Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a day of work and also fun! This morning, I am going to bake cookies on as stick and go to our Women’s Bible study at church. One of the gals writes the Bible studies and causes us to ponder things we have not thought deeply about before.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Do we live by extremes, or do we tend to be balanced and live with God directing our lives? The enemy loves to get us to err on going overboard on things. Something may be good but then we push its limits and overdo, and find we go off balance. We’ve heard the saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” We are warned that too much work can make someone boring, and we also know it can lead to burnout. But if we do the opposite extreme and simply play, we become slothful and freeload on others. All of us need balance between work and play.

Many in our culture work so many hours to the neglect of their families and forgo vacations to get ahead with no time to enjoy life. They may not even enjoy their job and yet most of their hours are consumed at work building their careers. We also see the opposite side of those who feel they don’t have to work and become lazy and live off of others. The apostle Paul speaks to that in II Thess. 3 when he says he labored night and day, so he wouldn’t be a burden to them. He warns the church to stay away from those who are idle and refuse to work; in verse 10 says, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” Let us be careful not to a workaholic or a dropout.

Work is good and we know God worked on 6 days in creating everything but then rested on the 7th day. Work is an activity of God and He wants to also guide us to work with a purpose and with balance. Hopefully we love what we do and we work hard and play hard. Sometimes we need to unplug for we can feel like we are on a treadmill and can’t get off. But our body, soul, and spirit need renewing. Life is not about the amount of money we earn, but lives we touch and the accomplishment of God’s will in our lives. Our success is not a title we earn rather that God is at the center of our work and our very lives. Let us not be compulsive about our work or neglectful by constant play or we will miss what is most important. Live life for Him!

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you live a balanced life with Him at the helm.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy