The Christian Working Woman

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  A God View of Our Work – 5 18.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Lauren Stibgen You truly can’t take it with you. I am sure you have heard this statement before, but do you live it? Let’s face it, no amount of accumulation of things, titles, or achievements here on earth can be taken to your heavenly home. How much are you thinking about the past and about the future rather than focusing on just this moment? All this overthinking can lead to feelings of an out-of-balance life and will steal the joy from the moment you are in. This mindset can be difficult. With the ever-present noise and connectivity of our culture, how can you refocus on the present? Job 33:4 reminds us: The Spirit of God has made us, and the breath of the Almighty gives us life. Pause a moment and think about the wonder of your life, and who gives it to you. Do you wake up each day with gratitude for the wonder of the breath in your lungs? Think about this­—you do not have any control of your breath. You can’t earn your breath. You can’t work for your breath. It is a gift that powers your body, which is equally wonderful. If you like scientific variables, a statistical analysis performed on the probability of your unique individual self being born is calculated as 1 in 400 trillion. (Ali Binazir[1]) While I am not a proponent of measuring what God creates, this human statistical analysis gives you an idea of how amazing you are! I can hear you almost saying to me, but Lauren the moment I am in right now it isn’t filled with joy or peace or happiness! Understandably, if you are in a season of unexpected loss of a loved one, illness, job loss, you probably want to know when you will move past this time. This is why I have brought the focus down to the gift and wonder your life is! Finding gratitude and a moment of centering on this can help you truly know that God created you for a reason. He created you as a one of one. And, as a follower of Jesus Christ, he chose you as part of his royal family. Pray: God, thank you for the breath in my lungs! Thank you for creating me in your image and loving me so much that I know Jesus Christ as my Savior. I am thankful to be part of your royal family, and I rest in this today. So many things can bring our lives out of balance, but God can help root us in his truths that bring us peace. [1] Binazir, Dr Ali. “Are You a Miracle? On the Probability of You Being Born,” Huffpost, August 16, 2011
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  A God View of Our Work – 4 17.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Lauren Stibgen What consumes our thoughts can often lead to a life that is truly out of balance. You know, too much of a good thing can stop becoming a good thing when it is causing you to feel like you don’t have balance. “In the United States, achievement is life’s defining commandment: ‘Thou shalt make something of thyself.’ You are what you achieve.” This quote from Everything is Never Enough, by Bobby Jamison[1], sums up how our culture runs. What have you achieved? More importantly, how is this being measured? Achievement can be about the accumulation of things that never fill. Achievement can also be about what you achieve at work in the form of a title, salary, or even about the freedom of being a founder of your own company. Again, promotions, raises, and even entrepreneurship are not inherently bad things! Perhaps this is even what God has planned for you. However, when running towards this achievement takes the place of God in your life this is when the trouble begins. Are you making something of yourself without giving glory to God? Colossians 3:23-24 tells us: Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Are you working for the Lord when you are working towards achievement? Can God say, well done good and faithful servant, or is your striving more about the recognition you will receive from colleague or others in your sphere of influence? What about patterns of self-indulgence? We can self-indulge in almost anything. From food to alcohol, to dining out when we don’t have enough money to overspending on any one item, we have the tendency to self-indulge. Sometimes we can focus so much on these things that we cause ourselves more stress in having to work harder to feed our needs for self-indulgence. If you think about any one thing more than you think about God, this has become an idol in your life. God wants us to achieve everything he has in store for us, and he wants us to enjoy the good things he has created! But he wants us to enjoy him first! Pray: God, help me to have the right attitude about achievement. Lead me in the paths you have for me. Help me, Lord, to enjoy what you have allowed and to give you glory in all things. [1] Jamison, Bobby. Everything Is Never Enough: Ecclesiastes’ Surprising Path to Resilient Happiness (WaterBrook, 2025)
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  A God View of Our Work – 3 16.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Lauren Stibgen If you always want more, you will never enjoy what you have. Have you ever thought about that? Is your striving for more causing an imbalance in life? What leaves you wanting more? Then I saw that all toil and skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor (Ecclesiastes 4:4a ESV). If envy is driving you to work more, to earn more, to have more, you need to pause and reflect. What enjoyment will you have with something if the reason you are working for it stems from envy? In fact, once you achieve this thing you may gain something even worse than the envy­­—pride. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18 ESV). Achieving anything that causes you to feel pride leads to fleeting satisfaction. Ecclesiastes further warns: He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income, this is also vanity (Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV). Earning a good income and trying to better yourself is not inherently wrong, but if your toil is for the wrong reasons, you simply will never be satisfied. Perhaps you are working more hours to save for something that you need. Or, maybe you are trying for a promotion that comes with an increase in pay. Where is this desire coming from? If it comes from a genuine place, where you are not comparing yourself to others or continually chasing for more, this is not necessarily bad. It is when you are always needing more and more. Or when you are striving to keep up with other people. Hard work is valued by God when it works for his kingdom. Think of the Proverbs 31 woman. She buys and sells and rises when it is still night. She provides food for her household and for her maidens. Her lamp doesn’t go out at night but she opens her hand to the poor and the needy (Proverbs 31:18,20). Hard work to gather more for yourself will never fill, but hard work that will give to the glory of the Kingdom will always feel good. We are called to see the needy and love. Think about what you are working for today. Are you striving because you are coveting? Pray today! “Lord, change my heart. Help me to see where I am striving for material things that will never fill. Help me to see how I can use my time, treasure and talent to give to those you care about the most.”
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  A God View of Our Work – 2 15.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Lauren Stibgen Are you working from a place of fear? I don’t want you to think about work as the job you are paid to do. Think of work as anything requiring your physical or mental energy to produce something. So, as you are trying to work, is fear an underlying feeling? I know we could all describe the feelings surrounding fear which could include worry and even grief. Physically, fear can cause us to feel the tension we desperately want to release. Are you having a hard time sleeping? Does your heart race at thoughts of something you are working on? Do you get headaches? Perhaps you are afraid of failing at something. Is there a new skill you are trying to master? Maybe a project is looming with a deadline you feel like you will miss? Is there a threat of layoffs at work? Maybe you are afraid of losing your job. Or are you spending too much time at the office and are afraid of losing connection with your spouse or children? Perhaps a new hire has started at the office and is receiving a lot of attention. Are you afraid of losing ground with your colleagues or boss? All of this is life tension! And it is all rooted in our thinking, or rather our wrong thinking, about a situation. I am not saying it is easy, but the Word of God is clear. We are not to be fearful or afraid. God calls us to a deep faith and reliance, trusting in him for everything. This includes our work. In Isaiah 41:13 the word says: For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” When fear is creating unhealthy tension, think about God being with you. He is there to help. And, if we fear anything, God is the one we must fear (Ecclesiastes 5:7b ESV). The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes12:13 ESV). When you are fearful, turn that fear of worldly things to fear of the Lord. Ecclesiastes tells us this is our whole duty! Fear God and follow his commandments. One of his commands is that we don’t fear because he is there to intercede on our behalf. Cry out to the Lord in prayer. It can be simple, “God, hold my right hand. I am afraid. I know you will help me.” Proverbs 14:27 reminds us: The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.
