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Why are we called to share our time, talents and treasures?  We give because God has given so much to us.  We give to demonstrate our gratitude to our Jesus, who regularly demonstrated how to give freely, cheerfully, and generously. We give to demonstrate our gratitude to God, who freely showers His grace upon us.  Who can benefit from the gift of our time, talent or treasure – all given to us by a graceful God.

Sometimes when we think about serving we decide not to because we are in a season of our life where we simply do not have time to volunteer or take on a project that would complicate our already busy lives.  But service doesn’t always need to be a big project or program.  Service can be reflected in the very way we live our lives.   Sometimes it is the small things we do that can have a big impact on others.  Saying good morning to your co-worker to brighten the day, kissing your spouse and letting to let them know they are loved, surprising a stranger by paying for their  groceries ,  holding the elevator for someone in a hurry, complementing someone to notice a job well done, hugging a friend to lend support.   Let’s be intentional.  Let’s allow the small things we do throughout our day make a big difference to others.  Our small actions, performed with love and concern for others, serve God’s kingdom well because they bring joy – both to ourselves and to others.

God has blessed each of us with unique abilities and gifts — talents.  When combined with our life experiences and personality, our talents makes us each designed in a way to specially serve in God’s kingdom.   We might be excellent cooks who share meals with the needy, crafters who bring the joy of homemade gifts, hosts who organize events to build community, vocalists who enrich worship, readers who share their love of literacy, artists who capture the beauty of God’s kingdom, teachers who enrich lives, …there are so many gifts and so many ways to share.

Our talents were given to us in order to share them – and we in turn benefit from the talents and gifts God provides others. God calls us to serve and He equips us to serve – He provides us the gifts and talents we can use to benefit others.  When we are using our God-given talents,  we enjoy sharing them and our service is pleasant and it turns into a joy!

How well are you managing your talents?  What are the talents God has given you and how can you use them to serve others?  Let’s commit to using our talents wisely and for the service of others!

This week we celebrate the goodness of God through sharing.  We worship a God of abundance … God who gives His grace bountifully.  Jesus gave His life on the cross for us so we can have eternal life.  God gave us the Holy Spirit to be with us.  God gives us spiritual gifts so we can serve.  God gives us love.

We can give in many ways – through gifts of our time, talents and treasure.  We can give to help the poor, to free the oppressed,  to assist our family, to sustain  fellow believers, to support the church, to give back to our community.   In all cases, we are called to give gladly and from our heart –give as an act that gives glory to God.   Sharing and giving that is done as an act of worship and is based on the love of God is giving that results in joy for us and those we serve.

When we talk about resting from a Christian perspective, we are not just talking about taking time to relax and pamper ourselves .   Mark 2:27 reminds us that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” – the Sabbath is a gift to us from God.   The fourth commandment instructs us to remember the Sabbath day.  We are called to provide time to rest and praise God not because God needs our praise, but because we benefit from  a  God-centered mindset as we prepare our hearts for the week ahead.  When observe the gift of the Sabbath we refocus and can go about our daily work with a God-centered spirit.  The Sabbath is the Lord’s day – a day of joy and celebration.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus offers us rest.  He asks us to turn over our burdens and be yoked to Him.  He asks us to stop trying to take on all of life’s problems on our own.

We do not live a life of total independence and are all yoked to something.  Who or what are you yoked to now?  Your responsibilities?  Your work?  Your friends and family? Your past?  Your guilt?

What kind of rest do you need?  Physical rest?  Rest from fears and doubts? Spiritual rest?  Rest from worry?  Rest from trying so hard to be in control? Rest from frustration and failure?

Jesus asks us to take off the yoke of the world and replace it with His yoke.  He offers that when we do this He will be with us to help cope with life’s burdens.  When we put on Jesus’  yoke we will have His love and energy to help our families, friends and neighbors, His peace to cope with problems, His mercy and grace to overcome our shortcomings, and we will have the stamina to do the work He has called us to do.

Jesus offers us real rest – rest for our souls – a rest that is reflected in our lives as disciples of Christ.

“I speak to God:  I don’t really want more time; I just want enough time.  Time to breathe deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done — yesterday…I just want time to do my one life well. “ – Ann Voskamp [One Thousand Gifts]

Enough time…the more we hurry it seems the less time we have.  But time is a constant – and each one of us only has so much time.  The real success of our lives lies in figuring out how to make the time we have here on this beautiful Earth one of joy and hope in our Lord; how we make the time we have count.  Making our time count involves leaving quiet, contemplative time in our lives that allows God to comfort us and guide us. Make your time count.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”   “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”   — Luke 10:38-42

This familiar story of Martha and Mary reminds us that we make important choices about how to spend our time every single day.  In fact, our life is defined by the daily choices we make. Jesus wants us to make the right choices, and He is very clear throughout Scripture that the right choice means taking time to remember, thank and worship our God — above everything else we do. That choice will give us the strength and stamina for all else life brings.  Is it the choice we make daily?  Or do we allow other important things to take up more of our time than God? Do we choose to take the time to rest in the arms of our Lord or do we choose to be harried and busy?

Our study this week is “Celebrating through Rest” and this quote from Billy Graham seemed very pertinent to the study, for our busyness can be a great distraction:

“One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper was not hostile; he was not opposed to them, but his inn was crowded; his hands were full; his mind was preoccupied. This is the answer that millions are giving today. Like a Bethlehem innkeeper, they cannot find room for Christ. All the accommodations in their hearts are already taken up by other crowding interests. Their response is not atheism. It is not defiance. It is preoccupation and the feeling of being able to get on reasonably well without Christianity.”   ― Billy Graham

What can we do to encourage those close to us to take time to make room for their loving and faithful God amid the busyness of their lives?

We are busy!  We can be busy with many things – work, family, keeping healthy, volunteering and even vacationing!  Much of our busyness isn’t just for ourselves – we get super busy doing for others. While we complain a lot about how busy we are, we often derive some satisfaction from our busyness.  In some way we feel it demonstrates our worth to society.  We live in a culture where we feel guilty when we relax and don’t have something we are supposed to be doing.   Certainly God does not intend for us to be lazy!  So what is so wrong with being busy?

When God created the world He rested (Genesis 2:1-2).  In Deuteronomy 5:12-15 God instructs the Israelites to observe the Sabbath day  as a day to remember that their powerful and mighty God saved them from slavery in Egypt.  In Leviticus 23:28-29 God commands His people to rest on the Day of Atonement and even threatens that those who do not must be cut off from their people.

In our busy lives we think that it is our effort, not God’s that provides. This sets us apart from God.  Our work can become a substitute for God’s work.  We take on the heavy burden of having to do it all.  God, however, wants His people to remember that God is the source of all – and by taking the time to rest we trust that God supplies every need in all areas of our life.  When we agree to rest, we show that we trust that He will provide.  When we rest we have some time in our life to reflect on God and talk with Him.

This Sunday observe the Sabbath.  Take the time to focus on God and offer thanksgiving for all you have.  Spend time enjoying family and friends instead of working at entertaining them. Seek some quiet time to see what God would have you focus on in the coming week.  See what a difference this God-focused rest can make in your  week ahead.