Day 298: Don't Wear Yourself Out

Titus 3; Jeremiah 17-18; Psalm 127

It's an interesting contrast: God didn't save us because of our good works, but we must always be ready to do good things and be helpful. God loved us before we were saved, before we did helpful things, before we avoided evil. And once we become believers, followers of Jesus, we must learn to "always be ready to do something helpful" and "all who have faith in God will be sure to do good deeds." Our actions before our new life do nothing to help us, but our actions after we've been given that new life, demonstrate that we indeed have been washed clean. I know I often miss opportunities to be helpful and do good things because I'm more focused on my needs and wants. I need to work harder at being selfish and eager to help others.

One thing that is interesting is the picture God paints of those that trust him and those that don't. Those that don't will "dry up like a bush in salty desert soil." Those that trust in The Lord "will be like trees growing beside a stream--trees with roots that reach down to the water, and with leaves that are always green. They bear fruit every year and are never worried by a lack of rain." What a simple, yet powerful picture. If we trust in Jesus, our roots go deep, we are solid and nothing will be able to uproot us. If we trust in Jesus, our lives will always be healthy and produce good things. If we trust in Jesus, we don't have to worry about droughts of circumstances because we always have access to the life-giving water.

Then, God warns the people to keep the Sabbath day sacred. Why is that such a big deal? I think I've written about this before, but it is an important concept that we Americans often don't follow. He basically is saying don't be greedy or wear yourself out by working on the Sabbath. Trust that God will provide, spend time honoring The Lord, don't seek more stuff or wealth, and take time to rest. All very valuable things (and hard to do in our go go go, crazy busy world).

This psalm also talks about working: "it is useless to get up early and stay up late in order to earn a living. God takes care of his own, even while they sleep." This doesn't mean we can just sit around and do nothing and expect God to give us everything we need. But it does mean that we don't have to wear ourselves out trying to earn more money. God will provide for our needs, maybe not our wants, but he definitely will not leave us high and dry. He's at work even when we are not, and we can trust him to do good things.