Psalm 127:2 (NKJV)

² It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Are you tired? You went to bed. You had time away from work, but you’re still tired? Is your mind always racing? Are you either trying to get ahead? Stay ahead? Or, catch up? Maybe you’re just trying to hold it together.

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So many of us our so busy. So many of us are either worried, stressed or obsessed.

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Then what do we say when someone transitions from this life…”Rest in Peace!”

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I want to encourage you today to learn to rest in peace BEFORE you die!

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One of the enemy’s greatest manipulations is to keep us spiritually weak because we don’t rest. He wants us too tired to read and study God’s word. He wants us too tired to take the time to pray before we eat our food, before we go to bed at night. He wants us too tired to go to worship.

How many times have you said, “I’m not going to church today…I’m too tired!”

Rest is so important to God that He commanded we rest one day every week (Exodus 20:10). He told us to do no work! But, I’ve noticed that in some church cultures people will go to morning worship, then they will leave and go to another church and worship having what’s called ‘afternoon services’ or ‘special days’….Men’s Day, Women’s Day etc.  Then some will even have another service in the evening.

Just as much as it is God’s will that we don’t forsake the assembling of ourselves together and that we worship regularly, it’s not His will for us to spend all day in church to the point that we don’t rest at all. That is establishing our own righteousness (Romans 10:3).

I have to admit when it comes to not getting enough rest. I’m guilty. I’m guilty of sometimes letting life’s problems weigh too heavy on my mind. I’m guilty of not stopping to just do nothing and rest my mind, body and spirit

I encourage you to learn to rest in peace before you die. Learn to rest your body. Learn to rest your mind. Learn to rest you spirit. Learn to refresh yourself in God’s word and prayer. Learn to say NO. Learn to say I can’t do that. Learn to say I need some time to myself. Think of how Jesus would withdraw to Himself (Luke 5:16).

The Lord has promised to help us with our ‘rest problem…’

Matthew 11:28New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Learn to get yourself some rest because if you don’t…you’re being disobedient.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Many people have a distorted perspective of strength and leadership. Unfortunately, some equate being hard, unyielding, and difficult to strong leadership and assertiveness. In fact, many of the attributes that define God’s spirit and character are considered by many to be weakness…

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

James 3:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Oftentimes, leaders will pride themselves on being ‘NO-NONSENSE’ making assertions such as…

“People know better than to come to me with foolishness!”

“I can’t stand and will not tolerate incompetence!”

“Your emergency isn’t my problem!”

Many even brag that, “My people don’t like me!”

The truth is that every NO-NONSENSE leader is sometimes guilty of NONSENSE themselves.

They too need compassion.

They too need grace.

An unapproachable leader limits his or her ability to lead if people are afraid to come to them with mistakes or problems trying to avoid ‘their wrath’.

Limits are placed on leadership when people are afraid to tell the truth.

When people are afraid to come to you with their mistakes, they hide problems and even protect themselves with lies…setting up a ‘time bomb’ that will definitely explode in the future.

An unapproachable leader is the main ingredient in the recipe for a toxic culture, denying himself or herself of vital information because people don’t feel comfortable being honest about what they’ve done or how they feel.

Real servant leadership isn’t about daily feeding one’s ego and reputation, but making those whom you serve feel comfortable enough to come to you with their NONSENSE.

From president to principle to pastor to parent…it makes no sense to be no-nonsense.

BE BLESSTIFIED!