paravanes:meditations

(c) Deborah Evans When Jesus says you cannot follow him unless you "deny yourself" (Matthew 16:24+25), he doesn't mean for you to neglect your well-being, your fitness and health, or your mind. What he does mean is you must give up the life this broken world wants to give you: the life you have when someone is more important than Jesus, the life you have when there's no time for the Bible and fellowship with other believers, the life you have when you're too busy to pray. Denying yourself means ripping the unholy (habits, people, priorities) from your life and keeping the unholy out of your life. Self care isn't sinful. Your body and mind are designed by God and are gifts from God. Designed to glorify God and to house other gifts of God, your body and mind require self care in order for you to carry out God's will for you in this life. Rest, good food, exercise, positive social connections, and life long learning are all forms of self care that...

As "God with us", Jesus teaches us self care. One of those lessons is: you and I are not too busy to pray. As you read the gospels, you will become aware of how busy Jesus was. Crowds constantly followed him. His disciples asked endless questions. Religious leaders regularly challenged and confronted him. He taught crowds of people, often in unconventional locations. Sick people constantly sought him out for healing  In Luke 5:15 and 16, we find this statement: "...crowds of people came to hear him and be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed ." Because the Son of God regularly and often took time to step aside from the busyness of his life to pray, you and I don't have a reason to avoid prayer. Praying in church is not a substitute for stepping from our daily activities to listen to God and to speak to God. No matter what I'm doing or how busy I am, I am never too busy to pray. I may not want to pray. I...