Rest, Know God, Take action

Our mission has the motto "Know God, Take Action." As many of us will admit, we love taking action but knowing God takes much purposeful and thoughtful work. I recently read two devotions on the Precept website about resting, especially from Psalm 46:10. "Be still and know that I am God." 

   Be still (cease striving)

        Rest, relax, chill out, stop fighting, drop your weapons

   Know that I am God

        Learn that I am God, or "see that I am God", "Get to know me better"

The blogs go on to say that resting is a matter of trusting that God will continue to work, even when we rest. The Israelites began their day in the evening. They rested before they worked. That was a new idea to me. I thought that we rested because we worked. I have frantically been trying to get caught up with my "to do" list so I can rest. Maybe I have it backwards. Maybe my personal motto should be "Be still, know God, take action." Or "cease striving, know God, take action." 

Finishing APC Responsibilities

Today I concluded a three-year term serving on the ACTION Philippine Council. My term had many twists and turns that I did not anticipate. I was nominated to the position by my husband who held that role for roughly 20 years. His term was extra long because when he was Field Director his term did not have the 3-year limit. After our last furlough (2011) he wanted me to have the opportunity to serve. I replace Paul Ellis on the APC when he concluded his three year term and his daughter Pami is now replacing me. How cool is that?!? I thought serving on the APC would be a good chance to use my strategy and troubleshooting talents but there is so much more involved in leadership than I realized. Now, at the conclusion of my term, I admit that I did not know what I was getting into and it was an incredible learning experience. My challenge to the APC today is that they use that venue to work purposefully and intentionally to develop leadership skills among the APC members. They will be going through an excellent book "Leading from the Sandbox" by T. J. Addington. One thing the book talks about is how to have good "robust dialogue." That has been a challenge at times since my "troubleshooting" attempts at times led to being misunderstood and criticized by some. I guess that is part of leadership. You can't always tell people all that goes into a decision so they don't always understand. But for the most part, I think I was able to be helpful.

Walk and don't faint

Isa 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (ESV)

Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. (KJV) 

Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches; But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord. (AMP)