Grumpy and Stressed to Finished Work Rest

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.

Psalm 23: 2-3a

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. My body ached from an overzealous workout yesterday. As I stumbled downstairs to make my coffee and read my Bible, I found it was still quite humid outside so no opening the door to hear the birds.

I made myself some nice, strong coffee and when I went to sit down to read my Bible it seemed to have disappeared. I spent nearly an hour looking for it. Upstairs, downstairs, in the dining room, in my prayer closet, even outside in the car. It just plain old disappeared and I thought for sure I was losing my mind.

I began to stew and belittle myself, and could not understand why this was happening. Finally, I got good and mad and then I lifted the blanket off the couch and bingo, there underneath it was my Bible and journal. How could I have missed looking there after wandering from room to room?

Then, I finally started to read and had a delicious (full) second cup of coffee. I put the cup down on the little table instead of on the bookshelf where I normally do. But the cup didn't make it onto the table, instead it crashed to the floor and made a huge mess. More than even the mess, I was mad because now I would have to make myself more, and it had been just the perfect cup.

What a way to start the day. My routine had been disturbed not just once but twice. Instead of reading where I normally do, I went over some chapters in the book of Hebrews. I read once again that the whole point of this universe is Jesus. Jesus is everything God wants to say to us!

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself[fn] purged our[fn] sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1: 1-4

God was so gentle with me, and helped me recover. I eased my aching body with an epsom salt bath. My body began to relax. Yes, of course Lord little irritations rise during the day. Do I need to let them set the framework for a bad mood for the rest of the day? Of course not.

Even as I write this a fly buzzes around the room. I detest flies and their buzzing sound. Do I need to get uptight? No. Christ endured the buzzing flies too. He was the Son of God. Why should He have to suffer all these little annoyances? But He did, and He did it all with joy.

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.Hebrews 12:1-2

 Jesus saw that there was joy ahead waiting for Him, so He didn't once complain even when He was dying on the cross. What started off to be an awful day because I allowed myself to be stressed out has now become a blessed day. And all because I looked unto the One whom has all the right answers, all the perfect coping mechanisms, and especially unchanging happiness in the face of the deepest difficulties, even paying for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus waits for me to come to Him and refresh myself once again in His streams of perpetual life giving water. Somehow He cares even about something stupid like a misplaced Bible or spilled coffee.  I give Him my petty everyday stress, and He gives me His rest for the most difficult times, the annoying times and everywhere in between.

Help me God! I'm Lukewarm

So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Luke 21:31

What kinds of things?

Like the things we've been seeing lately.

Flooding

Earthquakes

Wars and Rumors of Wars

.......Economic collapses

.......Men being lovers of selves and all the grief that causes

Here I am seeing all these signs around me, and still fight a battle daily with my own spiritual lethargy. How is it that I am so lukewarm in spite of seeing all these signs? I only shake my head and wonder how I can be so sluggish at times.

One verse I read recently stood out to me, as to possibly why God allows us to suffer through longstanding trials even in times like these.

Luke 21:19 says: "In your patience possess ye your souls."

Could it mean that our trials give us stamina? To help us to run to God like I did this morning and confess to Him yet again the lukewarm state of my own heart?


The word for patience is hypomonē (G5281) and in the Outline of Biblical Usage, it has these meanings:

steadfastness, constancy, endurance
in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings
-patiently, and steadfastly
-a patient, steadfast waiting for
-a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G5281&t=KJV

So ongoing trials have a purpose in our lives to help us possess our souls. But what does it mean to possess our soul?

The word for possessing (getting) is the Greek word ktaomai (G2932). It means:

to acquire, get, or procure a thing for one's self, to possess

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2932&t=KJV

God has perfect wisdom, even in allowing the things we may not want to help drive us to Him. Even possibly, to show us our own lukewarm state? He has with me. Instead of feeling all strong I usually feel so weak, and like the Psalmist who wrote Psalm 119, could say to Him daily:

Psalm 119: 176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.

So many things distract me, so many things contend for my attention in my life. Yet the only time my soul has real peace is when it is in communion with Him.

In these days of confusion, we can still run to our God and find in Him all that our souls are longing for. There is no other place to find it. I am convinced that it is only going to get harder and harder as the days go by, so today, while we have opportunity, we can run back to our Heavenly Father for He is merciful and gracious and is waiting with outstretched arms to receive us.

As I was praying today, I fought a voice that wanted to condemn me, that wanted me to quit already and to give up. Have you ever felt like that? That voice was not coming from God! God wants us to draw near, so much more so, now more than ever, as the Day of His return approaches.

Don't ever think it is too late for you to return to Him! That is a lie straight from the pit of hell. Jesus paid in full so that you would have that right to draw near. If you feel your heart is lukewarm, as I know mine is at times, you can join me in asking God to renew our love for Him. It is not something we can do ourselves, so don't even try. But since He knows what is in my heart anyway, I simply admit it to Him and ask Him to do the work that needs to be done inside of me.

Jesus did ask after telling the parable of the unjust judge: "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)
Even though it is asked in the form of a question, it still gives me a shred of hope that He might find a bit of faith when He comes back. If He said He would not find any, I would not have hope at all.

1 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

If I consider Him who endured for me, I will not lose heart.

This verse is for the members of the lukewarm church at Laodecia, the church on earth right before Christ comes back at His Second Advent:

Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."