Much Has Been Given!

ALL – Psalm 27:1-7
ALL – Proverbs 20:20-21
OT – 2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23
NT – 1 Corinthians 1:1-17

Interesting passage for the day: Now you have every grace and blessing; every spiritual gift and power for doing his will are yours during this time of waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 1:7, The Living Bible

Thought: Sometimes it feels like we just get loaded down when we come to church. You know what I’m talking about. We’re grateful that Jesus died for our sins, don’t get me wrong. But Jesus’ call to holy living sometimes seems overwhelming. Even though we’ve been saved from our sins, avoiding them isn’t always easy.

Today it’s time for some encouragement! Jesus’ goal isn’t to drain you of every last drop of life, to squeeze every last ounce of goodness out of you like orange juice from an orange, leaving you crushed and worthless. Jesus came to give you life! To fill you! He not only died to free you from sins, but He ascended to heaven to pour out His Holy Spirit into your life! God Himself is filling you! He is filling you with strength, with His thoughts and words, with holiness and righteousness, with new motives! God is infinite, so His Holy Spirit will never stop supplying your every need!

Some of you may hear this the wrong way. You may think, “Oh, Matt’s just telling me I have no excuse for feeling exhausted, discouraged, worn out and fed up. He wants me to get up and work harder.” That’s not what I’m saying. If you’re exhausted, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-burdened, and I will give you rest.” If you’re overwhelmed, spend some significant time with Jesus. See if you can lay other expectations aside for a few hours, or a day, and go to the King who wants to fill you with His riches. I’m saying to take a break. But I’m not advocating the kind of break many people are tempted to take. They step back from serving Jesus and His church because they’re exhausted, but they seek to be refreshed only via the world’s ways: sleep, food, entertainment, lounging. These things can be gifts from Jesus, so go ahead and receive them during your break. But make sure that you spend significant time with Jesus, too. One on one. Praying. Reading or listening to His Word. Being refreshed by godly songs. Unless you spend time being refreshed by Jesus, you’ll never find the motivation you need to stop taking your break. Only when you are receiving Jesus’ blessings can you be ready to share them. If you’re empty, stop trying to share what you don’t have. Go to Jesus and be filled up with His life. Then, once you and Jesus agree that you’re ready, come back to the harvest field singing and refreshed.

Question: Have you been working to the point of exhaustion? What would it take to get some time to spend alone with Jesus? Or perhaps you’re taking a break. Have you been taking that break with Jesus, or without Him? How can you re-work your time to receive the rejuvenation that Jesus gives us by His Spirit?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.