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  A God View of Our Work 14.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Lauren Stibgen Why do we talk repeatedly about work-life balance? It seems like a problem we cannot solve in our current connected society. I mean, we are always “on”. But why? What is creating urgency? The statement alone suggests the tension people feel about work and life, but why have we separated these two words? Life has taken on a definition it was never intended to hold. Here’s what I mean. According to the dictionary, the word life has almost 20 different uses, but all of them encompass the state of being. For example, when talking about a biography of someone, you say it is about their life. A biography is about someone personally and professionally, about their family and accomplishments, hobbies and all. Fragmenting work life, personal life, family life, and social life surely creates tension! So, you can’t have a work-life balance, but you can have a balanced life! The book of Ecclesiastes has me thinking about a balanced life. Why do we feel this tension? And what does work have to do with it? It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with (Ecclesiastes 1:13b ESV). This verse alone suggests the inherent tension we feel as human beings about the business we are busy with! And sometimes that business is work business and other times it isn’t. For example, you may love your job and have a wonderful time each day with your colleagues but then return home to be a caregiver, which is very stressful. You see, “work” is defined as physical or mental effort directed toward producing or accomplishing something. And God created us to work! We start to feel the true tension of this work when our underlying motivations about it aren’t what God would want for us. I really think becoming more attuned to God’s views on our work can help us relieve some of the tension we feel in life! Having this view can bring us into a better balance of life. After all: What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:3 ESV)
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  Check Your Meters! 12.09.2026 14мин

  Don’t you wish we had some kind of meters we could look at that tell us “Your energy level is down to minus ten. Take a break!” Or “You are at the end of your emotional meter—you’re going to start saying and doing things you will regret. Get some rest.” Or “You’ve been working too long at this, and you’re out of new ideas; your creativity meter is below zero. Give it a break!” Maybe then we’d stop trying to do everything, be everything others want us to be, and please everybody!   The truth is, we do have very good guidelines—meters if you wish—to give us this information. We have to make the right choices that keep us from going into overdrive, into burnout. We have to learn how to keep ourselves replenished! And those guidelines are found in God’s Word—in his truth.  As long as we keep our meters where they should be, we’re able to give of ourselves to others, to do what we have to do, to meet needs and expectations. But when the wells start to run dry and we try to take water out of a dry well, we are fast entering burn-out territory, and our effectiveness in all we do suffers greatly!  I’m beginning to realize I need to check my meters frequently, because I tend to push myself too much. God has given me a strong body and a high energy level. There are so many needs I see all around me, and I want to be involved and make a difference. I often come up with new ideas as to what could be done. But I have to learn that if I want to be effective in the long-haul, to be running smoothly next year, and the next and the next, I have to make certain I don’t run down the engine this year.  An article I read puts it so well. In essence, it says that at some point, we have to accept that our to-do list won’t get finished today, and that’s ok. It’ll still be there tomorrow. Choosing to protect your health matters more than pushing through years of nonstop, exhausting busyness.  That’s smart thinking. How can you and I be certain we are doing today the things that will enable us to run the entire race and not burn out? Well, I think we need to learn how to read our meters, know when they’re running low, and know what we have to do to re-supply them. I have put together what you might call a Check-up Form, asking myself probing questions to help me read my physical, emotional, and spiritual meters.   I’d like to share that with you, as you may find it helpful. First, ask yourself:   How is your physical meter doing?  We’re made up of body, soul, and spirit, and each has an effect on the other. So, if my physical body is running at less than optimum, that will affect my spiritual and emotional condition quite dramatically.    Here are some key areas to check on your physical meter:  Am I getting enough rest?   Sleep deprivation can cause the blahs. Some symptoms of sleep deprivation are falling asleep in the middle of the day while sitting at your desk. Or finding it almost impossible to keep your eyes open at a meeting or at church.   When you go long periods with less than adequate sleep, your body may adjust and you keep going, but eventually it catches up, and you find yourself living in sleep deprivation mode. That takes more than one night’s good sleep to replenish. They tell us we need seven to eight hours of sleep at least four nights a week. Are you getting that?  What are my eating patterns and habits?   If you always eat on the go, lots of fast-food meals, skip meals often, go without breakfast regularly, or have an unbalanced diet, you’re bound to be harming yourself physically. You may not think of it this way, but your eating habits are a spiritual matter, and if you know you should eat differently and don’t, that’s not just a bad habit, that’s sinful. We’re quick to denounce drug and alcohol as harmful and sinful to our bodies, but poor eating habits are equally bad.   I find it easy to rebel in this area. God has to continue to convict me that what I put in my body is important to my service for him, and I’m going to be accountable for that. Maybe you need to get serious about eating right.  Do I exercise regularly?   All the evidence is in to tell us that regular exercise is absolutely essential to good health. Without it, your physical meter is going to run low. Have you put exercise in your schedule yet? Please don’t neglect this.     Is it time for a physical check-up?   Those regular dental and doctor maintenance visits are important. We can avoid many serious problems with early detection. God expects us to use whatever technology and expertise is available to us to monitor our bodies carefully and make certain they’re in the best shape possible.    Many people today are consumed with their physical well-being because they are totally self-focused. But as Christians, our motivation is far more important and eternal. Our bodies are the temples of God’s Spirit, and we need to keep that in mind. To honor the presence of God’s Spirit in our bodies, we should want to keep them in the best condition possible    How is your emotional meter doing?  Now, the second meter we want to check is our emotional meter. This is one we often ignore. Lots of people are pretty good at checking their physical meter, and others watch the spiritual one closely, but we forget about our emotional meter. There are certain things which drain us emotionally, and we’re often unaware of those. Then we find ourselves emotionally empty and wonder what’s wrong.     Here are some questions to find out if your emotional meter is running low:   Do you often cry for unexplained reasons?   