Personally yours, Part 1

Most of the books of the New Testament are epistles (or letters) written by Paul to the various churches that he either founded or visited. These letters contained Paul's greetings to the church that he was addressing, corrections in doctrine, instructions for church worship or organization, and personal greetings to some of the members of the particular church that Paul was addressing.  It appears from reading the last chapter of most of the epistles that Paul has dictated the letter to someone else to write because there will be a verse added where Paul is writing with his own hand. In Romans 16:22, Tertius states that he has written the epistle.  In Galatians 6:11, Paul states:  "See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!" I think that poor eyesight was the "thorn" that Paul suffered from after his vision of Paradise in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.  If Paul's sight was poor, he wouldn't have been able to write the epistles so that they could be read by the church they were addressed to. Paul would have to write in very large letters so that he could read his own handwriting.

One of Paul's epistles, however, is not directed to a church. It is directed to a person. Philemon is a short letter; it is only 25 verses long.  Paul starts his letter by calling himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus.  The commentaries I have reviewed indicate that Paul was in prison in Rome when this letter was written. Paul was a believer in Christ and it was for his faith that he was a prisoner.  Timothy was probably in Rome attending to Paul's needs, and that may be why he is mentioned in verse 1.  

Verse 2 states that the letter is addressed to Philemon and the people in his house, along with the church that was meeting in Philemon's house.  Verse 3 is a blessing to the recipients of Paul's letter.  

Paul addresses Philemon personally in verses 4-7 and praises him for his faith and love toward Jesus and all of the saints. Paul states that Philemon has refreshed the hearts of the saints and that he has great joy because of that. 

Now that Paul has gotten all of the niceties out of the way, he gets down to business in verses 8-11.  Paul states that he could be bold and demand that Philemon do what he is going to request, but instead, he appeals to Philemon in love because he is old and he is also a prisoner of Christ.  Paul requests that Philemon take back Onesimus, Philemon's runaway slave.  Onesimus apparently ran away from Philemon to Rome to see Paul. In verse 10, Paul states that Onesimus is his own "son," and Onesimus is now profitable to Paul and to Philemon. I believe this means that Onesimus repented of his sins and was born again while he was with Paul.  

Paul wanted to keep Onesimus with him in Rome so that he could minister to Paul in his chains.  However, Paul realized that Onesimus should return to Philemon, his earthly master, so he sent Onesimus back to Philemon. Paul states to Philemon that he wanted Philemon to take Onesimus back voluntarily and not by compulsion. Paul explains that now Onesimus is not only Philemon's slave, he is Philemon's brother in Christ.  

Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would Paul.  Paul states that if Onesimus has wronged Philemon or owes him anything, Paul would take care of it. It appears that this letter was not dictated to another person, for in verse 19, Paul states that he is writing with his own hand.  Paul states that Philemon owes Paul his own self besides - Paul probably led Philemon to Christ. 

Paul tells Philemon to refresh his heart in the Lord and to have joy from him in the Lord.  Paul states that he knows that Philemon will do more than he asks him to do, because Paul has confidence in Philemon's obedience.  

Paul must have hoped that he would be released from prison, for he asks Philemon to prepare a guest room for him because he believed that through Philemon's prayers that he would be able to come to Philemon.  However, we know from history that Paul was not released  from prison in Rome and he was executed there.  

Verses 23-24 are more greetings from various laborers in Christ and from Epaphras, Paul's fellow prisoner in Christ.  Paul ends the letter with a gracious benediction.

So since the letter to Philemon was not addressed to a church, why was it included in the New Testament canon? I believe the letter to Philemon has lessons that we as Christians can and should learn.  When people repent of their sins and believe in Christ as Savior, we are to treat them as the new creatures in Christ that they have become and not as the sinners they once were. We are to receive them graciously in Christ. When we want others to do things for us, we are to ask in love and not with demands.  We should always speak graciously and in love to fellow believers. And Onesimus' story is similar to the parable of the Prodigal Son - Onesimus ran away but believed in Christ and returned home, and the Prodigal Son came to his senses and returned home as well. Onesimus is also mentioned as a faithful and beloved brother in Colossians 4:9, which means that Philemon was probably written before Colossians.

The Apostle John also has two epistles that were addressed to individuals, and I'll look at those in my next post.  Thanks as always for reading - I'm sorry it's been a long time since my last post.   In the meantime, don't forget to check out and subscribe to this blog's YouTube channel - the link is here:  Reflections, Ruminations & Recollections.  See you next time!

