Are You Ready To Take A Break?
Good Morning Friends,
Today we consider our role as Christians spreading the good news of the love and peace of Christ and compare this purpose and important function to bees sent out to “pollinate” the world so we might live in a land of milk and honey. We consider what God wants us to be and the temperament of the hive as a local congregation and of its health. Here we consider what it might be like to swarm, to work, to harvest, to pollinate and even to sting like a bee. I know a little about this because I am a recovering backyard apiarist and smoker of bees. It is true. I use to get suited up in protective clothing and go into a hive to take out the comb and honey filled frames and then, using a hot knife and an extractor, harvest gallons of the sweet stuff. But first, I would smoke the bees so that they would gorge themselves with honey. The bees thinking instinctually that a forest fire was about to destroy the hive prepared to relocate and they, of course, desired to take as much honey with them as possible. I learned a lot from honey bees, but no more so than when I tripped moving a hive and got stung by about 40 of the hive’s guards. As my blood pressure dropped I said to myself that I needed a vacation. That time has come and gone of working with bees never the less the desire to take a healthier trip lives on. Are You Ready To Take A Break?
Scripture: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psalm 119:103 (NRSV)
25’Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,* or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?*
28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God* and his* righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 ‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)
Message: Scientists now think that our world is heading for a disruptive event that in some ways reminds me of my experience with bees. Professor John Beddington, the UK government chief scientist, is warning that by 2030, as the world population tops 8.3 billion, it will cause a “perfect storm” of food, energy and water shortages. Demand for food and energy will jump 50% and for fresh water by 30%, creating a crisis and mass migration of poor hungry people. This is not a pretty picture and undoubtedly prompts us to think about our future and that of our families and yes of the poor who will be affected by some type of crisis at some point in the future. But friends, let’s be sane about this. Only when you let Christ be the focal point, the center of your life can you avoid worry. Adversity may come, but if you work faithfully and you are concerned first and last to fulfill God’s purpose, he will provide for you. If you seek it second you are sure to have a miserable existence. So today’s devotional and scripture helps us to discover that we must extract from scripture its sweetness and focus on the kingdom not the crisis…that God will take care of us if we take care of each other. Friends, there is a time coming where focusing on the kingdom may become difficult. We will be urged to focus on an economic crisis, food and water shortages and the perceived need to store up treasures, and to worry and fear about our future. In a world that promotes bad news and anxiety we rejoice in the sweetness of God’s word that encourages us to seek first His Kingdom, to draw near to God and His rest as we disengage from all the daily grind and chaos and…..to take a break. Anxiety and fear does not do a thing to help you, seek first the kingdom of God and His right path for you… spend some time with scripture and prayer to rest from the worries of the world.
Pray that God’s prevailing power sets us free.
Pray we consider the sweetness of our relationship with God. Pray for those willing to die for the good news. Pray for the worker bees in our churches. Pray we realize that all authority rests in Jesus. Pray He uses each of our assigned tasks to benefit the whole. Pray we go out into the world with a purpose. Pray we make not just honey but also disciples that understand the work of the Church Universal. Pray we repent. Pray we change. Pray we learn to float like a butterfly and not just sting like a bee. Pray we pollinate the world with the love of Christ.
Blessings,
John Lawson
P.S. I will be on vacation the next two weeks taking a break from writing. While I am away, if you like, you can go to my blog at 1by1leadershipfoundation.org and go to the pull down, Blog /News and click Daily Devotional.
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