If you find yourself in tears frequently and there doesn’t seem to be a reasonable explanation for them, it may be a sign you’re emotionally depleted. Now, for sure, sometimes tears are good—happy tears and sad ones. God created our tear ducts, so there’s no need to be ashamed of crying, and they are there for good reason. But if you are often crying out of emotional burnout and you can’t exactly say why, that could be because your emotional meter is running on empty.    Do you find yourself easily angered and testy with people for no good reason?   This is an important gauge for me. I know I’m getting low emotionally when I get angry over very small things. When was the last time you were really angry? Was it out of control and harmful? Those are good signs your emotional meter is running low.    Do you continually think about running away or getting away from everything or everybody?   Now, we all naturally think about leaving it all behind occasionally, but if you find yourself daydreaming about it daily, it’s probably a sign your emotional reservoir is low.     Do you find yourself vulnerable to moral temptation that usually is not a problem?   For some people, this can signal that your emotional tank is dry, when immoral thoughts and temptation seem to attack you.    Do you resent having to give of yourself to other people, even your family and those you dearly love?   If you frequently find yourself hoping that your children, mate, or some other close person in your life won’t want to talk to you or ask you to do something for them or with them, check out that emotional meter. It’s running low.    Is there a financial problem in your life?   When you are under severe financial pressure, it can surely deplete you emotionally. There may be changes necessary in your spending habits. And if you’re not giving God his share, that is undoubtedly a major factor in your financial woes.     These are some suggested questions to help you determine where you are emotionally. You may have other questions that apply to your emotional well-being, different from these. But the important thing is, do you often check up on your emotional well-being?     If not, you should. And when you find these are running low, remember you need to take the needed time to replenish them. I don’t think there is one way we all use to fill up our emotional tanks; it will vary for each of us. For me, some quiet time, some non-people time is one thing I need. Time when I don’t have to talk or listen.     Another way to replenish the emotional tank is to do something totally unrelated to your daily routine. I remember going home for a holiday and my dear nephew asked me to speak at his church. I said, “Todd, I’d love to, but for this week, I’m not going to be The Christian Working Woman.” There are times we just have to get away from the normal routine and do something totally unrelated to our normal daily duties. And that’s true even if you love what you normally do.    That’s true for all of us. How often do you mentally and physically remove yourself from your daily routine and responsibilities so you can replenish your emotional tank? Don’t feel guilty about needing to do that. Mothers and fathers need to get away from their children for a while. We need breaks from our jobs, our church responsibilities, even the things we love the most. If you never get away from it, you’ll run your emotional tank dry. And that getting away has to be complete mental separation, not just physically getting away. Can you leave your job behind at the end of the day? It’s important that you be able to do this.    How is your spiritual meter doing?  Now, the last meter you need to check regularly is your spiritual meter. Here are some questions to find out where you are spiritually:    Is there any area in your life where you know you’re disobeying God?   Known disobedience in a Christian’s life will always lead to despair. Hanging on to some known sin in your life will keep you spiritually dry, even the small things that don’t seem important. If God’s been dealing with you about something, it’s important, and nothing short of obedience will solve that problem.    Are you spending daily structured time in Bible reading and prayer?   I’ve talked about this so much, and it is still the key factor in your spiritual life. If getting to know God is not your highest priority, then obviously your spiritual well is going to run dry.    Is there a relationship problem in your life?   Perhaps there’s a person in your life who is taking you away from God, and you’ve been unwilling to sever or curtail that relationship. Or perhaps you need to mend a broken relationship, or maybe you’re pining over a relationship that hasn’t happened yet. Relationship issues are usually directly tied to our spiritual well-being.    Is there someone you need to forgive?   The lack of forgiveness will drag you down and sap the spiritual life right out of you.    These are some suggested questions that can help you determine if your physical, emotional, and spiritual meters are where they should be. Perhaps you’d like to have a copy of these questions to use in your own life. I’ve put them in a check-up form, and you can download it here. I strongly encourage you to begin to regularly check your meters and by God’s grace, get serious about keeping your life in balance in these three areas.      
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  Busyness: A Biblical Perspective – 5 11.09.2026 3мин

  What does God think about your busy life? I wonder if you have some bad habits that are making matters worse, causing you to be unnecessarily busy, eating up your time and keeping you from doing all the good things God wants you to do. Here are some of those things that can exacerbate our busyness: Poor time management. If you’re not good at managing time, here are four things that will help you: Whatever you have to do today that you don’t want to do, do it first. Believe me, this will help you immensely. If you tend to put off what you don’t want to do, then it piles on you. You will be amazed at how it will free your mind and energy to know the thing you didn’t want to do today is already done! Eliminate as many interruptions as possible. If others interrupt you frequently, think of ways to minimize it. More importantly, stop interrupting yourself. Stay on task. Set goals for yourself, give yourself rewards for staying on task—whatever you can do to eliminate interruptions will save you much time. Finish one job before you start another, if possible. Jumping from one task to another always wastes your time. If you can finish one thing before starting another, you’ll eliminate a lot of “start-up time.” Always have a plan for your day in writing. Whether you use a to-do list, a calendar, your smart phone or computer—when you make a plan for your day, with some sense of priority and time frames, you will see great improvement in the use of your time. Procrastination A simple cure for procrastination is this: “Do it right and do it now!” If you have to do it, don’t put it off. Living by this simple principle will bring remarkable changes in your life. Negative attitudes Get rid of them! Negativity drains your energy and slows you down. Paul wrote to the Philippians that we are to rejoice in the Lord always. That leaves no time for complaining, griping, and being negative. How does God feel about your busyness? Are you busy for the right reasons? Has busyness become a point of pride for you? Do you set appropriate boundaries on your busyness? Do you stay busy to avoid confronting issues in your life that need to be changed? Is your busyness an obstacle to your spiritual growth? I hope these thoughts will cause you to think twice about your own busy life.
