Rest, Remembrance, Refueling & Running
Recently while spending time in the Bible, God showed me 4 R's that could change how I do life. I wouldn't call them a recipe per se but maybe a list of things that I can be purposeful to do to stay on track in my walk with Christ.
Rest, Remembrance, Refueling & Running!!
I tend to get easily overwhelmed and burnt out. I find that often times the reason I arrive at this place is due to a lack of one of the above R's. Check out some verses that God gave me.
Rest
I think God began with rest for me because He knows my tendency to overlook this crucial part of life. I see so much that needs to be done around me and I find it so difficult to put those things on hold and really rest. Rest is so critical, God gave us a beautiful example of the need for it too!
"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested( or ceased) from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Genesis 1: 2-3
"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:30-31
"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord had been good to you." Psalm 116:7
I felt God also wanted me to know that it's ok for me to say no to things. It's ok that I don't jump at every opportunity I'm presented with! We have to leave room for rest, Christ did!
Remembrance
It's good to meditate on what God has done for us. Remember who you were & who you are. Remember who our God is, and what He did on the cross for each of us. Remember what He has brought you out of and led you into. Remember His provision and His protection.
"For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 116:8-9
"Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced." Psalm 105:5
Refueling
Fill yourself with the Word, with truth. Fix your eyes on Christ, and seek Him as an example. Spend time with Him every day and leave room for Him in your life. Worship Him, and fellowship with other believers.
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12: 2-3
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5
"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Running
You've rested, remembered, & refueled. Now Run!! Whatever it is that Christ is calling you to, step forward, and run. Be diligent in the work He has given you, that He has entrusted to you. When He clearly lays the path before you, and shows you the way to go, be bold, be brave and RUN!
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Philippians 3:12
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
Now, I'm not saying that if you follow steps 1-4 you will leed an amazingly easy life and everything will just be perfect. What I am saying is that God was clearly showing me that all 4 of these R's are important in our lives and could help to bring balance. If I'm not rested I won't have the energy to keep going. If I forget the giver of life and good gifts then I'm trying to move forward in my own strength and will ultimately fail. If I'm empty and not filling myself up with truth then I'm useless and have nothing to offer others. And I can be rested, I can remember, and I can be full but what good are any of those if I'm not willing to run the race Christ has called me to? All of these things work in harmony, helping us to be most useful for the kingdom!!
