Well I am really blessed today. My favorite baker, M came to church with her son! I had wanted to buy something from her yesterday but found out from her son that she was in Japan for a baking convention. There and then I invited the young man to bring his mother to church...imagine my surprise when I saw both of them in church the following day!
Today Tim and I read Mark 2 as our devotional and I was really struck by verse 27 when Jesus told the Pharisees off. They had become too legalistic and started questioning why the disciples were breaking the law by harvesting grain on Sabbath to eat. Jesus said something really profound "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people and not the people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath". I believe that Jesus is saying that we should not allow legalism to bind us to the extent that we forget to do good or to minister to the needs of others even on a day when we are supposed to be in church. I believe that what He is saying is that works of mercy and compassion are more important than the strict observance of the law.
Further He said this to me, "Everyday should be your Sabbath day of rest. How do you know when you are not resting? You know it when your heart is struggling, anxious and troubled. You know it when your mind is in turmoil and not at peace concerning the issues at hand."
Wow....today is Sunday, tomorrow is the start of another week. Am I at rest?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sabbath rest in my workplace
I struggle to give God the answer to the question "Are you at rest?" Actually to be in the Sabbath rest is more for my benefit than for God! To be truly rested in Christ is to allow God full liberty to meet my needs and not to get in His way! What do I need for my week ahead in the office? If I were to list down the things I need:
1. I need to struggle less and to yield to the Lord more.
2. I need wisdom in my work so that I can accomplish more in lesser time.
3. I need to be rid of frustration especially in dealing with slower staff.
4. I need to be less impatient with people.
5. I need to control my temper and not be sacarstic with people.
6. I need to stop being manipulative or to use my own efforts/words to get what I want.
7. I need to be more thankful for my work, my bosses, my colleagues and not be critical, judgmental or quick to find fault.
and the list goes on and on....
"To be observing the Sabbath rest is to let me take care of you!" Wow! Isn't that profound or what! The Lord led me to read Heb 4 on the rest of God.
Reading Heb 4, the word of God just came clearly to me:
1. The rest of God is gained by obedience to His quickened word.
Heb 4:11 "But if we disobey God as the people of Israel did, we will fail". It is so important to begin my day with the reading of God's word. The word of God will expose what is soulish vis-a-vis what is spiritual, it will expose all my innermost and desires. I cannot hide my actual intentions and motives when the word of God is read. Often, in the midst of reading, I will receive a quickened word that will apply for a particular situation I have been mulling over. In making up my mind to obey the word, I will immediately enter into the peace and the love of God. For e.g when I was frustrated with the many nasty emails sent to me by my boss in the first few years of working with her, the Lord began to speak to me to bless her and to humble myself by submitting to her even though I had many more years of experience than her. In making a decision to obey the quickened word, I began to change in my attitude towards her. I also stopped complaining about her! Our relationship has improved so much that she sends me festive greetings and often enquired about my welfare.
2. The rest of God is gained if we stop struggling and start trusting.
Heb 4:10 "For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors." I find that the easiest way to strop struggling is to surrender my every problem in the office to the Lord. Not just the most difficult assignments or the humanly impossible deadlines but the sense of injustice I experience especially when it comes to rewards. How do you feel when you do so much work to find that your colleagues have written down your achievements as theirs when nary a finger had been lifted to help? How do you feel when others copy and paste certain sections of your KPI and take credit for it? I often prayed "Lord, give me justice concerning this issue. Let the boss of my boss know who is doing the work and who is not, who is taking credit for the achievements that are not theirs". Today when I look at my bonus I know that God has answered my prayers!
3. The rest of God is gained by not being obstinate and stubborn.
Sometimes its easy to argue God away. I guess this is what is meant by verse 7 "So God set another time to for entering his rest, and that time today....Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts." To keep on abiding in the rest of the God is to immediately obey Him when He speaks. It is not a delayed reaction, it is a reaction for today. It is not to give Him a whole list of "buts"...."but God she is like this", "but God it is very difficult to forgive" "but God after what I have gone through, its not easy", "but God it is easier said than done"....