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  Busyness: A Biblical Perspective – 4 10.09.2026 3мин

  If you’re very, very busy, it could be because it’s your way of avoiding some issues in your life that need to be addressed. We’re asking the question: How does God feel about my busyness? Maybe you need to ask yourself:  Do I stay busy to avoid issues that need to be confronted? I know how easy this is to do, because I did it for ten years. During this period many years ago, I was running from God’s control in my life. I wanted to be in charge. So, my lifestyle was not what it should be, and I knew it. But I didn’t want to face it; I didn’t want to relinquish control of my life. I just kept busy. I made sure every minute was filled with some kind of activity. Every weekend, every evening—if I didn’t have anything to do, I found something. I got involved in all kinds of activities simply to stay busy. That way I didn’t leave time to think; I didn’t allow quiet moments when the convicting voice of God’s Spirit could get to me. It didn’t really work. I was under conviction the whole time, but busyness became my escape mechanism to avoid confronting the sin in my life. What a foolish thing to do. We can’t hide from God, no matter how busy we are, and eventually we must face ourselves. If you’re staying busy because you don’t want to hear what God has to say to you, let me urge you to give it up. God wants only good things for you, and you don’t even realize how heavy your burden of guilt is until you get right with God, accept his forgiveness, and turn the controls back over to him. One final question to ask yourself about your busy schedule: Is my busyness an obstacle to my spiritual growth? Are you too busy for time with God? Is that what falls through the cracks when the schedule gets heavy? I believe this is one of Satan’s best tricks to pull on us—to keep us so busy we convince ourselves we just don’t have time to read our Bibles, develop a meaningful prayer life, get to know God better. If you’re too busy to have a consistent daily time with God, you’re too busy. That’s for sure.
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  Busyness: A Biblical Perspective – 3 09.09.2026 3мин

  Someone has said, “There is always time to do God’s will.” Certainly, that has to be true. What God has given us to do we will have time to do, provided we know how to manage our time well and are disciplined in our work habits. Here’s the next question we need to ask ourselves: Do I set appropriate boundaries on my busyness? Did you ever realize Jesus knew how to say, “That’s not my job”? In Luke 12 we read where a man asked Jesus to be a judge, and Jesus said, in effect, “That’s not my job.” I’m sure this man figured Jesus was the right person to settle this argument between him and his brother. But Jesus told him he was not called, nor did he intend, to become an earthly judge in human affairs. He was not unkind about it, but he certainly was direct. In Mark 1:35-38 we see another occasion where Jesus disappointed some people. The whole town had gathered to hear Jesus, and his disciples were most anxious for him to come and please this crowd. But Jesus said no to his disciples because he said he must go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come. No doubt he disappointed his disciples and the crowd, but Jesus stayed focused on his mission. He knew how to set boundaries and refused to try to please everyone. I used to think if I was everything I should be, everybody would be happy with me and I’d be able to please everyone. But when I realized Jesus set boundaries and said, “That’s not my job” when necessary, it freed me to know I too could set boundaries. Just because someone asks you to do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should do it. For many of us saying no is very difficult. That’s because our worth as a person is too much based on what others think of us. When we are dependent on the opinions and affirmation of other people to feel good about ourselves and what we’re doing, then we are at their mercy. We’re going to jump through their hoops, trying to be super people, to gain their approval and therefore feel we’re okay. If you haven’t learned how to set biblical boundaries in your life, I urge you to take this matter under consideration. There are some good Christian books on the topic, and it will be well worth your time to find out when and how you should be setting boundaries on the busyness of your life.
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  Busyness: A Biblical Perspective – 2 08.09.2026 3мин

  Are you busy? Your response is likely to be “Are you kidding? Who isn’t busy?” I want to ask some questions to help us determine what God thinks about our busyness. The first question I asked was, “Are you busy for the right reasons?” Here’s the next question to ask yourself: Has busyness become my identity? Do I take pride in my busyness? Some years ago, I recognized this was true of me. I found my self-worth, in part, in staying very busy, accomplishing lots of things, and having people notice. Often I would hear, “How do you do all you do?” I would take pride in knowing people noticed how busy I was. For the most part I was busy doing things in ministry, doing things for Jesus, but far too much of my motivation was to get the praise and admiration of others. That was who I was. As God’s Spirit revealed this spirit of pride to me, I began to pray that God would deliver me from being addicted to busyness. I truly believe it can become an addiction when we are driven to keep going and stay busy because that’s who we are! We have built our worth on our accomplishments instead of on Christ. One way you can tell if this is your problem is to notice how much you talk about how busy you are. Do you wear your busyness like a badge of honor, a point of pride? You may be doing good works, the good things God put you here to do, but if your busyness is all about you instead of pure service to the Lord, then you need to pray about this. Ask God to deliver you. Not from doing the good things he wants you to do, but from that sense of pride and identity based on your busyness. I’ve noticed we are prone to play one-upmanship. You know what I mean. We say, “Hi, how you’re doing?” and the other person gives a litany of how busy they are. Then we reply with our own list, as though we’re trying to prove we’re busier than the other person. And on it goes. Subtly, without realizing it, we’ve taken on a spirit of pride in how busy we are. I hope you’ll ask yourself this question: Has busyness become my identity? and be willing to let God change that attitude in you, if necessary.
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  Busyness: A Biblical Perspective 07.09.2026 3мин

  Let’s talk about a topic all of us, both men and women, are very familiar with—and that is busyness! We are all busy, aren’t we? When was the last time someone told you they didn’t have enough to do? No, we connect significance with busyness, and most of us either boast or complain about how busy we are. But what does God think about our busyness? I want to address five questions about our busy schedules, to help us determine how God thinks about it. Our first question is: Am I busy for the right reasons? We must look at what we’re doing and make sure we are doing what God wants us to do. For sure, doing what God has put us here to do will keep us busy. Ephesians 2:10 says: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We are here, as God’s people, to do the good works he has planned for us. We are to be busy doing those good works. God doesn’t honor laziness or wasting time. But one of the traps we can fall into easily is staying very busy for the wrong reasons. When I was a staff member in my church, getting volunteers to fill all the needs of a local church was a constant challenge. So often when we ask someone to take on a job, we hear the list of excuses why they can’t do it. Admittedly some are legitimate; I don’t believe we have to say yes to every request that comes our way. But far too often the reason people aren’t available is because their lives are filled with things of no eternal value. For myself, I love being busy; I get bored easily if my plate is not full. But I also know I can easily fall into the trap of trying to do too much and not being busy for the right reason. Are you willing to honestly ask yourself this question: Am I busy for the right reasons? Make it a matter of prayer; write all your commitments and responsibilities on paper, and then one by one ask God, “Is this one of the good works you put me here to do?” That is how we get serious about doing God’s will and ridding our schedules of the things God never intended for us to do.
