Be Prepared: The Body

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

Mark 12:30

We are supposed to love the Lord with all of our strength. To better serve the Lord, we should maintain our strength. I believe the number one cause of women not having the strength to do the things that would please the Lord is that we do not get enough rest.

The Lord never intended for us to wear ourselves out serving the Lord while neglecting our bodies. Even to the disciples he said:

"And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." (emphasis mine)

Matthew 6:31

The disciples were so busy that "they had no leisure so much as to eat." Sounds like a busy woman, doesn't it. When their lives reached this point, the Lord called them apart to rest a while.

The things we should do in order to get enough rest to serve the Lord with all our strength are simple things that we often forget.

• Go to bed.

I know it sounds simple, but it is so easy to want to do those few extra things after the rest of the household had gone to bed. It seems productive to work while everyone else sleeps, but it will catch up to you. The living room may be dusted and the laundry may be put away but your strength will not be such that you can love the Lord the way you should.

• Pace yourself.

It has been said many times but life is a marathon, not a sprint. Plan those things you must accomplish in such a way that you do not destroy your strength.

• Take time to come aside and rest.

I try to take a short break once an hour. For 10 minutes or so, I stop … drink some water … maybe step outside and enjoy the weather … just something to restore my strength before continuing on with the task at hand.

Prepare yourself to serve the Lord by getting enough rest.

The Love of God

by Fredrick Lehman

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Monday, I will return to the series on Preparing to Serve the Lord and we will look at the preparing our bodies.

Back to Basics

I'm not afraid to say that I am 47 years old. The number doesn't mean much to me. I laugh when someone turns 30 and thinks that they are getting old.

I am amazed though, that at 47 years old, I find that my thoughts often dwell on lessons I learned when I was four. I teach two- to five-year-olds in Primary Church every week and I am very aware that many of the Bible principles that sustain me, I learned in Primary Church.

This week, I found myself walking around singing

Faith is just believing
What God said He would do.
He will never fail us,
His promises are true.
If we but receive Him,
His children we become.
Faith is just believing
This wondrous work is done.

The song comforted me and I realized that I first learned this song when I was but four. Never underestimate the basics, or the things that you teach your small children.

Having Hope When All Seems Hopeless: Conclusion

So, can anyone name the six things?

• It’s okay to cry.
• Keep God real.
• Remind yourself of the good.
• Focus on the good—not the bad.
• Look for something every day to remind you God loves you.
• Look to the future.

I had no idea why God let me suffer the things I suffered. There are some things we will never know. But I do know that I have been able to comfort others. And I can tell you there IS hope when everything seems hopeless.

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

Psalm 27:13-14

Having Hope When All Seems Hopeless: Look to the future

Okay, quick what are the first 5 things to remember when all seems hopeless?

• It’s okay to cry.
• Keep God real.
• Remind yourself of the good.
• Focus on the good—not the bad.
• Look for something everyday to remind you God loves you.

And finally

Look to the Future

Remember, this too shall come to pass. Believe me, I know how hard it is to look ahead when the present is so overwhelming. I have been through trials that I was sure would never end, and yet, the sun came up the next morning and I moved on.

Know that God is doing a work in you for a purpose.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 1:6

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13

You may not know this side of heaven what that purpose is, but He is working.

Pillow your head tonight with the assurance that the sun will rise in the morning and you will move forward.

Having Hope When All Seems Hopeless: Remind Yourself of God's Love

One of the keys to keeping hope when all seems hopeless is to remind yourself constantly that God loves you. Look for things to remind you.

I love ladybugs. I decided a long time ago that every time I see a ladybug, I would remind myself that God loves me. Then, I surrounded myself with ladybugs. There is not a room in my house that does not have at least one ladybug in it. My little grandson knows about my ladybugs and every time he finds one, he runs to me to tell me about it.

And all those ladybugs around me make it impossible for me to forget that God loves me. There is so much hope in that one thought.

I have friends who have chosen redbirds, or hummingbirds, or even sand to remind themselves that God loves them. Try it! But above all, remember that God loves you!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

I John 4:10

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,"

Ephesians 2:4

Having Hope When All Seems Hopless: Don't focus on the bad

"For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."

Psalm 107:9

Along with reminding yourself all the good things God has done you must

Be mindful of the good and don't focus on the bad!

It is in our nature to see the bad. When all seems hopeless, you have to force yourself to look away, especially if the bad is something that you cannot control. Illness can't be controlled. The actions of others can't be controlled. Natural disasters can't be controlled. When those things are overwhelming you, you must find the good and quit dwelling on the bad.

• Imagine a hedge around you, don’t look at the gap—look at the protection!

Between December of 2006 and September of 2007, I spent 39 days in the hospital. I was very ill and experienced multiple complications from my surgeries and my treatments. I couldn't control that. Instead of despairing, I learned to be thankful for the marvelous medical treatment that I had access to. If I had not had that care, I certainly would have died. Because I did not dwell on the illness, I laughed my way through the trial.

• If the bad is in the past, keep it there!

I know so many people who suffer because they can't get over the past. You cannot do anything to change what has already happened. If you continually "play the video" in your mind, you will never undo the past, you will only re-live the pain. Put the past where it belongs. Look to the Lord and the future.

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:1-2