God wants us to rest plan

October 24, 2024

I am doing a Bible reading plan on the Bible app at the moment. It is titled, “God wants you to rest”. I found today’s reading really good. I have copied it below…

Rest Is Celebration and Community

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. -Exodus 20:9–10 

Anyone who works hard labor throughout the week needs a day of physical rest. Most of my work life is spent sitting in a chair. So, my best Sabbath rests include some physical exercise. That refreshes me. A Sabbath rest is a break from what we have been doing all week long. Therefore, some things about the day of rest may look differently for different people. 

The commandment calls us to stop doing what we have been doing all week. God wants us to dedicate this day to enjoying His community. He wants us to bring our family with us. This is resting in God. 

There are two different Hebrew words for work. One of the words is‘abad used in Genesis 2:15: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it.” The Bible never prohibits this kind of work. In fact, this word also means “worship.” 

The other Hebrew word is mela’khah, which is creative work (see Exodus 20:10). The commandment prohibits this kind of work on the Sabbath. One day of the week, God wants His people to stop forging forward or building new enterprises and rest. 

Sabbath rest is a day to spend time with our family and with the family of God. I think God would prefer that we spend this day gathering with family around the pool rather than building a new pool. God wants us to include Him in this time. Sabbath rest is a time to find rest by enjoying God and His people. 

Greg Stone 

What hinders you from setting aside a day to rest each week? How can you make a plan to set aside one day every week to worship and rest?

Holy God, thank You for the gift of rest. Please help me to rest in You and enjoy all You’ve given me.

If you are interested, you can find it here.

Most proud of in my life?

October 20, 2024

What are you most proud of in your life?

What am most proud of? It would have to be the way I bounced back from being bedridden with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) at 18.

I was diagnosed at 12 years of age. It was life changing. Over the next six years it got to the point of being bed ridden. It mainly effected my feet, ankles and knees, but also effected my elbows, neck and jaw.

I can remember after a very bad period I went to see my Rheumatologist. I asked, “If I am like this at 18, what will I be like when I am older?” He told me it was better to accept this is how is it going to be forever.

Looking back I am both surprised and thankful to my 18 year old self. I looked at the specialist and said to myself you are no help to me going forward. I never went back to see him again.

From there I started researching diet and exercise for RA. I found a lot of people had success in European health clinics with fruit and vegetable juicing diets. People went in to clinics in wheelchairs and walked out off all medication two months later.

This gave me more hope than my Rheumatologist. So I dived in wholeheartedly and before long I noticed a big change. The pain reduced. The stiffness reduced. The swelling reduced.

From there I decided to strengthen my legs with cycling. I built up to 50 kilometres per day. Then I added weight training. Something I continue to this day.

Looking back I am so proud of that 18 year old young man. He could have accepted what the Rheumatologist said and stayed on a pension, but he chose to fight for a better life.

What am I most proud of? That I chose to attack Rheumatoid Arthritis and not let it win.

What makes a good neighbour?

October 15, 2024

What makes a good neighbor?

What makes a good neighbour? It depends on your definition of neighbour. If you mean some who lives in your street, then some who is kind, considerate and quiet at night time.

But if you use the biblical definition, a neighbour is someone we share close proximity too. In my case it would be people in my small country town or people who pass through. If I am travelling it would be people on the road.

In Luke 10:30 NLT Jesus tells the parable of the good Samaritan…

Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

Jesus goes on to say that a number of people walked by. Some even crossed the road to walk around the man in need. Then comes along a good Samaritan…

[34] Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. [35] The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

The context of this story is found in Luke 10:25-29. A religious scholar asked Jesus a question about eternal life and then asks Jesus who is his neighbour. Jesus responded with this story.

From this we can see our neighbours are both those near us and those we come in to contact with. The Bible has a broader definition of neighbour than general society has and even calls us to love our neighbour as ourself (Mark 12:30-31).

So what is a good neighbour? Someone who looks out for those around them!

Principles to live by

October 13, 2024

What principles define how you live?

I do my best to live by the Kingdom principles found in the Bible. Three key Bible passages come to mind that help me do this…

Love God and love your neighbour

Mark 12:30-31 NLT – And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ [31] The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Make disciples of Christ

Matthew 28:18-20 NLT – Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. [19] Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. [20] Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Show the fruit of the Spirit in how you live

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT – But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

When did I feel like a grown up?

October 11, 2024

When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?

When did I feel like a grown up? A good question. On reflection I think it was a process. There were a number of milestones looking back.

  1. When I got my first full time job at 15. There was something about going to work and earning my own money that made me feel like a grown up.
  2. Getting married was the next one. Standing at the end of the isle watching my wife walk towards me was a big step in starting “real” adult life.
  3. Buying our first home. There is something about having your photo take with the for sale sign in front of your first home. You feel like a grown up.
  4. Ultimately having your first child was when I truly felt like a grown up. My wife and I were responsible for this new little life. I can remember feeling excited, overjoyed and very scared too!

For me it was a long process that took about 15 years from getting a job to having a child. Each step made me feel more grown up, but having a child really made it real. I was a grown up…I just had to be!