Where does your worry find rest?
I have a little confession to make. When things get stressful in life, in thought life, in pace of life, in cost of life I have found myself taking refuge in T.V. I don't know about you, but sometimes it is so nice to sit down and and just veg for a while. When there is to much worry, when there is too much to do, when you have no money to do anything else, just turn on the TV and turn off your brain. I don't have to worry, I don't have to be doing something else, I don't have to worry about the self control of not spending money, because I'm not anywhere to spend money. I'm just there on my couch in la la land. And we can take entertainment with us anywhere now. With our smart phones we can watch netflix where ever we go. If the signal isn't good enough there are always audio books. This same media could be used to teach us about God to experience him. But do we really use it for that? Really...do you...be honest.
In 1 Timothy chap 6 there is a great deal of counsel about money. Paul exhorts Timothy not to chase after money as a man of God he is to keep himself from these pursuits. Paul goes on to give Timothy instruction to command the rich to place their trust in God not in their wealth. I was having a hard time relating to this idea sense I really don't have all that much money. I don't really feel secure in finances. I do have a hard time sometimes finding what ever creative way I can think of to make ends meet. There are times when I obsess about it and this is a pursuit of money which distracts from placing my trust in God to be sure.
But what I do have is entertainment. What I do have is a couch and a TV. What I do have is food in the fridge, well most days anyway unless I haven't been to the store for a while. When things get stressful I turn to these for sources of comfort and place my trust in them to bring me peace. When finances are hard to come by or the pace of life is just to stressful, I find repose in media. Doesn't the bible say something about God offering us a peace the world cannot understand? So while I might not be looking to wealth of dollars as the support of my life, I do tend to go somewhere other than God for the peace in my life.
The problem of course is that it never satisfies. When the TV is turned off the stress is all still there. There is no lasting peace, it was only a distraction. Paul goes onto tell Timothy to trust in God because he gives us all we need for our enjoyment. To serve others through good deeds and generosity. These are the teachings he is commanded to share with the wealthy.
God can be the source of my enjoyment? Yeah, he can. I can also give generously of my time and do good deeds with the time I would be vegged out with the TV. And in this case I don't think if means do more or make my pace of life more stressful. But rather to find peace and enjoyment in God, a source that will last. To rest in God. I recall a little family getaway to the beach just a couple of weeks ago; walks on the beach and reading a good book, which drew me all the closer to God. Yes I still listened to music and audio books on my walks, but there was a different content in those few days and a deeper peace and enjoyment.
May we find ways to trust God with all different aspects of our lives today. Financially to be sure, but also for peace, rest, and even...enjoyment.
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