I don’t have anything new to say today.  Sometimes I think that it would be nice always to be ready at a moment’s notice to share a fresh new perspective on any nook or cranny of Christian life.  The Lord has other plans for us.  Sometimes we’re more eager for a fresh idea than for the abiding truth we already know.  The fact is, He’s already given us everything that we need to follow Him and to know Him intimately.  We have His sweet Spirit living in our hearts.  We have His Word to hide in our hearts too.   Jesus lives forever as our intercessor: telling His Father everything that we need before we know we need it.

In spite of opposition, the Bible is more available today than any previous era.  As for prayer, no one can take it away from us.  Even Corrie ten Boom spent time with her Savior while in a Nazi concentration camp.  Following Christ and building a relationship with Him is simple.  It’s just that we must surrender our entire lives to do it.

Even during Jesus’ time on earth, people had this same struggle against the straightforwardness of the Gospel.  This is why Jesus went out of His way to make His words straightforward to us.

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the great and foremost commandment.The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
~Matthew 22:37-40

That’s not to say we should reject a deeper understanding of the Scriptures.  On the contrary, a deeper relationship with our dear Lord will require a deeper understanding of who He is.  It requires time alone with Him, but also time in service to His people.  If your Christian life seems unfruitful, it may mean coming back to these basics.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
~John 13:34, 35

Never underestimate what it means to the Lord to put others before yourself.  It was Jesus Himself who humbled Himself to birth and death among a sinful race, making Himself the lowest servant of all.  When we imitate that love, we delight His heart.  Not only that, we make more room in our hearts for Him to fill us with His holy love.  It’s nothing new.  He never changes.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
~John 3:30

“I need some ‘me time’.” How often do we joke about this? I know for my own family, if we are about to go take a nap, sometimes we tease and say “I just…*sniff*…need some ME time right now, okay?” Yet, there is a tiny little part of us that actually means it. As a Western culture, we love our “down time”. We protect our vacation times, and are always looking for a chance to “get away from it all”–even if it means closing ourselves in our rooms.

I am a quiet person, so I sometimes love being alone in the quiet, just resting. Yet, so often I find myself getting aggravated when people interrupt my time. My little sister, because we share a room, often felt the brunt of it. Not necessarily outright agitation, but my attention would be reluctantly turned to her instead of being eager to love her 24/7. I was frustrated at people, frustrated at myself, and just…frustrated! Then, the Lord walked me through the gospel of Mark.

“Seeing the large crowds, He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”
~Mark 6:34

Jesus was 100% God, but in the form of man. He had physical needs just as we have physical needs. He frequently went away “to a quiet place” to pray, or called His disciples away to rest (Mk. 6:31). But at the same time, even from the beginning of His ministry, He was completely swarmed with crowds. No matter the place or even time of day, He would find Himself surrounded again by crowds (Mt. 1:35, 3:7,20). There were times He was not even able to eat because there were so many people, desperate for His healing hand (Mark 3:20).

Can you imagine the physical AND spiritual pull of always being needed and always being asked questions? And yet, Jesus turned no man away who needed Him. “Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion on them”, and went to them. He did not roll His eyes or sigh because He was trying to have some “me time”. Instead, His heart was stirred to mercy. His humble spirit longed to comfort the poor, the widows, the outcasts, and the children abandoned by all. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” was the heart of Christ (John 6:38). Even when He was tired, He truly knew that “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

Seek to serve others, my friends. Ask the Lord for strength (physical and spiritual) to pour yourself out, even if it means cutting into your “me” time. Do not be so protective of your down time that you miss out on the sweetness of ministering to those around you–especially your family; God has placed you in your family for a reason! Rely on the Father for help and you will see the blossoming fruit spring forth from your labor. May we seek to serve, just as He came to serve us!

By Anna Faith

A few years ago, the Lord gave me a command to turn my day job into a ministry.  I wanted no compromise in devoting my life to Him.  I wanted nothing to come between me and the One who had enlisted me as a soldier (2 Timothy 2:4).  He gave me the command to keep my job in ministry, but to tell my boss that I would not receive money for my work.

Now, the money and trust are a rather familiar topic in the Christian life.  However, my struggle to trust the Lord with my finances was not the one that I expected.  There are still times that I catch myself worrying more about money than about where He calls me.  Even so, He has proven Himself so faithful, that I don’t much hesitate when He calls me beyond my apparent means.  I am often eager to step out and watch how He provides, against all worldly odds.

Sometimes, I am too eager.

In a recent conversation with friends, we were laughing about how hard it is when people give us money.  It runs so contrary to worldly thinking, that it was funny to think of how similarly we all felt.  We have all devoted our lives to Christ’s service, but living a life of giving can make receiving seem very tricky.

My colleagues and I have found many an occasion to banter about my volunteer status at work.  One occasion led me to comment on my dislike for money.  A colleague returned that it was a “necessary evil”.  I followed with “Not really necessary.”

The fact is, I don’t consider money to be evil any more than I consider it very necessary.  It would be easy if money were really evil, because using it would then be black and white.  The thing that makes it tricky for me, is that it still strongly confronts my relationship with the Lord.  One of the reasons that

it is often so difficult to receive is that we don’t want to go back to a life of self-focus.  The Lord has provided exactly what I need right when I need it.  This is cause for rejoicing, and for renewed trust in His faithfulness to provide.  Sometimes He provides with needed resources, and sometimes with money to obtain those things.  But what about when He provides money when I don’t need it?

Luke 16:9 reminds us that we are to use money to reach people and to make friends.  With material things, it is easier to trust that He will use them for His glory in my life, and to bless others.  With money, there are a thousand questions to consider.  Am I to use this for myself, or for someone else?  If for myself, am I to spend it now, or save it?  If for someone else, how will I know for whom?  What if I give it away before God means me to do so?  What if I hold on to it when I should have given it to that person?  If I spend it on something frivolous, will I be lacking something later?  Will God tell me to buy something I don’t need right now, and have me save it for something only He could foresee?

These are the waves that threaten to engulf me when someone so much as hands me a dollar.  Money carries a great responsibility and, quite frankly, is a direct confrontation of my do-it-yourself, know-it-all pride.  It is a confrontation that could turn to doubt, but it is also a deep reminder of “from whence cometh my help”.

My fear of failure and desire to perform well can cause me to fear all of these questions.  The fact is, money gives me growing pains.  The more we grow close to Jesus, the more we actually get used to trusting Him.  Some things barely take a second thought before we know what we would have us do.  That is a truly wonderful feeling, but trust in one circumstance is not His end goal.  Learning to trust in one instance will give us time and strength to learn to trust in another.  It also trains us to trust when a moment of crisis arises.  The exercise and growth can wear us down sometimes, but Christ if faithful to grant rest when we need it.

In trusting the Lord for money and with money, I learn to see another piece of how He cares for all of His children.  He cares for me in meeting all of my needs.  Then, He cares for others, and lets me walk with Him in so doing.  There is so much of His heart that I have seen in learning to handle what He has given me.  More wonderful still is the whispered reminder that comes with obedience.

One day, I will see the face of a proud Father, saying joyously, “Well done.”