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  Are You Tired? 05.09.2026 14мин

  You know, when you’re tired, it’s reflected in your voice, in your face, in your body language, in your attitude. It affects all areas of your life. So, it is something to consider and by God’s grace to control in our lives. Otherwise, you can find yourself on a not-so-merry merry-go-round! First, let me assure you it's okay to be tired. It’s not necessarily a sin. Jesus was often tired while he was here on earth. You remember when he went to sleep on the boat and a terrible storm didn't awaken him? He was tired. Have you ever been tired from traveling? You may see travel as exciting, which doesn't sound like hard work, nonetheless travel can be very exhausting. We read in John 4 that Jesus was tired from a long journey. He understands that kind of tiredness. Sometimes having a lot of people around is tiring, isn't it? As much as I enjoy being with people, speaking and getting to know new people, I find that after a time of being surrounded with people, I'm tired—not of people, just mentally and physically tired. I think there is abundant evidence that Jesus frequently grew tired from having so many people crowding around him all the time. He also grew weary from dealing with people who were not always so easy or pleasant to deal with. You can hear the exhaustion in his voice in Matthew 17:17: “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” I think, like us, he was just tired of the hassle that people sometimes brought into his life. I'm not sure which is the most tiring—physical or mental exhaustion. But it's for sure that as long as we are in these earthbound bodies, we will be tired and weary at times. Jesus was tired in body often and also tired mentally, just like you and me. It's good to know that Jesus understands our tired bodies and minds, because he experienced all it while he took the form of man here on earth. He sympathizes with our weaknesses and the limitations we face. Just knowing that helps me a lot. Jesus was tired from bodily exhaustion because he was continually involved in giving his life for others. Giving of yourself to others’ needs is tiring, both physically, mentally and emotionally. Is that why you're tired today? Have you been doing and giving to others so much that you're truly tired from it? That's to be expected when you are a caregiver and a servant of others. Jesus calls us to a life of service, that’s true, but he also understands it is tiring. You remember how exhausted Elijah was after his victorious encounter with Baal, where he performed mighty miracles of God and defeated the enemies. He was so tired, he wanted to die. You should expect to be tired and weary after a spiritual high. Maybe God has been using you in an unusual way, and you've seen God's blessings on your life. Remember after those times to expect to feel tired and weary. There are many occasions in Scripture where we see the disciples tired. They were so tired that sometimes they fell asleep at inappropriate times. Our physical bodies have limitations, and we must understand and accept that they will be tired. But it’s important to consider if you are tired for the wrong reasons. Have you been trying to be all things to all people lately? That's exhausting and you can never succeed. Perhaps you've taken on jobs God never intended you to do, and you're tired from trying to do too much. Maybe you're trying to do everything to total perfection. Perfectionists are usually very tired people, trying to prove something to themselves and to the world by being perfect all the time. Lately God has been quietly showing me that there is only one Savior in this world, and it is not me! I cannot solve other’s problems or concerns, as much as I may want to. Does that strike a chord with you? Are your overhelping and rescuing inclinations running on overdrive? It can happen even when your motivation and intentions are good. Our culture is in fast forward mode. Everything about us is geared for speed, and that is very tiring. You would think with all our modern conveniences today, life would be easier for us, and we'd be less tired. But it isn't true, is it? Our time saving technology seems to have made us more tired. And then, let’s face it, sometimes we are the guilty party, don’t you agree? Do you find you are often your own worst enemy because you unnecessarily push yourself too far, too often. I remember when my daughter was a teenager, and we had chosen some new wallpaper for her room. It was lovely, and it was my intention to install the wallpaper that day. As I found myself rushed and stressed because I had decided it must be done that day, my daughter simply said, “Mom, we don’t have to do it today.” I remember that moment because it was a new thought—to just stop and say, “I don’t have to do this today.” I had set an unnecessary and unrealistic expectation of myself, causing unwarranted stress for my daughter and me. When you're tired because of unrealistic expectations and pressures you put on yourself, it's time to ask, “Why am I imposing these unrealistic expectations on myself?” Perhaps you need to take a red marker and get rid of a few items on your schedule. It's easy to get our priorities confused, and that is very tiring. When you get the cart before the horse, you'll find yourself in burn-out mode quite easily. Someone has said, "There's always time to do God's will," and I think it's true that God would never ask of us more than our bodies and minds can do without going into overload and burn-out. But when we confuse our priorities, it causes weariness and exhaustion. Let me say to you again what I so often have to say to myself: God has not called you to be a superwoman or superman. He is not asking you to do everything and do it perfectly. When Jesus was here on earth, he refused to do many things asked of him. He knew how to say "no." Do you? There's one principle which we see throughout Scripture that we need to understand, and that is that God has ordained periods of rest for us. The Old Testament law ensures that people took one day out of seven for absolute rest. He established the Year of Jubilee, when every seven years the land would be rested for one full year so it could refresh itself. God knows we must have periods of rest for tired bodies and minds. How about it? Have you been neglecting those needed rest periods? You may think you don't have time for them, but the truth is, you can't afford to neglect them. If you don't make certain that your body has one in seven days to refresh, you're going to discover you're always tired. Another thing I notice in Scripture is we have to allow others to help us. In Exodus 17, we see a moment when Moses got tired. He was holding up his arms as the people of Israel fought the Amalekites. As long as he held up his arms, they won, but when he lowered his arms, the enemy won. However, Moses got tired trying to keep holding up his arms. So, we see in verse 12 that Aaron got on one side of Moses and Hur on the other, and they held his arms up for him. Moses had a job to do for God but he needed help. He grew tired doing God's work. I have to confess that sometimes I have a wrong perception that I can abuse my body and ignore my needed rest as long as I'm doing God's work. But God is teaching me his principles of needed rest apply, even when we're involved in ministry for him. God wasn't asking Moses to do it all by himself. He sent needed helpers alongside him. Maybe you're trying to do it all by yourself today, and you need to ask for help. Or you might need to volunteer to walk alongside someone in ministry and tell them you'll be glad to hold up their arms. Two principles about being tired: We must have rest periods—the equivalent of one day in seven—and we must share the workload. Many hands make light work, and how true it is that when we share the load, it's so much easier. I know when I'm tired, I need encouragement. When someone is tired, that is not the time to offer advice or criticism or start making plans for the future. It is a time to simply encourage. So, I want to give you some encouragement. First, let me read a poem that really encourages me: Dear child, God does not say today, "Be strong;" He knows your strength is spent; He knows how long The road has been, how weary you have grown, For He who walked the earthly roads alone, Each bogging lowland, and each rugged hill, Can understand, and so He says, "Be still, And know that I am God." The hour is late, And you must rest awhile, and you must wait Until life's empty reservoirs fill up As slow rain fills an empty upturned cup. Hold up your cup, dear child, for God to fill. He only asks today that you be still.1 Grace Noll Crowell Are you tired and weary today? Just turn your empty cup to God. Admit your weariness; that's a good place to start. And then start searching your mind, your schedule, and your lifestyle to see if you are causing some of this tiredness unnecessarily. Are you trying to be a super-person? Are you trying to do everything to total perfection? Have you never learned how to say "no"? Do you have some confused priorities which contribute to the problem? Are you always in rush mode? How about those rest periods? Do you make certain that you have times of rest for your body and mind? Take a good look at these areas in your life and confess to the Lord anything that needs to be changed. Then turn your empty cup up to him and ask him to fill it for you. Remember, he understands what it's like to be tired; he's been there, and he knows how to refresh you. And nothing can fill that cup like God's Word, so let me give you some priceless treasures from the Bible right straight to your tired body and mind: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God,...
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  Finding Rest – 5 04.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Julie Busteed Sometimes it feels like I’m living for a break—for that time when I can finally get away, rest, and come back refreshed and energized. And there’s certainly a place for getting away and resting. But I’ve realized it can’t be my only plan. I need to learn how to be refreshed in the middle of everyday life, rather than always looking ahead to the next vacation or weekend. I don’t want to spend my life, as our culture sometimes puts it, “living for the weekend.” God gave us a rhythm of rest. He set apart the seventh day as a day of rest because he knows you and I need it. We need weekly rest, not just vacation rest when we leave town. And yet, it can be surprisingly easy to ignore this rhythm. I’ve been talking about how busyness and our tendency to say “yes” to everything can spill over into our rest. And sometimes our unwillingness to stop or our failure to trust God with what needs to get done can keep us from truly resting. But I believe it is important and shouldn’t be ignored, especially since it is God’s Word. Putting this into practice will take some intentionality. It’s not simply about time management, although, in a way, it is. We have to actually make space for rest and protect that time. And that isn’t always easy. Resting doesn’t have to be on Sunday. I realize that doesn’t work for everyone. What I do want to emphasize is the importance of intentionally setting aside 24 hours each week to rest. I think there’s also freedom in how we practically do this. Maybe, for you, your Sabbath begins around Thursday evening and continues through Friday evening. Maybe you mark that time as different by not running errands. Perhaps you make a special meal you enjoy, take a long walk, spend time with a friend, or do something you wouldn’t normally make time for during the week. And, of course, it should include time with God. Time to simply rest and be with him rather than always doing. Read his Word, but don’t rush through it. Meditate on what you’re reading. Read a good book. Take your time. Don’t let yourself be ruled by the clock. I encourage you to prayerfully ask God how you can build regular Sabbath rest into your life the way he intentionally designed it for us. God designed us to work from a place of rest, not to work so hard that we find ourselves exhausted and needing rest. Walking worthy of Christ sometimes means knowing when to stop, be still, and simply rest with him.
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  Finding Rest – 4 03.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Julie Busteed How do we live our lives walking worthy of Christ and not spend our day constantly exhausted? I’ve been looking at how God created us to rest. And, as always, Jesus is our best example. Jesus was constantly in demand. Crowds followed him. His disciples needed him. Sick and hurting people came to him. The Pharisees watched and challenged him. And yet, Jesus made time to rest. Luke 5:16 says, But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Around this time, Jesus was healing people, and the news about him was spreading quickly. Crowds were coming to him to be healed of their diseases. Yet, right in the middle of all that demand and attention, Jesus withdrew to a lonely place and prayed. He wasn’t driven by the desire to be popular, needed, or in demand. The kind of recognition that can so easily become a driving force in our lives wasn’t his priority. His priority was doing the Father’s will and that began with getting away from the crowds and spending time alone with God. Sometimes I think we’re afraid to be alone. We need constant busyness or noise. Maybe you and I are simply so accustomed to it that we don’t even notice it anymore. But we need quiet. Our souls need time alone with God. Psalm 46:10 says, Be still, and know that I am God. God calls us to himself to be still and simply be with him. Jesus also needed physical rest. John 4:6 says, Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. Jesus was tired, so he sat down and rested. He allowed the other disciples to go into town to get the supplies they needed while he stayed behind. And while he rested, he had an amazing conversation with the woman who came to the well. Jesus didn’t neglect his physical needs. He rested. And he trusted others to take care of what needed to be done. I recently had the opportunity to get away and rest for a few days at a lake house. I noticed this saying that was on a plaque in the home: “Time wasted at the lake is time well spent." I take it to mean that rest and not doing your ordinary life of work–getting out of your daily routine and relaxing and enjoying time at the lake is not wasted. That rest is important. That this time is valuable. I would argue that we also need to “waste time” with God. Not because our time is actually wasted, but because sometimes the most productive thing we can do is simply rest in him. I think the plaque could read “Time wasted with God is time well spent!”
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  Finding Rest – 3 02.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Julie Busteed Are you the kind of person who would rather do everything yourself than delegate or ask for help? I can be that way sometimes. It's not because I think I can do everything better than everyone else. Sometimes it's a control issue. Other times it simply feels like more work to explain the task, ask for help, and trust someone else to follow through. As I've thought about that, I've realized I sometimes treat my relationship with God the same way. Without even realizing it, I start acting as though everything depends on me and my effort, my planning, my ability to keep checking things off the list. And before long, I'm exhausted because I'm striving in my own strength instead of depending on his. As I've been learning to develop healthier rhythms that aren't centered only on work and productivity, God has been showing me something. I wasn't created to carry everything myself. More than anything, I need to trust him. I'm finite. He is not. I have limits. He doesn't. One of my favorite passages is maybe a familiar one to you—Proverbs 3:5–6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Those verses raise some honest questions for me. Do I really trust him in every area of my life? Or am I quietly depending on my own abilities, my own plans, my own resources? Do I truly believe he will lead me? That he has good purposes for today and for my future? Notice what the passage doesn't say. It doesn't tell me to figure everything out or make every path straight myself. It simply says to trust him and submit to him. That's incredibly freeing. When I humble myself before God, remember his promises, and surrender my plans to him, I don't have to carry the weight of being in control. I can rest in him. He already knows my limitations. He never expected me to do everything or carry every burden on my own. So how do we live this out? It's one day at a time. Really, one moment at a time. It's choosing to seek him throughout the day instead of relying only on ourselves. And it's choosing to set aside one day each week to stop striving. To let go of the unfinished work. To trust him with everything waiting for us next week. Sabbath rest becomes an act of trust. It's where our minds, emotions, and bodies are refreshed. It's where we stop toiling long enough to remember that God is still at work, even when we aren't.