Diane

What's in a name?

"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." So goes the quote from the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare. Parents choose the name of their newborns carefully, whether it is a new-fangled name or the name of a favorite relative, and they also have to see how the chosen name fits with the surname.

In the Bible, people's names and place names reflected their character traits. Most of the time, the actual text does not provide the meaning of the name; you can usually find the meaning of a name in a footnote. Sometimes, however, the meaning of the name is found in the text. Isaac's wife Rebekah bore him twin sons. The firstborn son was named Esau, which means "hairy," because he was covered with hair when he was born. The other twin was named Jacob, which means "one who takes the heel," because he grabbed Esau's heel when he exited the womb. Jacob's name also means "deceiver," and he deceived Esau out of his birthright. Jacob's wife Leah bore him many sons. Each son's name described the circumstances of his conception or birth.

Names were also changed by God if the person's circumstances changed. Abraham's original name was Abram (exalted father). God changed Abram's name to Abraham (father of a multitude) in Genesis 17 when God told him that he would be the father of many nations. Sarah's name was originally Sarai, and her name was also changed in Genesis 17. Sarah's name means "princess." Sarah laughed when she heard the Lord say that she would bear a child in her old age, so her son's name was Isaac, which means "laughter."

Jacob's name was changed to Israel (Prince with God) after he wrestled with a Man, who was probably the Angel of the Lord, in Genesis 32. Jacob called that place Peniel, which means "Face of God." The name change is reconfirmed in Genesis when Jacob returned to Bethel (which means "house of God").

Jesus changed names as well.  He gave Simon the name Peter. He also gave brothers James and John the nickname Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder."

As believers, we will also receive new names. In Revelation 2:17(b), John writes: "And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one know except him who receives it." Even Jesus Himself will get a new name. In Revelation 3:12, Jesus states: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more.  I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.  And I will write on him My new name.” There is no indication in Revelation what Jesus’ new name is – we will just have to wait until we get to Heaven to find out what it is. 

Interested in finding out what your name means? You can go to this website https://www.behindthename.com/to find out.

Thanks for reading! See you next time! 

Diane

Wrestling in the Garden

Wrestling is one of the few sports mentioned in the Bible.  In Genesis 32:24, Jacob wrestled with a Man all night after he sent his wives and the rest of his entourage over the brook.  The heading for this section of the chapter is "Wrestling With God" in the NKJV.  In Ephesians 6:12, Paul states that we wrestle against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of the age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  This is spiritual wrestling and not physical wrestling. 

Those of you who are modern wrestling fans know that every wrestling card has the main event, which usually takes place at the end of the event. In the main event, the reigning champion is challenged for the title. The matches that lead up to the main event are called the undercard. 

The main event in Christianity, of course, is the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The last match on the undercard, however, was a wrestling match in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Let me introduce you to the wrestlers. The first wrestler was Jesus the Son of Man, fully human. His human side showed compassion, yet He also showed anger when he cleared the temple of the money changers. 

The second wrestler was God the Father, Creator of the universe. He knew the future before the beginning of time.  He made man in His image and breathed life into him. 

The Son of Man came to the Garden of Gethsemane to wrestle in prayer with God the Father.   His disciples came with Him to the Garden, but He made most of them wait elsewhere, except for Peter, James, and John (Matthew 26:36).  His human emotions came to the surface as He told the three that He was sorrowful unto death and told them to keep watch with Him.  Like most of us humans, we want the comfort of other humans when we are sad.  

The Son of Man wrestled in prayer with God the Father three times (or three rounds, in boxing terms.  Sorry about the mixed sports metaphors.).  During the first time He prayed, His human emotion came out in the first part of the prayer. "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." The cup referenced here was Jesus' death on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for sin.  The Son of Man, like most humans, didn't want to suffer pain and die. But in the second part of the prayer, the Son of God, who knew His Father's will, showed up and said, "nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 

The Son of Man then checked up on the disciples and found them sleeping.  Maybe they ate too much at the Passover seder.  He chastised Peter for falling asleep. He then spoke one of the most famous verses in Scripture - "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." That has an application for us as well. 

