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Friday, July 24 - Devotional from Pastor John

July 24, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

From the Pastor

“Balanced Life”

I don’t know about you, but when I am watching a football game, my eyes tend to be drawn to the quarterback, running backs and wide receivers, often ignoring the subtleties, but more important aspects of the game. Who is winning the war in the trenches? Both the offensive and defensive lines anchor a team, and if things aren’t going well there, quarterbacks can’t throw, running backs can’t run, and wide receivers can’t catch. These 300 pound plus behemoths are incredible athletes in their own right, showing quickness, power, agility, and balance. It reminds me of that scene in the Disney movie, “Fantasia,” when the hippos do the dance of the “Super Plums.” In football, these huge men are able to run, jump, tackle and show more grace than you will see from those who are entertaining the people during the half-time show.

In sports, as in life, balance is the essence of beauty. In the 4^th commandment, God has built balance into the structure of our lives. We are to work, and we are to rest. We are to go-go-go, and we are to call time-out. The Bible says, “you are to work six days, and on the seventh day is the Sabbath, which you are to do no work” (Exodus 20:9-10).

Do you have a weekly rhythm of work and rest? Many men will work, work, work, to the neglect of their health, their families, and their wives. And women, in their pursuit of equality, are mindlessly falling into this same trap. As technology continues to make information available to us at lightning speed, any time, day or night, we are seeing an erosion of solitude. It began with the answering machine, to voice mail, to email, to text, and now there are a host of social media platforms in our quest to be terminally in touch.

Whenever a man named Ben would be tinkering with his car in the garage, he would always be sure to invite his six year-old grandson, Jake, over to help him. One day, Jake’s daddy asked him, “What does Grandpa pay you for all that help you give him?” Little six year old Jake looked at his dad, and with his hand on his hips said, “Grandpa pays me attention!” God wants us to pay Him attention. We do that best when we are living a balanced life. God has given to us a rhythm of work and rest in this 4^th commandment, so that we will live happy, content, fruitful and fulfilled and lives. Is your life balanced? God wants it to be.

Please join us for worship on Sunday at either 8:00 am or 10:00 am, as I will be continuing my summer sermon series on the 10 commandments, and specifically, the 4^th commandment, -- “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.”

Pastor John Hartman

Quote of the Week:

“The great reality we are involved in is God. Most of the people around us don’t know that and couldn’t care less. One of the ways God has provided for us to stay aware of and responsive to Him in a world that doesn’t care is by Sabbath-keeping. At regular intervals we all need to quit our work and contemplate His, quit talking to each other and listen to Him.” Eugene Peterson

Eugene Hoiland Peterson (November 6, 1932 – October 22, 2018) was an American Presbyterian minister, scholar, theologian, author, and poet. He wrote over 30 books, including the Gold Medallion Book Award–winner The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language