As I sit here slightly at the edge of being asleep, the words of Titus 1:8b jump out at me like the loving, rebuking words of a good friend. In fact, that's what they are, the words of my Lord reminding me what He expects of me, what His desire is for me. The reasons I'm writing this Manly Monday at 8:30pm and did not write it last week are the result of me not applying these verses in my life. Titus 1:8b in the Amplified Bible reads: "sober-minded (sensible, discreet), upright and fair-minded, a devout man and religiously correct, temperate and keeping himself in hand." Now I tend to pride myself on trying to be sober-minded. Those that know me well can tell you that I can and will analyze something to death. That comes in handy when you're diagnosing psychological disorders, expositing a Scripture text, or evaluating a teaching technique and its usefulness, but doesn't automatically lend itself to making always wise choices.
According to the personality assessments my mother-in-law has given me in the past, I am what is known as phlegmatic-melancholy. In a nutshell, this means that I tend to introverted, but close and loyal to those I consider friends and that I tend to be steady, calm, and usually laid-back. That's the plus side. The not-so-goods are I tend to overestimate/underestimate how long a task will take to complete, and I think I have to have perfect conditions to work in before I complete the task. That sometimes leads me to waiting until the last minute (the "perfect" time) to do things and to think I can accomplish them in less time than what it is actually going to take me. This takes me back to the past two Sundays. By following my human personality, I put off grading my writing tests until last weekend and entering my grades until this weekend. A typical conversation between Mandee and me during these weekends was: Mandee; "So how many do you have graded?" Me: "About twenty-five". Mandee: "How many do you have left?" Me: "About ninety. It should only take me a couple of hours (this after it had taken me three or four to grade the twenty-five. See what I mean?). These two events and my handling of them were why I slept a total of four hours the last two Sunday nights and while going on little sleep is sometimes my modus operandi, it doesn't lend itself well to hearing from the Holy Spirit, especially when He knows you've made a bad decision."
Now for the rest of the verse. I strive to be upright in my thinking and I try to be fair-minded. I'm definitely not an expert in fairness, and I'm glad I know the One Who gave Moses and Solomon wisdom in making decisions. One statement that has stuck out to me over the last few years in regard to fairness is "Fairness is not everyone getting the same thing; fairness is everyone getting what they need." Isn't that good? While God is faithful and provided salvation for all, there are things He knows we as individuals need that may be different than others in our family or church. He is Jehovah-Jireh, and He provides these things, bless His Name! I also am commiting to striving to being more of a devout and religiously correct man. These come through practice of devotion to God, following His commands, and knowing His truth. His Word says we will know the truth and it will set us free. Jesus said if we abide in Him, and His words abide in us, we will bear much fruit. I want to be fruitful for Him, and to use my time here for Him, how about you?
Now here's the part I'm having trouble with, the last two qualities, being temperate, and keeping myself in hand. The God's Word Translation translates temperate and keeping himself in hand as "self-control". This is definitely an area where I need to grow, whether it's in what comes from my mouth or thinking I need to eat two cinnamon rolls in the teacher's lounge along with three cups of coffee, or handling the responsiblity of organizing my life around Christ in such a way that I don't wear myself thin and I keep Him in the very middle of it at all times. I need to be put in check sometimes, just like a hockey player being stopped at the wall. The awesome thing is, God does it with love and not a desire to leave the imprint of my face on the Plexiglass. Sometimes he does it just to stop me long enough to help me rest and get refocused. I notice that when I'm focused on Him, things just go smoother overall. Not perfect all the time, but definitely smoother. This is echoed in the words of David in Psalm 16:8 (KJV) "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." and in Hebrews 12:1,2 (NLT) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."
Are you struggling with keeping your focus, organizing your priorities around Jesus, finding yourself pushing your devotions, your prayer times, your family times, your blog time, ministry time further and further back in your mind, day planner, or Google calendar? Hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28 - 30 from The Message: 28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Let's accept His invitation. The other stuff can wait a while until we get back. Lord, thank for making me physically and mentally able to work. Your Word says if a man does not work, he does not eat. From Eden on, your promise has been that man would earn his way by the sweat of his brow. But you have also promises never to leave us and never to forsake us. Work is not the end in and of itself, but for whom we do the work that matters in this life. As the verses about say, there are times when we need to come to You, to rest in Your arms. Jesus, you modeled this better than anyone else ever, always finding quiet moments to be refreshed and strengthened in the arms of Your Father. Even when facing the cross, Your priority was an encounter with the Father. May we follow your example. Lord, in my own life, and maybe the lives of others reading this, may we have heavenly and godly wisdom from You that allows us to always put You first, then our families, then to structure our days and tasks in such ways that there is maximum output with minimum burnout. We love you and recognize that every good gift comes from above. In Jesus' Holy Name I pray, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment