One Of Those Weeks

 

Man, it's been one of those weeks. We've all had them, a week where seemingly a thousand things pile on top of us apply the pressure.  This week was one of those weeks.   A couple of the projects at work that are a part of my program are coming in late.  This is definitely frowned upon.  Other things seem to have crept in as well to keep the stress level up.  So many times, I completely forget to bring these stressing things to the Lord and in fact this was one of those times. It wasn't until I was reading someone's personal web journal and he was talking about how he was relying on the Lord to help him with some of the circumstances in his life that I realized I'd left the Lord completely out of my stressful situations.

With that I mind I went to my favorite Bible web site and did a search on stress.   This verse came up and I must say it spoke volumes to me.

Your justice is eternal, 
and your instructions are perfectly true.
As pressure and stress bear down on me, 
I find joy in your commands.
Your laws are always right; 
help me to understand them so I may live.  Psalm 119:142-144 (NLT)

But what does the bit about "I find joy in your commands" mean?  Should I delight in the thou shalts and thou shalt nots or is there something more?  Certainly if we were able to live our lives by the Ten Commandments, we'd be a happier lot.    However the Lord shares with  us the Greatest Command:

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39 

Is this something we can do naturally? Can we love others as we love ourselves?  Our world is described as dog eat dog, buyer beware, look out for number one.  I would assert that this is not a natural tendency, but something we can strive towards through prayer and studying God's word.  Through the power of God, we can find joy and melt the stress away.

The Night Sky

 

 

Man has always been in awe of the stars of the night sky.  Glowing orbs of red blue and white drawing our eyes upward causing us to contemplate how did this all come to be? What great power put this all in place?

The Hubble Space Telescope has brought the universe much closer and when I see some of the photos, I can't help but wonder about the Almighty God, maker of the heavens and the earth.  The great being, who created these magnificent stars knows my name, cares about me, & wants to have a relationship with me.  This is not due to any thing I am or have done but quite the opposite, which adds even more to the great mystery of why he cares for me. The Psalmist writes:

 

When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
       the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings 
       and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:3-5

I have to ask, "Who am I that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name."

God's desire to commune with mankind is not limited to me but to all people of the earth.  He gave his only Son so that we could be reconciled to him and have that relationship he desires so much.  All we need to do is take that first step towards God by accepting his Son's gift of salvation, to begin our lifelong relationship with him.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23