September 1994
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By the time you receive this edition of
the "Echoes", my family and I will have
returned from our vacation. I anticipate
that it will have been a great time of relaxation and "togetherness" for our whole family. The opportunity to get away from the daily grind is important. Christ told His disciples to "come apart and rest a while." To be able to take a break and spend time with your family getting your batteries recharged is indeed a great blessing.
In this day and age in which we live, we hear a lot about the subject of "burnout." People are afraid of commitment and extensive emotional involvement because they might burn themselves out. Consequently, jobs and ministries are left undone, and effort which could be put into service is instead put into selfish pursuits designed to help us feel good. Certainly there is a place for recreation in Christianity. Bodily exercise, while profiting little, still does have profit. But the solution to emotional burdens is not found in escaping from labors, but in escaping to Christ. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee." The Psalmist wrote, "The joy of the Lord is my strength." When the problems of life loom large, God will give us the strength to handle them. When the work of the ministry seems overwhelming, God will enable us to accomplish that which He has called us to do. When Paul wrote that God would supply all our needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus, He was not referring only to material or physical needs. He meant our needs for comfort, rest, and time as well.
Where God guides, God supplies. If God is leading us to a particular area of service, we need not fear to enter in, for He will accomplish the work through us if we allow Him to. What work does God want you to do that you have been afraid to undertake? Has the rat-race of life and service driven you to the point of despair and defeat? Run to Christ, and find your strength and joy in Him.
Your Pastor
Mark J. Montgomery
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