"Come to Me all who are weary, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28
I'm the type of person that needs sleep. Without it, I cannot function. I know some people can go a couple of days on adrenaline without sleep, but me...not so much. This semester has been a tough one for me....I haven't known weariness like this before. I know, this weariness is nothing compared to those of you who are parents up half the night and day with your kids and people who work hours longer than I could ever dream of; but for me, for now, it's the tiredest I've ever been. Which is why I love this scripture so much. Christ says if we just come to Him, in the Word, in our service, in our prayer...He will give us rest. What a promise!
I have definitely grown closer to Him through this semester (and as a matter of fact, year), relying and coming to Him more than I ever have in the past. I like the song that's on the radio right now called, "If We've Ever Needed You" by Casting Crowns. The line in it goes, "If we've ever needed You, Lord, it's now. God it's now. We are desperate for you hand, we're reaching out, we're reaching out." He will be there to give us rest when we need it, and even strength to keep going, if we need that too.
I love that God provides for our needs. He is Jehovah Jireh...My ultimate Provider. The provider of life, blessings, joy, peace....and rest.
If you are tired and weary, I challenge you to delve into God's Word and seek Him through prayer. In the verse above Jesus doesn't say, "Oh, I see you are tired, I will give you rest." He says "COME TO ME"...it is only if you come to Him that He will give you rest. If you're a Christian, coming to Christ won't be so difficult because of the one-on-one relationship you have with Him, but if you're not a Christian, I'm sure you are thinking it's easier said than done. Just let me tell you, a relationship with Christ is the most everlasting relationship you will ever have. By being a follower of Christ, He gives you everlasting life...what better gift can compare to that!? You can live in everlasting rest with the very One who promises to give that to you if you just come to Him. Christ gave His life just for you because He loves you more than you've ever been loved. All you have to do is admit that you're a sinner, believe that He is God's Son, and confess that Jesus is the Savior of your life. Non-Christian, this is how you can find rest.
(P.S. If it's strength you're looking for, turn to Isaiah 40:31...(hint: it involves trust)).
I may not be doing too much resting until after December 17th, 2010 at 2:00 pm when I graduate from college (ha ha), but God continues to give me the rest I need in the little time, right now, that I have to rest. And I know that I can count on God to provide the strength I need until that time.
Thank you God for always being there and providing me with the strength and rest I need when I need it. :)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Using your gifts to serve God
So this is it. First blog post...I've often wondered about starting one of these, I mean, why would someone want to read my ramblings?...And yes, I probably will ramble! But I got to thinking...with the struggles I've gone through this year and the blessings I've experienced, and all that God's taught me from these trials, blessings, and adventures...I can be a blessing to others through the insights I've gained throughout the year.
I call this blog, Living with a Servant Heart because that is my life-long goal. We should all have goals...to be good students, parents, leaders...and I believe, full-on, whole-hearted servants for our King. He has blessed us with a gift (or maybe even gifts) and expects us to use them. Come on, admit it, when you open a gift on Christmas morning that you've been waiting all year for, you're not going to not use it! No, you're going to use it and cherish it and the one who gave it to you. Why are the gifts that God has given you any different? We should use what He has given us and cherish Him who has given it/them to us.
God's for sure blessed me with some amazing gifts of singing, using computers, teaching others (esp. kids). I cherish them every day and thank Him every day for giving them to me. Sometimes, I'm overwhealmed by what all God's given me. I feel as though I should use each and every gift God's given me all the time and feel discouraged when I am not able to because of time or energy, but my dad gave me some good advice a few weeks ago, he said, "Allison, God's given us gifts to use at different points in our life. We may not be able to use all of them at one time, but we know that we will be able to use them in the future." That really reasonated with me and I believe was a word from the Lord himself, through my dad saying, "Allison, calm down...breathe. I know your heart. I have given you these gifts. Don't worry, you'll use them for me..in time."
My dear, dear Rabbi friend Greg Hershberg (well, he's the only Rabbi I know actually) said this a little over a month ago, "Don't serve God out of obligation, but desperation." This statement drove home the point of servant-hood to me. I serve God not because I feel as though I have to because of what He's done for me, but I serve God because I am desperate to do anything and everything for Him BECAUSE of what He's done for me!