In the second round of prayer, the Son of Man began to be resigned to His fate.  He said, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass from me unless I drink it, Your will be done." Luke records in his Gospel that after this round of prayer, an angel came to strengthen the Son of Man.  He went back to check on His disciples and they had fallen asleep again.  

There was a third round of prayer in which the Son of Man prayed the same as He did in the second round.  Luke records in his Gospel that Jesus prayed in such agony that His sweat was like great drops of blood falling to the ground.  He came back to check on His disciples and they were still sleeping.  This time, the Son of God woke the disciples up and told them to rise and pray, lest they fall into temptation.  

We Christians wrestle with God in prayer as well.  We don't sweat like great drops of blood or have an angel strengthen us, however, like Jesus did. We must remember, though, that when we wrestle with God in prayer that it is not our will but God's will that must be done.  

Thanks as always for reading!  I hope it won't be as long until I write again.

Diane

Growing your faith garden

A while back, I wrote a blog post about how sin is like weeds in our garden. You can read that blog post here. I’d like to take the gardening metaphor in another direction and write about how growing our faith is much like growing a garden.

When you start a garden, you dig up the soil (or plant in a raised garden bed or a large pot if digging’s not your thing or you’re physically unable to dig) and plant the seeds and/or bulbs.  We plant the seeds of our faith in Jesus in our hearts so that it will take root and grow larger over time, much like our plants grow larger.  

We water the ground and add fertilizer to our plants in order for them to grow up tall and strong, and also to produce fruit and vegetables if we have planted those kinds of seeds.  We feed our faith in Christ by prayer and spending time with God, worship, reading our Bible on a regular basis, and sitting under Biblical teaching.  Much like some plants grow better when they are around other plants, Christians can also grow in their faith through fellowship with other Christians.  All these things will help us grow the fruits of the Spirit, which are listed in Galatians 5:22.  

The water and fertilizer of both the garden and our faith in Jesus will produce a good harvest when the time is right.  But sometimes, despite our best efforts (or lack of effort), our faith and our gardens start to wither and die.  Maybe the weeds, both of sin and of plant, have taken over our spiritual and physical gardens and they need to be removed.  Maybe some of our plants need to be transplanted in other parts of the garden to get them growing again if they get too crowded.  If you’re in a church and you feel that you’re not being spiritually fed and the worship is dry, maybe it’s time for you to be transplanted to another church.  

Paul chastised the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-22 for their lack of spiritual growth, although he used a food metaphor instead of a gardening metaphor.  But the same principle applies.  The Corinthians were not ready to learn about things that make for a deeper faith because they had not been feeding their faith correctly. 

Keep pulling those weeds (of sin and/or plant) and keep on watering and fertilizing!  I hope and pray that your spiritual garden and your physical garden are both growing well.  Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Don't fool yourself

April 1 is known as April Fool’s Day. It is not an official holiday, but it is a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on others. It has been celebrated in many countries around the world for many centuries. April Fool’s Day can also be called Atheist’s Day, as per Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1, where David writes: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

David’s son Solomon, who had wisdom given to him by God, wrote many proverbs about fools to contrast the fool’s behavior to that of wise people and in order that people would not become fools. Here is a summary of these proverbs about fools.

The attributes of a fool:

Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

Fools hate knowledge (Proverbs 1:22).

The mouth of the foolish is near destruction (Proverbs 10:14).

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15).

It is an abomination to fools to depart from evil (Proverbs 13:19).

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride (Proverbs 14:3).

The folly of fools is deceit (Proverbs 14:8).

The foolishness of fools is folly (Proverbs 14:24).

A fool despises his father’s instruction (Proverbs 15:5).

The heart of the fool does not disperse knowledge (Proverbs 15:7).

The mouth of a fool feeds on foolishness (Proverbs 15:14)

A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul (Proverbs 18:7).

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool (Proverbs 28:26).

The actions of a fool:

He spreads slander (Proverbs 10:18).

He does evil like a sport (Proverbs 10:23).

The heart of a fool proclaims foolishness (Proverbs 12:23).

Fools mock at sin (Proverbs 14:9).

A fool rages and is self-confident (Proverbs 14:16).

The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness (Proverbs 15:2).

The foolish woman pulls down her house with her hands (Proverbs 14:1).

A fool has delight in expressing his own heart (Proverbs 18:2).

A fool’s lips enter into contention and his mouth calls for blows (Proverbs 18:6).

