God's
Word teaches us how to avoid the damage that depravity and stress inflict on
our body, soul and spirit (James 2:14-26). Living by faith in God's
Faithfulness allows us to ward off this destruction when it attempts to
overwhelm us.
Faith
comes by hearing the Word of God. Works do not produce our faith, but we prove
our faith by our works (James 2:18). Faith without Christian service is lacking
in substance and character.
It
is only when we do the will of God for our life that we are fulfilled, and
successful in God's eyes (Ephesians 2:10). We do acts of kindness for others,
especially those who are in the Body of Christ (Galatians 6:10).
The
heroes of the faith, recorded in Romans 11, show us time after time that God
considers our words and actions as noteworthy and honorable.
However,
busyness damages our body, soul and spirit, which affects our personal, vocational,
family, and ministry well-being. We often hide behind busyness in order to feel
productive; but we eventually burn out.
We
tend to ignore the warning signs of stress given to us by God's Spirit, as well
as our body, soul and spirit. We feel productive if we are busy, and we forget
our need for quiet times of rest.
When
we trust God, this proves that we are His friend, saint and an adopted brother
to our Savior, Jesus Christ. However, if we resort to busyness and do human
deeds of compassion rather than living by God's Spirit, we accomplish nothing.
Prayer:
Father
God, help us to take a searching inventory of our soul in order to find out why
we hide behind busyness in order to feel productive and worthwhile. We actually
want our choices to align with Your will for our life (Ephesians 2:10).
Help
us to prioritize our activities according to Your values, rather than those of
the world. Do not allow us to believe the devil's lies that attempt to make us
so busy for You, that we do not spend time with You.
Thought
for the Day:
God
did not create us as Human Do-ings, but as Human Be-ings; and He delights in
our time with Him throughout the day, even in our companionable silences.
