Weekend Words

 From Be Still and Know...

"In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, and ye would not" (Isaiah 30:15)

Does quietness describe your life today?  Or is it filled with tension and turmoil?  Such tension can bring depression of spirit, draining of energy, and depletion of strength.  Important, therefore, is an inner stability to carry us through the pressure times of life.

The children of Israel were in danger of an attack by the Assyrians.  Instead of going to the Lord for help, they turned to Egypt.  God warned them through the prophet, Isaiah, that only in returning to God and resting in Him, could they find safety and security.

When problems arise in our lives, we begin to seek ways of solving them ourselves.  We turn to those we think can give us assistance.  We try plans and methods we think may handle our situation, but non of our self-seeking plans is adequate.  This is not God's way.

WE must CEASE from OUR feverish activity, our self-effort, and rest in Him.  Quiet tension is not trust.  It is simply compressed anxiety.  Only in returning to God and resting in Him will we have quietness in place of fear and a confidence in God that will be our strength.

In a partnership, each partner shares in the work.  In our partnership with God, God does the work, but He uses our lives to accomplish it.  Our part is to be available.

God reminded the Israelites, "...and ye would not."  Sometimes we learn our most valuable lessons when "we would not."  We may have to learn the hard way.  When we rebel against returning to the Lord for His help,  He lets us experience the failure of going our own way.

Strength for meeting life each day becomes ours as we wait in His presence.  It is there we learn of Him; we discover His direction for our lives and are empowered of Him to accomplish it.  From this comes His quietness and confidence that strengthens us, knowing that all is well in God's hands.

"Ye would!"  "Ye would not!"  The choice is ours.

From Behold the Lilies...

"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matthew 25:21

Did you notice that the servant was called good and faithful because he was faithful over a few things?  We often get this twisted and allow the influence of many years and many voices to tell us just the opposite: if we have many things and responsibilities, we are doing well.

God says we can be assured of His blessing if we are faithful with even just a few responsibilities.  In His mercy, God distributes gifts according to our various abilities.  If He would put a responsibility upon me that I could not carry out, I would be an unprofitable servant.  If He would give me more than I could take care of, I would be a poor steward.  Having less, and even by appearance doing less, will not disqualify us from heaven like unfaithfulness will.

Being discontent with my little can cause me to become unfaithful.  When I wish for more, the devil has blinded my eyes, making me believe that my acceptance with God lies in how much I do or have.  But the truth is that my acceptance is directly related to how devoted I am to God and how much I've allowed Him to take control of my life.  When God has captured all my attention and interest, I will be so busy serving Him that my little will become much because I am occupied with His joy.

Little deeds have inspired and challenged me as much as great sermons.  When I taught school, I was touched when little people willingly shared small things like a sheet of paper or a crayon.  A man stopped to do a kind deed by closing the car door for me.  A student brought me a drink because she heard me saying I was thirsty.

The children and the man on the street were perhaps unaware of what it means to be faithful in little things.  How much more should I as a Christian be aware of the value of being faithful in a few things?