Resting

Below is an excerpt from an email I sent to my men's group...

I haven't had a reading plan with the bible lately. Each day I crack it open to a new spot because I don't feel I have the energy to commit to a whole section. But God's been really faithful and as often as not will lead me to a specific place, often by dropping a random reference in my head. Today it was 1 Corinthians 3:11-13. Before I even knew what it said, the Lord challenged me to memorize it. Here's what it says:

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on that foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed by fire and the fire will test the quality of each man's work."

At first I felt convicted that I wasn't working hard enough or doing quality work in the kingdom. I though about our group and felt like maybe we should be doing something other than hanging out and drinking beer. But the more I thought about the things we could do differently, the more I realized that I've just been building with straw and trying HARDER is just adding more straw to the pile. It'll all burn up in the end. I realized that I can't build with what I don't have.

So while at first that verse was a challenge for me to work harder, in the end I realized that for me, it was a challenge to rest in the Father's love and to ask Him to fill my heart with good things that I can poor into others. In John 14, Jesus says, "I will not leave you as orphans" but so much of me still  believes that I AM an orphan. The more I can soak in God's love for me, the more I'll have the right materials to build with.