“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Psalm 127.2
Jen and I are having every morning a quiet time and in that we read the bible together and two devotionals. Most of the days we feel challenged or something we read got us thinking. One morning the verse above in Psalm 127.2 stuck out to me.
We are living in a city where it is normal for many people to work for at least 12 hours a day and the pressure to succeed or otherwise your company might be gone the next day. So that leads to even fuller and fuller days and that to more and more pressure to succeed. I come also from a culture were often high prices are paid for success; those German cars don’t invent themselves. So I myself understand this issue very well and have to deal with it in my own life many times. So when I read the word of Salomon in the Psalm above I see a clear contrast. Salomon is saying that God gives rest to his beloved children. A man that succeeded in many areas of his life sees the importance of putting trust not in our own works or the things we can do, but instead puts it in the hands of a loving father. That doesn’t mean he did not work or was just sitting around, no in no ways. But Salomon didn’t carry all on his shoulders to succeed but instead trusted God for that.
I believe to live a healthier life, we have to put more trust into God and his abilities and work with him instead of us trying to make it happen and with that carrying the burden of anxiety, crazy work hours, isolation and pressure of success. When we live a healthier life it will also strengthen our relationship with Him since we actually got time to spend with him and others in fellowship. We will be able to shine His light more in our workplaces and all other places we are going into because we are not exhausted and still have energy to give. We want to challenge us and you to think about this:
- How does your life look like in this area?
- In what areas do you might have to adjust your schedule and the way you look at work?
- Which areas do you still have to surrender to God?
- How could you set aside a day of rest?
Hey our friend
Ok I have to say I really love our San Francisco summer which started in September. We had wonderful days here and we are able to hang out with our neighbor friends at different places outside.
I was going on a Prayer walk one morning through our beautiful neighborhood and during that time got a new and deeper understanding of things that are going on under the surface. When you pray and see Gods perspective on things you understand better how to help a situation. Example: Your car runs makes a loud noise when you drive it and you decide the shocks are broken but don’t ask an mechanic who knows a lot about the topic. So you exchange them but then realize that it was not the shocks, but the engine was scratching because it was out of oil. Of course that is an extreme example, but we just want to point out that when you listen to God you can understand things better and also save yourself a headache J.
Don’t forget this week that you are amazing and loved!!
God bless you
Markus and Jen
In one of the first chapters in the bible it says (Genesis 2.2) that God rested on the 7th day. I’m sure He was not out of ideas to create things or do things, but He choose to take a day of rest. We live in a society where the one is glorified who doesn’t rest or stop. That is often seen as an achievement. Companies, Church, ministry, life etc. often demands more and more of our time and more and more of our lives. But the cost of that is often health issues, the lack of meaningful relationships and stress which leads to a shorter life expectancy. So it is really key for us to do what God and Jesus did. But why?
We had a great week here in San Francisco. The weather was wonderful. Josia who helped out while we were gone left on Wednesday for the second part of his trip. He is off to the Philippines to help out with YWAM there. Keep him your Prayers while he transitions to another place. We also were able to catch up with neighbors and friends during this week which was a huge blessing.
Sometimes it is easy to find the negative or the bad. But this video blog wants to encourage us to find the good and the giftings! Be challenged and encouraged!
Wow our time in Europe went by really fast. We celebrated my Dads 70th birthday, visited my God son in Switzerland, spend quality time with family, had a day of meeting up with friends and supporters at the church building, had time to encourage and share with small groups and others to bring hope to people around them and then the trip ended by seeing a good friend of Jen in Amsterdam. But now we are back in San Francisco and get back on track. Thanks for your prayers!!