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  Finding Rest – 2 01.09.2026 3мин

  Presented by Julie Busteed Do you ever feel like you'll never get it all done? The to-do list just keeps growing, and there never seems to be enough time. I've certainly been there. There have been seasons when I had so many responsibilities that I felt like I simply couldn't keep everything together. And when I finally slowed down, it wasn't because I had chosen to rest. It was because I was completely exhausted and had nothing left to give. I want something different. I want healthier rhythms in my life. Rhythms that don't require me to pour out until I collapse. Maybe you can relate. The interesting thing is I don't struggle because I dislike rest. In fact, I enjoy it. My struggle is that rest can feel irresponsible. My thoughts run to: “What if I fall behind? What if I don't get everything done? What if I disappoint someone or miss an opportunity?” Yet Scripture invites us to rest not because our work is unimportant, but because God is faithful. Every time we intentionally pause, we make a declaration: my security doesn't come from my constant effort. It comes from the Lord God who never grows weary. The challenge is our culture celebrates busyness. When someone asks, "How are you?" how often do you answer, "Oh, I’m good just super busy!" Sometimes busyness becomes a badge of honor. It makes us feel productive, needed, and even important. But what is all that busyness doing to your soul? To your body? To your relationships? In God's economy, busyness is never the goal. Faithfulness is. God cares far more about our relationship with him than about how many items are checked off the to do lists. Yes, he has given us meaningful work to do, but he has also commanded us to rest. I remember a season of my life when I said yes to almost everything. I enjoy helping people, so saying yes came naturally. I'd volunteer to help, pick up an extra shift, make a meal for someone in need—good things, worthwhile things. But there was a cost. As I looked honestly at my life, I realized that while I was caring well for everyone else, I was neglecting my own home and family. I liked being the person others could count on, but I wasn't paying attention to what it was costing the people closest to me—or even myself. That's when I realized I needed a new rhythm. Now, instead of automatically saying yes, I pause. I pray. I look at my calendar. I ask whether this is really what God is asking of me in this season. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it's no. And that's okay. Learning to rest isn't about becoming less productive. It's about trusting God enough to believe faithfulness is more important than constantly staying busy.
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  Finding Rest 31.08.2026 3мин

  Presented by Julie Busteed I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “work-life balance”. When I hear it, I picture a seesaw, constantly trying to stay perfectly balanced. But if you’ve ever been on a seesaw, you know that’s not easy. There are always ups and downs. I’m not convinced that "balance" is the right goal. I think God calls us to something different—to healthy rhythms. Life has seasons. Some seasons are naturally busier than others, but how do we live out those seasons without always feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and out of sync? The truth is, you and I were never created to live at full throttle all the time. We were created to regularly rest. We were created to practice Sabbath. But what does that really mean? And what does it look like in our lives today? Going back to the very beginning of Scripture, we see that God himself established the pattern. Genesis 2:3 says: Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Think about that. God didn't rest because he was tired. He rested because he was establishing a rhythm for his creation. A rhythm you and I are meant to follow. The Ten Commandments also references the Sabbath. Exodus 20 says: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.... God points back to creation as the reason. Just as he worked for six days and rested on the seventh, he calls us to do the same. Now, Sabbath certainly includes worship but notice that God also repeatedly emphasizes rest. He tells his people to stop working. To cease striving and to follow his example. And perhaps even more importantly, I think we need to change our mindset. Instead of thinking, "I have to take a day off," what if we saw Sabbath as a weekly declaration that God is enough? It's a way of saying, "God, you're in control. The world keeps turning even when I stop working. I trust you to provide. I trust you with what didn't finish today." Sabbath isn't primarily about following another rule. It's about nurturing our relationship with God. It's about trusting him enough to stop, worship, rest, and remember that he is the one who sustains our lives.
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  Stones of Rememberance 29.08.2026 14мин

  So, what is the hymn “Come Thou Fount” referring to with this obscure and unfamiliar phrase about raising an Ebenezer?  When you hear the word Ebenezer, you probably think of Scrooge from Dicken’s Christmas Carol. Not too many people name their sons Ebenezer these days. But in Scripture we find this word in 1 Samuel 7:12:  Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”  Literally the word Ebenezer means “Stone of Help.” Samuel set up—or raised—this stone as a memorial, a marker-stone, to commemorate the Israelite victory over the Philistines. This was not a stone to be worshiped; it was not to make a certain place holy, like a Mecca. But Samuel knew well that the Israelites were very prone to forget God’s goodness and blessings. So, he raised this stone as an everlasting reminder of how God had helped them win this victory.  I’d like to talk about Ebenezer stones—or stones of remembrances—for our own lives, by looking at the life of Moses. There were some definite Ebenezer stones in his life—stones of remembrance, stones when God helped him. And these turning points in his life relate to ours as well. As we look at Moses’ stones of remembrance, consider how your own life may have some similar ones.  The Stone of Salvation  You are no doubt familiar with the story of how Moses’s life was saved as a baby by a very creative mother and sister. When Pharaoh’s daughter saw baby Moses in the basket on the Nile, she took him into Pharaoh’s home and raised him as one of her own. He was physically saved, so there would be a Stone of Salvation for Moses.  Do you have a Stone of Salvation? I’m talking about salvation from the penalty of your sins. Can you tell of a time when you were made aware of your sins, where you were convicted of your sinful condition, and you knew you could not save yourself?   If you have not yet set up your stone of salvation, here’s all you have to do:   If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).  The Stone of Shame  As Moses grew to manhood, he was educated as an Egyptian with all the privileges that came from being raised as Pharaoh’s daughter. But he never forgot that he was one of God’s chosen people, so he wanted to help his people. Pharaoh kept the Jewish people in bitter servitude, and they were sorely mistreated. One day when Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew brothers, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. He thought he was doing the right thing to defend his countryman, but the next day, when he saw two Hebrews fighting each other and tried to stop them, they turned on him and said, Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian? (Exodus 2:14).  Well, this just blew Moses away. He thought his murderous act was a secret, but now he realized it wasn’t, and when Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. So, Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he became a lowly, humble shepherd. For forty years Moses lived in exile in Midian.  Here Moses would need to raise a Stone of Shame.  Overnight Moses went from the prestigious position as Pharaoh’s grandson to that of a fugitive. He had disgraced himself by killing a man, and now he had lost his honor and position, and he was reduced to being a shepherd in a foreign land—for 40 long years.  