In our modern society, we not only face the usual stressors of life, but also those that we create for our self. We take on more pressure than God provides His strength and wisdom for us to bear. This causes us to we get weary, and our “candle” burns out from both ends.
We allow our self to get overly committed, and we start to drown in our myriad of responsibilities. Satan whispers false accusations in our ear, and we believe what he says as truth. We start to resent all the demands and the pressure that our decisions place on us, because we are at everyone’s beck and call.
Jonah had these same feelings, and blamed God’s calling for his issues (Jonah 1:3). The fact that he chose to run from God’s perfect plans for him, as well as from the ministry God called him to accomplish, caused him all sorts of trouble. He even cost his fellow shipmates the loss of their income and almost their very lives.
Thwarting God’s will for our life never solves any issue that we face. He guides and provides for us every step of our obedient journey on His straight and narrow road of blessings. During the dry, parched times of life, God causes living water to spring up from within us. We dwell as a well-watered garden, even in the midst of troubles and trials (Isaiah 58:11).
The more we strive to enter God’s rest, the more fulfillment we gain through our obedience to His plans (Hebrews 4:9-16). Eventually, this world no longer holds any great attachment for us. We actually stop caring about what we eat, where we live, or how many possessions we accumulate on this earth, because our citizenship is truly in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Prayer:
Father God, Your Word teaches us that when we come to the place of “coming out of this world,” (John 15:19), our citizenship is truly in heaven instead of on this globe. We no longer worry about any issues in this life, and eternity is our focus instead of on earthly matters (Philippians 3:19; Ephesians 2:19). Thank You that we do not lack any spiritual gift or natural resource that we need to function in Your calling for our life (1 Corinthians 1:7).
We eagerly await our Savior either through the veil of death (Philippians 3:21), or through Jesus’ appearing in the clouds to claim His bride (Revelation 1:7). You raised our spirit from the ravages of sin through Christ, and we no longer strive for things of this world, but for spiritual blessings that enable us to perform Your work for us in this world (Colossians 3:1; Galatians 2:20). We desire above all things to bring You glory through our thoughts, words, and actions.
Thought for the Day:
We want to keep our mind focused on spiritual issues rather than on the mundane aspects of life on this earth, because once we receive God’s salvation of spirit, Christ is our whole purpose for living; therefore, we do not dread death, because we realize that to enter His physical presence is more to be desired than anything this world has to offer.
- Colossians 3:1-4; Philippians 1:21; Psalm 84:10
