The Rat Race

Good Morning Joes and Janes;

We have had friends from Iowa visiting since the middle of last week, my job that I was hoping to have finished last Wednesday has run long with additions and bad weather and days are blurring one to the next.  When this happens my blog sometimes suffers in the content department.  Here are a few thoughts from over the weekend I would like to share with you.

Life can become a blinding rush of events.  Especially these days information overload can be a problem.  But, the more I read the Bible the more I am convinced that God has everything in his control.  He knows the beginning from the end, the final outcome, before it happens.  God is not surprised by events!

In my almost 60 years here on the earth I have come to understand:

At best we might have 100 years of time in this physical body.  In this time that God gives us –however many years he allows – we are asked the question; “What is the most important to you, fulfilling your desires for self or knowing your creator?”  Who will you seek to place in control, you or God?  This is a test with eternal consequences and it is has a pass or fail outcome.

We as individuals can rush to and fro scrambling to set and achieve goals for ourselves; becoming corporate captains of worldwide fame, leaders or kings of nations, or just king of our own castle in our own little part of the world.  Or we can turn our life over to the One who created it and let him do the leading.

Psalm 39:6

Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

God, in his graciousness will allow us the free will to make the decision of what is important.  He desires that we would return his love that he has lavished on us.  Just like an earthly father wants his children to love him, God wants us to love him.  And just like an earthly father forcing a child to say “I love you” is meaningless.  It has to come from the heart.  He calls to us but we have to slow down enough in our enough in our lives to hear him.

Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Jeremiah Burroughs, (1600 – 1646), wrote several sermons on contentment and I believe had a great peace and contentment that shows through in his sermons and writings even today.  His writings can be found at; librarything.com

Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.

—Jeremiah Burroughs

I am off on my busy day, but pray that I will stay focused on what is important for today that has eternal values, not just my big to-do list.  I pray that you also will take some time as Psalms says; “be still and know that I am God”, and keep everything in eternal perspective.

Regular Joe

Related articles

• 8 Things Contentment Opposes (crosswaync.wordpress.com)
• The Secret of Contentment (christianreformedink.wordpress.com)