When Work Isn't Work by Larry Refsland
How come I feel so exhausted after a weekend of “relaxation”? Maybe it’s because of all the work that goes into relaxing. See if this sounds familiar to you: Before you can go to the “relaxation” spot, you have to go shopping for supplies; the vehicle has to be gassed up and loaded with all sorts of things to help you relax: lawnmower, shovels, rakes, wheelbarrow, etc. Then you have to hook up the boat and load up all the fishing gear. You can either run down to the sporting goods shop to get bait or spend part of your time relaxing by digging for worms. Once you get to the lake, (a relaxing 1-2 hour drive) everything has to be unloaded. The boat has to be launched. You probably need to start a campfire and prepare some food. If you can get the lawn mowed and a few projects completed in time, you just might get to actually do a little fishing! Before long, you’ll be loading it all back up again for the drive home where everything will still need to be unloaded. Sure, it’s a lot of effort, but it doesn’t really seem like work. Maybe it’s because all of this effort is our own choice. Some people believe it’s a lot of work to serve God. Those are the people who serve only from a sense of obligation or perhaps a feeling of guilt. Others find joy in serving God. Those are the people who simply have made a choice to put God first in their lives. Switching from a chore to a choice makes all the difference in whether the effort seems like work or pleasure. When you serve God with a willing heart you will find the rest that God promises. Are You Making Positive Ripples? By Larry Refsland
Can you throw a stone into a lake without making some ripples? Skipping stones seems to continue to be a favorite summer pastime. It’s cheap and takes little skill. Did you ever notice how it’s impossible to skip a stone without creating some ripples? The ripples are the side effect of the rock hitting the surface. The ripples are not the exact location of the impact, but the result of the impact on the surrounding area. Our lives have similar ripple effects. Everything we do, good or bad, has an impact on the people around us. Everyday we are making ripples. Our children, our spouse, our co-workers are all affected by our actions. These ripples can be negative. For example: a job supervisor yells at one of the employees who in turn goes home in a bad mood and takes it out on his wife, who then is short with the children who go out and kick the dog which chases the cat and… you get the idea. Think how that scenario could be so different if the initial impact were positive: the job supervisor praises the employee who goes home and greets his wife with a big kiss, who decides to make the kids a favorite treat who share it with the neighborhood children; the dog and cat, well they lick up the scraps, and everyone is happy! Go out and make some ripples today! See how far a positive action actually goes in your sphere of influence. God Chose You by Larry Refsland
When kids decide to play ball, the first thing they have to do is choose sides. For many kids, this is one of life’s most dreaded moments. No one wants to be picked last, as kind of a leftover that neither team wants but one is going to get stuck with by default. Everyone wants to be chosen. Everyone wants to be noticed and accepted. We all want to make a contribution, not a liability. The Bible assures us that we have been chosen by God to be on his team. It says, “We have not chosen Him, but He chose us and appointed us to bear fruit—fruit that will last.” God doesn’t play favorites. He doesn’t pick us based on how good we are, but on how good he is! In fact, the more a person thinks he has to offer God; the less God can use that person. He likes to pick the smallest, the weakest person through whom he can do something great. He knows that kind of person will not rely on his own strength, but will depend totally on God to accomplish what he is called upon to do. God chose Gideon to lead the Israelites to victory, even though Gideon was from the smallest tribe, the least significant family in the tribe, and he was the least in his family. God chose David, a little shepherd boy, to defeat Goliath, a strong and experienced warrior. So it is no surprise that God would choose you and me to follow Him and serve Him. There is no limit to what God can do through a man, woman or child who is on God’s team. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Why not make that your battle cry as you face the day? “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Have an awesome day! |
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