Have you ever had a Stone of Shame in your life? I have. My period of shame lasted for about ten years. Ten years when I decided I could run my life better than God, and I walked away from my commitment to him and did my own thing. I told myself a lie and believed it—and the lie was that life would be intolerable as a single woman. There could be no happiness or fulfillment if I didn’t get married! Now, I know I’m not the only person in the world to ever think like that, but that’s the truth!   So, my legitimate need for love and acceptance became an addiction, as I determined to do it my way instead of trusting God. During those ten years, doing my own thing led to a sinful lifestyle, one that was not pleasing to God and one of shame.   Maybe some of you are in that place now. You know something is not right in your life. You’re living in disobedience to God’s plan, and you know it. Or there is a big dark cloud hanging over you from your past, and you’re stuck at the Stone of Shame. God wants to help you put this Stone of Shame behind you so you can move forward to the good things he has for you.  Stone of Assurance  Moses figured he had blown it so badly that God would never use him again. But he was wrong. After 40 years, as Moses was tending his father-in-law's flock at Horeb, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.   As God spoke to him from the burning bush, he commissioned Moses to rescue his people from the hand of the Egyptians. Moses is now a humbled man, and he insists he cannot do it. But God says to him, “I will be with you. I am who I am, and you will tell the Israelites that ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14). Moses feared they would not believe him, so God gave him some signs to assure him that as long as God was with him, he could do what God called him to do.  So, here Moses would raise a Stone of Assurance.  Do you need a Stone of Assurance today? You need to know that God isn’t through with you yet, and he has a plan for you. Like Moses, you may need reassurance that he will be with you, but you have to give him control of your life.  What is keeping you from doing what God has planned for you to do? Is it fear? Is it that you have your own plan, and you just want God to bless your plan? Is it laziness? Is it lack of trust in God’s ability to do through you what you cannot do yourself? Is it a relationship? Until you submit it to God, you cannot go forward to the good things God has for you, the good works he put you here to do.  Stone of Deliverance  After forty long years Moses was finally ready to do what God had called him to do. And now begins the battle between Moses and Pharaoh to let God’s people go! You know how God took them across the Red Sea, escaping Pharaoh’s last attempt to catch them and bring them back. They crossed on dry ground, and Pharaoh and his army were drowned as the waters came rushing back over them.  There Moses could raise a Stone of Deliverance.  Maybe you need to raise a stone of deliverance, a memorial to God’s faithfulness in your life. A testimony of his goodness to you in spite of all you’ve done and all your failures. Has he been faithful to you? Then raise your Stone of Deliverance.  Stone of Commitment  Many years later as Moses was presenting to the children of Israel the tablets with the Ten Commandments, he said to them:  The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. (Deuteronomy 26:16-18).  He challenged the people to set up a Stone of Commitment.  They were to declare before God and his servant Moses and before all the people that they were committed to obey the Lord, to walk in his ways, to keep his commands, to glorify their God all the days of their lives.  Today you may need to set up a Stone of Commitment, where you say to God, “I’m not playing around any longer. I am serious about walking with you, obeying you, living for you, spending time getting to know you.”   Yes, there are landmark times when we need to set some stones of remembrance: a Salvation Stone, a Stone of Shame, a Stone of Assurance, one of Deliverance, and a Stone of Commitment. What stones—what Ebenezers—do you need to raise even today? Could you reflect and let God’s Spirit speak to you. This could be a good time for you to raise some stones of remembrance; stones to help you to go forward to the new thing God wants to do for you and through you in this year.    
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  Dealing With Foolish People – 5 28.08.2026 3мин

  The Bible not only describes foolish behavior for us, but it also gives clear guidance on how we should respond to foolish people. Here’s another principle for dealing with foolish people: Principle #3 – Don’t argue with foolish people. 2 Timothy 2:23-24: Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. You will be tempted to argue with a foolish person. All your emotions will lead you in that direction. They bring out the worst in us, so you need to pray for patience and self-control. If you allow them to drag you into an argument, they have brought you down to their level, and you will never win that argument. You will just end up in great frustration. Someone has said: “Never tell a fool that he is a fool. All you'll have is an angry fool.”  Principle #4 – Protect yourself from the resentment and anger caused by foolish people. Proverbs 27:3 (NLT): A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is heavier than both. In her book, Foolproofing Your Life, my friend, Jan Silvious gives good advice about setting boundaries for the foolish people in your life. She says to think of living in a castle, with a moat around it and a drawbridge over that moat. When you see that foolish person coming at you, think of pulling up that drawbridge. It may be a mental or emotional drawbridge, or actually putting some space between you and that person, but learn to set those boundaries.[1] Yes, you have responsibilities toward some foolish people. Yes, you must interact with some foolish people. Yes, you can’t avoid all foolish people. But it is your responsibility to protect yourself from their words, their actions, their accusations, and their behavior. As Jan puts it, if you have to feed them, use a long-handle spoon. Well, there is a lot we can learn from Scripture on how to deal with foolish people. [1] Jan Silvious, Foolproofing Your Life: Wisdom for Untangling Your Most Difficult Relationships (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 1998).
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  Dealing With Foolish People – 4 27.08.2026 3мин

  The important issue we must consider is how we should respond to these foolish people. Our normal response is anger and frustration. But what does God want us to do? Let’s see what the Bible says. How are we to respond to foolish behavior? Pray for them. God can change anybody. Don’t ever give up. You can’t change them, but you can pray for God to change them. Keep the right attitude and motivation toward foolish people. It’s easy to become judgmental and arrogant toward them. Remember, God loves them as much as he loves you. Be prepared to set boundaries and protect yourself from being harmed by foolish people. Now, here are some Scriptures that give us further guidance on how God wants us to respond to the foolish people in our lives. Principle #1 – Don’t try to change them with advice. Proverbs 23:9 (NLT): Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. You may present the most logical, clear, helpful presentation of the right thing they should do, but they will not have ears to hear. If you keep trying to offer your advice, to persuade them with words, you will be continually frustrated. Principle #2 – Don’t give them honor or luxury. Proverbs 19:10: It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury – how much worse for a slave to rule over princes! Proverbs 26:1: Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool. Foolish people are easily spoiled and generally have no regard for taking care of possessions. They can ruin a car, a home, and clothes with no shame or concern. Giving them things will not solve their problems, though they want to get anything they can. They will ask for and expect gifts. To give them undeserved honor of any kind is neither smart nor helpful. To give them places of honor is to invite trouble. They don’t know how to handle honor or responsibility.