I know God's given you a gift. It could be the gift of encouragement, singing, technology, art, teaching, driving, and the list goes on and on. You know you have it and you know you're good at it. Don't set it by the wayside and say, "Oh, I don't have time for it." "There are other people better at these things than me." "I'll do it later." God gave you the ultimate, greatest gift ever - eternal life through His Son Jesus. Aren't you desperate to give back to Him? Using your gift for Him is a sure-fire way to do so! And in the process, you will be showing the love of Christ to others and become a blessing to others in the process. Being a blessing will inspire others to serve God too. It'll be a chain reaction! :)
My parents had us watch "Psalty the Singing Songbook" videos on Sunday morning and I'll never forget this one song on one of the videos that has still stayed with me even to this day. The little girl stood there with a flower in her hand and sang to God, singing, "Make me a servant, humble and meek; Lord, let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayer of my heart always be, make me a servant. Make me a servant. Make me a servant, today." I have made that my life's prayer and song from that moment I first heard that song on the video. Make that you're servant-song too.
"And may the prayer of my heart always be....Make me a servant. Make me a servant. Make me a servant, today."
Well, hopefully I didn't ramble too much! I just wanted to share my heart. I hope that I can share more with you in the future. Pray for me as I continue to walk this journey with the Lord, that I follow His ways and His will. I just want to serve Him...for the rest of my life.
I call this blog, Living with a Servant Heart because that is my life-long goal. We should all have goals...to be good students, parents, leaders...and I believe, full-on, whole-hearted servants for our King. He has blessed us with a gift (or maybe even gifts) and expects us to use them. Come on, admit it, when you open a gift on Christmas morning that you've been waiting all year for, you're not going to not use it! No, you're going to use it and cherish it and the one who gave it to you. Why are the gifts that God has given you any different? We should use what He has given us and cherish Him who has given it/them to us.
God's for sure blessed me with some amazing gifts of singing, using computers, teaching others (esp. kids). I cherish them every day and thank Him every day for giving them to me. Sometimes, I'm overwhealmed by what all God's given me. I feel as though I should use each and every gift God's given me all the time and feel discouraged when I am not able to because of time or energy, but my dad gave me some good advice a few weeks ago, he said, "Allison, God's given us gifts to use at different points in our life. We may not be able to use all of them at one time, but we know that we will be able to use them in the future." That really reasonated with me and I believe was a word from the Lord himself, through my dad saying, "Allison, calm down...breathe. I know your heart. I have given you these gifts. Don't worry, you'll use them for me..in time."
My dear, dear Rabbi friend Greg Hershberg (well, he's the only Rabbi I know actually) said this a little over a month ago, "Don't serve God out of obligation, but desperation." This statement drove home the point of servant-hood to me. I serve God not because I feel as though I have to because of what He's done for me, but I serve God because I am desperate to do anything and everything for Him BECAUSE of what He's done for me!
I know God's given you a gift. It could be the gift of encouragement, singing, technology, art, teaching, driving, and the list goes on and on. You know you have it and you know you're good at it. Don't set it by the wayside and say, "Oh, I don't have time for it." "There are other people better at these things than me." "I'll do it later." God gave you the ultimate, greatest gift ever - eternal life through His Son Jesus. Aren't you desperate to give back to Him? Using your gift for Him is a sure-fire way to do so! And in the process, you will be showing the love of Christ to others and become a blessing to others in the process. Being a blessing will inspire others to serve God too. It'll be a chain reaction! :)
My parents had us watch "Psalty the Singing Songbook" videos on Sunday morning and I'll never forget this one song on one of the videos that has still stayed with me even to this day. The little girl stood there with a flower in her hand and sang to God, singing, "Make me a servant, humble and meek; Lord, let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayer of my heart always be, make me a servant. Make me a servant. Make me a servant, today." I have made that my life's prayer and song from that moment I first heard that song on the video. Make that you're servant-song too.
"And may the prayer of my heart always be....Make me a servant. Make me a servant. Make me a servant, today."
Well, hopefully I didn't ramble too much! I just wanted to share my heart. I hope that I can share more with you in the future. Pray for me as I continue to walk this journey with the Lord, that I follow His ways and His will. I just want to serve Him...for the rest of my life.
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