Rest & Recuperation, Rehab & Therapy
Remember, throughout this study, that I am neither trying to slow you down or speed you up; these are daily readings but not one day at a time instructions. Some of them might be one time events, some must be revisited on occasion, others, like the principle of rest, must be made a constant in your life.
The principles today are like that. They are the basics. Like a healthy diet and exercise, you can’t live well without them. And, like physical exercise, which, once begun, strengthens you and enables you to do more, so these spiritual exercises strengthen and enable you...and their results are eternal.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8
Our bodies have to be fed or they die. Our bodies have to move or our muscles atrophy. So it is in the spirit.
The Bible is the very Word of God. We have to read, study, learn, continue to learn, and share the Scriptures. The more we learn, the more we are able to
learn. We move from milk to meat! If not we stagnate, worse than stagnate, we atrophy. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Hebrews 5:13
We must pray.
We must grow in our ability to pray. Throughout Paul’s letters, he encourages us to be faithful in prayer, to be devoted to prayer, to pray with mind and spirit, to pray without ceasing, How does our prayer life match up to that?
And consider these words from James 5:
Have you ever been in trouble? “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.”
Ever been sick? “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him…”
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Do your prayers have power?
“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.”
Life is hard. Really hard.
But God is your provider, of peace, joy, rest, and strength.
But you have to engage with Him. And you know what? He sees and listens! “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer….” (1 Peter 3:12). Not only does He listen, He delights in our prayers, they are sweet and wonderful to Him! “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:8) That’s you that’s me.
Like physical therapy, or any other sort of exercise, there is much beyond the basics; but you can’t skip the basics, and they are always the foundation of the program.
Read your Bible. Pray. See what happens.
Shalom, Pastor Jim
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