4. To be in the rest of God is to tap into the abundance of His grace and mercy.
How can we ever survive without the grace and mercy of the Lord? How can we enter into that precious rest if we do not ask Him for help? Indeed the Lord understands our weaknesses for He faced all of the same testimes we do, yet He did not sin. So, to enter into that precious rest, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Heb 4:15-16)
How can I advice my dear sister who is facing financial problem to enter into God's rest? Her heart is full of worries, her body is sick and her mind is preoccupied with her problems. I realize this, the rest of God is to be won firstly in her mind and in the heart. When her worries cease and her mind is quiet, God will begin to take over and work out a solution for her!
1. I need to struggle less and to yield to the Lord more.
2. I need wisdom in my work so that I can accomplish more in lesser time.
3. I need to be rid of frustration especially in dealing with slower staff.
4. I need to be less impatient with people.
5. I need to control my temper and not be sacarstic with people.
6. I need to stop being manipulative or to use my own efforts/words to get what I want.
7. I need to be more thankful for my work, my bosses, my colleagues and not be critical, judgmental or quick to find fault.
and the list goes on and on....
"To be observing the Sabbath rest is to let me take care of you!" Wow! Isn't that profound or what! The Lord led me to read Heb 4 on the rest of God.
Reading Heb 4, the word of God just came clearly to me:
1. The rest of God is gained by obedience to His quickened word.
Heb 4:11 "But if we disobey God as the people of Israel did, we will fail". It is so important to begin my day with the reading of God's word. The word of God will expose what is soulish vis-a-vis what is spiritual, it will expose all my innermost and desires. I cannot hide my actual intentions and motives when the word of God is read. Often, in the midst of reading, I will receive a quickened word that will apply for a particular situation I have been mulling over. In making up my mind to obey the word, I will immediately enter into the peace and the love of God. For e.g when I was frustrated with the many nasty emails sent to me by my boss in the first few years of working with her, the Lord began to speak to me to bless her and to humble myself by submitting to her even though I had many more years of experience than her. In making a decision to obey the quickened word, I began to change in my attitude towards her. I also stopped complaining about her! Our relationship has improved so much that she sends me festive greetings and often enquired about my welfare.
2. The rest of God is gained if we stop struggling and start trusting.
Heb 4:10 "For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors." I find that the easiest way to strop struggling is to surrender my every problem in the office to the Lord. Not just the most difficult assignments or the humanly impossible deadlines but the sense of injustice I experience especially when it comes to rewards. How do you feel when you do so much work to find that your colleagues have written down your achievements as theirs when nary a finger had been lifted to help? How do you feel when others copy and paste certain sections of your KPI and take credit for it? I often prayed "Lord, give me justice concerning this issue. Let the boss of my boss know who is doing the work and who is not, who is taking credit for the achievements that are not theirs". Today when I look at my bonus I know that God has answered my prayers!
3. The rest of God is gained by not being obstinate and stubborn.
Sometimes its easy to argue God away. I guess this is what is meant by verse 7 "So God set another time to for entering his rest, and that time today....Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts." To keep on abiding in the rest of the God is to immediately obey Him when He speaks. It is not a delayed reaction, it is a reaction for today. It is not to give Him a whole list of "buts"...."but God she is like this", "but God it is very difficult to forgive" "but God after what I have gone through, its not easy", "but God it is easier said than done"....
4. To be in the rest of God is to tap into the abundance of His grace and mercy.
How can we ever survive without the grace and mercy of the Lord? How can we enter into that precious rest if we do not ask Him for help? Indeed the Lord understands our weaknesses for He faced all of the same testimes we do, yet He did not sin. So, to enter into that precious rest, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Heb 4:15-16)
How can I advice my dear sister who is facing financial problem to enter into God's rest? Her heart is full of worries, her body is sick and her mind is preoccupied with her problems. I realize this, the rest of God is to be won firstly in her mind and in the heart. When her worries cease and her mind is quiet, God will begin to take over and work out a solution for her!
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