Are you dying?

Most simply put, growing can be defined as increasing. People are growing physically their entire lives. Though most people stop growing physically around the age of 20, everyone continues to grow intellectually and experientially for the remainder of their lives. We are always learning and increasing knowledge through our experiences. However, we are also constantly dying. Every second that you live, you are one step closer to death. Every breath you take is gone forever. Our time here on earth is limited to the blink of an eye. After the age of 20 (approximately) our bodies begin to deteriorate. At a certain point, our minds begin to deteriorate too. Life has been slowly slipping away from you from the moment of your birth. Right now, you are dying.

 

We have no control over our physical and intellectual deterioration. What we do have control over is our spiritual growth or lack thereof. If you aren’t growing spiritually, then you are dying. In the physical world, you can be growing and dying at the same time. Spiritually, they are mutually exclusive. You cannot be dying spiritually if you are constantly growing in your walk with Christ. You are either doing one or the other. You are either growing or you are dying. Which one is it?

Are you trusting God more than you used to? Are you spending more time with God than you used to? Do you listen to God more than you used to? Do you serve God and men more than you used to? Does your heart break for the things that break God’s heart? Do you worship God more than yourself? These are all signs of growth. If you are not growing spiritually, then you are dying and headed down the path to spiritual destruction. Don’t let your idleness or distractions force you off the path of spiritual growth that leads to Christ. Stop dying and grow.  

Remember the Sabbath?

You get up early. You take a shower. You make breakfast. You go to work or school. You fight through your day, desiring nothing but to sit down. You get home. You eat dinner. You work on homework or a project. You prepare for work the next day. You are wiped. You plop down to watch some TV and fall asleep within seconds. Next thing you know your alarm is going off. You get up and do it all over again.

In American society we are all about getting things done. How much you accomplish defines how successful we are. How well we do things is less important than how many things we do. We get so busy that we forget about what really matters. We get so busy working that we forget why we are supposed to work. We get so busy trying to make it through the day without realizing how precious each moment of life really is. We get so busy trying to catch up or get ahead, that we lose sight of where we’re supposed to be.

What happened to Sabbath? What happened to rest? What happened to finding time for God? What happened to finding peace in God? Busyness is ruining our society and it is ruining our lives. What does it say about your priorities if you are too busy for God? What does it say about your commitment to following Christ if you are too busy to give him a minute of your thoughts? Sabbath is a gift from God. It is not intended to be a burden or to add extra stress. God gave humanity the gift of Sabbath (Mark 2:27). A break from our daily toil in which we are permitted to find rest in our Savior. A moment to breathe in a deep breath of his splendor and majesty. A moment to set aside our distractions and ambitions in order to catch a glimpse of the beautiful rest that only Jesus can provide. A moment to feel satisfied by our Creator and Sustainer that earthly toils simply lack the ability to provide. A moment to set aside everything…take a deep breath…and allow God to fill us up and set us ablaze for his work to be done, not ours. Remember the Sabbath.