The heart of fools is in the house of mirth (Ecclesiastes 7:4).

Anger rests in the bosom of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

The results of foolishness:

The complacency of fools will destroy them (Proverbs 1:32).

Shame shall be the legacy of fools (Proverbs 3:35).

A foolish son is the grief of his mother (Proverbs 10:1).

A prating (chattering, babbling) fool will fall (Proverbs 10:8, 10).

Fools die for lack of wisdom (Proverbs 10:21).

A fool’s wrath is known at once (Proverbs 12:16).

A fool lays open his folly (Proverbs 13:16).

The companion of fools will be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20).

The folly of fools is deceit (Proverbs 14:8).

A foolish man despises his mother (Proverbs 15:20).

Honor is not fitting for a fool. (Proverbs 26:1).

God has no pleasure in fools (Ecclesiastes 4:4).

What should we do when we encounter a fool? Solomon gives good advice to us in Proverbs 14:7: “Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.” Paul also writes in Ephesians 5:15, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.” 

Now that we know all about fools, we should make sure that we don’t follow in their footsteps.  We should fill our hearts and minds with God’s Word and learn wisdom. 

Thanks as always for reading!  See you next time!

 Diane

 

Overcomer

The book of Revelation is a book of the Bible that a lot of people say they don't understand, or maybe they just don't want to understand.  "It doesn't apply to us today, " they say. "It's about the future. I don't care about that."  Yet over twenty-five percent of the Bible is prophecies about the future. If God didn't want us to know what was going to happen in the future, He wouldn't have told us.  And Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises blessings to those who read it and follow it. Revelation 1:3 reads: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." God's time is not the same as human time, so "near" means something different to God than it does to us.  

Per Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of "revelation" is "something that is revealed by God to humans." We Christians mostly refer to the book of Revelation as just Revelation, but the actual title of the book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."  The other books of the Bible were transcribed by men and inspired by God. Per Revelation 1:1, God gave Jesus the revelation in the book of Revelation to give to men. This last book in the Bible is not only directed to the Asian churches for correction and reproof (and for us as well), it also reveals what will happen in the last times, at the Second Coming, and what will happen after.  It also reveals what rewards we will receive for being faithful believers, or overcomers, as Jesus calls us.  There's a lot to dig out of the book of Revelation, but for this blog post, I'm going to concentrate on the first three chapters.  

In Revelation 1, John greets the seven churches of Asia. Like Paul's epistles, this book was forwarded from church to church to be read to each congregation, as per Jesus' instructions in Revelation 1:11. Revelation 1:7 reminds me of Zechariah 12:10-14, where all of Israel looks on the One who they pierced (Jesus) and they will mourn.  

In Revelation 1:9, John gives us some background as to where he is and why he is there.  In verse 10, John mentions that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, which means that he was in prayer on a Sunday.  He heard a voice behind him, which turns out to be Jesus since He refers to Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. 

John knew that voice.  He heard it for three years while Jesus walked on the earth.  John quickly turned around so that he could see Jesus, but He looked very different than He did when He was walking on Earth. In fact, His appearance was so different that it shocked John and he fainted. But Jesus laid His hand on John and comforted him.  Jesus explains about the seven stars in His right hand, which are the angels of the churches, and the seven lampstands, which are the churches. 

Jesus also instructs John to write down what he sees and hears and send it to the seven churches. He starts the letters right away in Revelation 2. The letters continue until the end of chapter 3. Jesus addresses each church in the first person. He could have told John, "Write that Jesus says to tell you," which would put the letters in the third person.  Jesus also addresses Himself by a different title for the letter for each church.  He has John address each letter to the angel of that particular church. The "angel" of the churches, per various commentators, are the pastors of the churches. 

Each letter to the churches has three parts.  In the first part of each letter, Jesus tells that particular church about the good things they have done or believed, to encourage them. Then in the second part of each letter,  Jesus tells them about what they have done wrong and what will happen if they don't correct that wrong.  In the third and final part of each letter, Jesus gives a promise for believers who stay faithful.  This is usually preceded by the phrase, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Sometimes this phrase is at the end of the letter.  Either way, it is the hint that the reproof/correction is finished. 

The table below summarizes and explains the first two parts of each letter.  Then I'll summarize what overcomers will receive in Heaven after the Rapture. You will only see entries for five churches in the table below because not all of the churches had done things they needed reproof for.  When you read the "What was done wrong" column, think about how that entry would translate to you and/or the modern church. 

What was done wrong:	How to correct what was done wrong:	What happens if the wrong isn’t corrected:
Nevertheless I (Jesus) have this against you, that you have left your first love.	Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.	Else I (Jesus) will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
But I (Jesus) have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.	Repent.	Or else I (Jesus) will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
Nevertheless I (Jesus) have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.  And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.	Repent (implied, not in the text).	Indeed I (Jesus) will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I (Jesus) have not found your works perfect before God.	Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.	Therefore if you will not watch, I (Jesus) will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
I (Jesus) know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.	I (Jesus) counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.	Jesus doesn’t detail what would happen if the wrong isn’t corrected.

Now for the good news!  For those who keep the faith and are overcomers, here are the promised rewards:  

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

 I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.

I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.

To him I will give power over the nations—I will give him the morning star.

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

The "I" in each verse above refers to Jesus. Aren't these promises wonderful? They give us something to look forward to and they encourage us when we feel sad.  I wonder what Jesus' new name is, don't you?   How thrilling it will be when all these promises come true and we will be with Jesus eternally!  

Thanks for your patience and continued reading of my blog. I hope to write more soon.  See you next time!

Diane

Recharging your batteries

I own an Apple Watch (yes, I'm a gadget girl).  Every day-and-a-half or so, the low battery warning appears on my watch.  The message says: "Low Power You have 10% power remaining." There is another box below the message which reads "Power Reserve." When I see the Low Power message, I hurry up and connect my watch to its charger so that it will charge back up.  It usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half to recharge my watch and then I can wear it again.

Our personal batteries can wear down too, can't they?  Unfortunately, our bodies don't give us the low power warning that my Apple Watch gives me.  Many things drain our personal batteries - work, raising our kids, the world in general.  On a personal note, I'd like to salute those parents who are both working full time from home and homeschooling their kids during this pandemic.  That would drain my batteries for sure. 

Psalm 121:4 reads, "Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."  But there was one time God did rest - on the seventh day after He created everything.  Genesis 2:2 reads, "And on the seventh day God ended His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done." That was a lot of work. God deserved a rest. 

Since Jesus was part human, His batteries occasionally ran down too, especially with all the healing and the teaching that He did.  In Matthew 8:23-27 (and also Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25), Jesus and the disciples were in a boat on the sea, and Jesus was asleep.  Suddenly, a storm came up which scared the disciples. Jesus obviously slept very soundly, for the disciples had to wake Him up.  So a good, deep sleep helped Jesus recharge his batteries.

Jesus also recharged his batteries by going up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  We see this in Matthew 14:23 and Mark 1:35. Jesus spent time talking to His Father. This helped give Jesus the power for what He needed to do. 

God knew when He made us that we would need to recharge our batteries on a regular basis.  That's why He created the Sabbath day, which is mentioned for the first time in Exodus 16:23. The Sabbath correlates to the seventh day that God rested after He created everything.  We Gentiles have made Sunday our rest day since Jesus rose from the grave on that day. In Exodus chapters 31 and 35, you can read about all the Sabbath laws that the Jewish people had to follow.

True rest, however, is found in Jesus.  In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says the following:  "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Since Jesus is our rest, we don’t have to follow all of the Sabbath rules. 

So what should we do on Sundays since we don’t have to follow the Sabbath rules? If you aren’t sick, you should attend a worship service. Worshipping the Lord will bring peace to your soul. Meeting up with fellow Christians at church is a good way to recharge your batteries.  Spend time with God by reading His Word and praying.  A regular day of the week to unwind and recharge your batteries is essential for all aspects of your health. 

 

But what if you can’t wait until Sunday to recharge your batteries?  What if you’re so exhausted you just can’t function?  Even if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom or go down to the basement, you need a break.  You need to get away and spend time with the Father in prayer.  Jesus spent time with His Father in prayer, and you should too. 

 

Sometimes when I get that low power message on my Apple Watch, I can’t put it on its charger right away.  If I let the low power message stay on for too long, it takes much longer to recharge the watch than it normally would.  That can happen to our bodies too.  If we don’t take regular breaks to recharge our bodies and our minds, we can become physically and mentally ill, and it takes us much longer (and maybe even a hospital stay) to get our batteries recharged.  So make time to recharge your batteries!

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane