day take this gift of rest freely. Take time for yourself and enjoy.

Tag: fun

Enjoy The Right Side of Life Part Two

Rest