When you are exhausted.

I was not going to write a whole lot tonight. I didn't really even have a verse for today's reading set aside to discuss, although, I was considering Philippians 4:13. Today was a physically challenging day for me as I was getting rid of things from my storage unit...books mostly, and I am far from done. All of the lifting and moving and reshuffling has really left me sore and tired and weary. Yet, I am joyful, and glad to be alive because I have Jesus.  There is an application to this little story somewhere, I know. Oh, here it is: firstly, if your life is cluttered, start clearing out the things that are bogging you down. Often times, holding on to things can get in the way of your walk with Christ.

As Christians, do we really need to hold on to things? I ask this because, I have struggled with getting rid of things I worked hard to purchase ( I have collected Star Wars figures and toys, comic books, and other memorabilia most of my life,) only to see just how impoverished and broke I am. I live in a small room at home, I am thankful to have, yet there is no space to keep my things. I have a storage unit I keep many of my belongings, and there is a third place I keep things also, so it makes me feel spread out, thin, and unable to manage the belongings I have. I think part of the problem that lies with me is my emotional attachment to things. I am thanking God regularly for showing me this because I really need not have an emotional attachment to things. Having things in and of themselves is not wrong unless it begins to take the place of God. I don't think that is the case with me, but I am asking God to show me anyhow. As Christians we ought to have a spirit of contentment, a desire for heavenly things and not things of this world.

The Bible tells us in Matthew that, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." Matthew 6:19. Also, Matthew 6:20, Jesus continues to tell us that, "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither  moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."  We need to commit to heart what Jesus says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

Even though tonight I feel physically exhausted beyond means, I feel exhaustion in my spirit from trying to hold on to things that give little comfort or joy at all. And, if I relied on those things to bring me comfort or joy then it is problematic, because that means that I am becoming idolatrous, and I don't want idolatry in my life. Through the Old Testament and New Testament there are matters and consequences for those who were idolatrous. My desire is to be thankful for God's provision in my life through Christ Jesus.

There is no true satisfaction in material gain. Some people in the world have nothing, and we who live in the United States have been blessed many times over, but that only lasts so long, I think. If you have toilet paper, soap, tooh brush, tooth paste, clean water, nice clothes and shoes,  you are doing pretty good. Be prayerful for those in the world who have been hit by disaster either in the United States or abroad, and pray that God will provide for the needs of people who are hurting and going without right now due to impoverishment or natural disaster. The major earthquake that hit Japan in March is barely mentioned in the news, and I wonder how many people are just living life "business as usual"? Ask God to give you a heart for people, that needs will be met, and through these tough times Christ will shine his light in to each persons heart.

I know this is going to be difficult to read. It is difficult for me to write about, but idolatry is a very serious offense before God. I think it is very important to remember this from Exodus when God spoke, He said, "You shall have no other gods before Me." He, also continued to speak, saying, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image-- any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;" If you think about this carefully, there is a reason why God doesn't want us worshiping idols. It is because we were created to worship Him. I believe having an idolatrous heart makes God jealous. If you want to hurt God, worship other gods (just know there are consequences.) (Exodus 20: 3-5) God tells us in verse 5 that we are "...not to bow down to [idols] nor serve them. For [He] the Lord [our] God, [is] a jealous God...."* (*please note brackets [] were used to indicate a tense change only for context in this thought and no changing of meaning is made. Where it notes [idols]the word is "them", where it notes [He] the word is "I", where it notes [our] the word is "your", and where it notes [is] the word is "am")

I hope that in this entry I have made some sense. I hope I didn't ramble on. I am tired, yet I feel this is very important to address. If you are tired remember to rest. Rest not just sleeping a good night's sleep, but by giving your worries, your anxieties, all the things that have concerned your mind, and give them to Jesus tonight before you do go to sleep. We must learn to rest in Jesus. He is our peace. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (See Philippians 4:4-8 for more on this anxiety stuff. I know I need to commit it to heart-memory.)

My prayer for today is: Jesus, when I am tired to the point of exhaustion in my life, help me to have the strength, not just physically, but in my spirit as well, to keep going. Help me to focus not on material gain, but heavenly things that are more important. Forgive me for not making you first today. Please be the first thing on my mind as I awake tomorrow, and the first in everything else, too. Jesus, I pray for those in our country who have been hit with calamity and loss. Also, I lift up the peoples who are hurting and experiencing loss in other countries too as a result of the earthquakes and other disasters. Please help us to be content in our belongings and remember to share with those in need. Thank you for your continued grace and mercy in my life. Thank you for loving us through the work you did on the cross and your promise to return for us one day. Help all of us to develop attitudes of thanksgiving and kindness towards one another. Be our peace and our rest. In your name, Amen.