Midweek Morsel: Rest During Demanding Times

September 17, 2015 By 4 Comments

3475199344_22c0327a80_z“‘. . . even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.’” Exodus 34:21b

God knows what we need, doesn’t he? As Creator, no one knows us and our needs better than he does. The Bible, his Word to us, is full of his instructions, exhortations, commands, and wisdom that are for our benefit. We are our wisest selves when we listen and heed his words.

One of the things God knows we need is rest. He not only gave the commandment about resting from our work on the Sabbath when he gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, but he went on to emphasize in the passage above that even during the plowing season and harvest the people were to rest. Yes, even during their busiest times, God said, “you must rest.”

If people in Old Testament times needed rest during their busiest seasons, don’t you think we need rest today during our most demanding times as well? I can’t help but think that God knows us so well he knew we’d need explicit instructions for busy seasons. He knows we’re tempted to push too hard when we’ve got more work than hours in the week.

But if we’re wise—if we’re honoring and obeying God—we will rest. And it will indeed benefit us.

“‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31b

*What are some of the benefits of rest?

*Flickr photo by Meagan, Creative Commons License

4 Comments Filed Under: refresh, rest, time, wisdom, Word of God, work Tagged With: , ,

A Radiant Face: Shining for the Lord

September 14, 2015 By 2 Comments

4343362783_86598e06fd_z“. . . his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.” Exodus 34:29b

Moses—the Moses of biblical fame—is known for many amazing things, one of which is the appearance of his face after his second Ten Commandments encounter with the Lord. (You may remember that Moses, after discovering the great sin of the Israelite people in making a golden calf idol, broke the first stone tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments. Later on, Moses spent another forty days and forty nights with the Lord on Mt. Sinai, at which time God wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets once again.)

When Moses came down from the mountain this second time after meeting with the Lord, his face looked radiant. The scripture above tells us why. His face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. He had had a divine encounter and it showed.

What about our faces today? Who or what do they reflect to the people and the world around us? Are our faces radiant because we spend time with the Lord? Do they reflect the fact that we’ve had a divine encounter?

You or I may not display the same extraordinarily radiant face that Moses displayed, but our faces can shine with the joy and love of the Lord. Others should indeed be able to see that we’ve spent time with him. He should make a difference in us that the world can see.

So let’s do it. Let’s spend time with the Lord and then let that joy be seen on our faces. Let’s shine for him!

“. . . they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13b

*Of course, we’ll also have times when our faces show anger, grief, frustration, and other emotions, but what can we do to make sure our faces most consistently shine with the love and joy of the Lord?

*Flickr photo by prayerfriends, Creative Commons License

2 Comments Filed Under: appearance, change, fellowship, joy, love, Word of God Tagged With: , , , ,