Sorry for the recent hiatus from blogging. The series has been put on the backburner because life has been quite busy as of late. Our normal pattern of life and ministry here in Aliquippa seems to be this: Spend yourself during the weeks in work and ministry and then find rest and Sabbath on the weekend. We have known for a long time that we have to pace ourselves in ministry or we will just burn out. We also know that God gives us rest even in the busy weeks, and that if we are listening to Him and obeying then He won’t let us burn.

But as of late, our weekends have been full of stuff. It’s always good stuff, but it’s been overflowing with activity. We have to recover the Sabbath rhythm in our life, otherwise, we will be working simply in our power and not the Spirit’s. It’s only by abiding in Christ that we will bear any fruit. We’ve come to a point in our lives where we realize that ministry is not simply about staying busy and being active. Rather, it’s about listening to Jesus and doing the things that He asks us to do. That is where we will see true effectiveness in ministry.

Today is finally a restful Saturday. And as I read from the Bible this morning, God gave me a picture of a tree. First in Psalm 92, there’s a tree planted in the house of the Lord. This tree is green and fresh, and it produces fruit even into it old age. Next, in Psalm 1, there’s a tree planted by streams of water that produces much fruit. Lastly, the Lord turned my thoughts to roots that go down deep into the soil of God’s love and find nourishment in Him. (Ephesians 3:17-18 and Colossians 2:7).

That’s where I want to be. I want to be a tree, abiding in Christ being with nourished by the Holy Spirit and by the Word, and bearing much fruit in ministry. I thought I was taking a break from the series, but it kinda sounds like Intimacy and Action. It must be a common theme in Scripture or something.

That’s all I want to leave you with. Now I’m gonna get back to resting. Have a good Sabbath, whether it comes on Saturday, Sunday or whatever day you like.

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