For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
We have all been given 24 hours in each day. It is important how we use that time—how we regulate the different areas of our lives to keep them in proper perspective. If we have too much work and not enough rest, we get out of balance. We become workaholics and end up weary and worn-out.
I get a lot of satisfaction out of accomplishments and work. I don’t like a lot of wasted time or useless activities. But because of my nature, it is easy for me to get out of balance in the area of work. I have to regularly determine that I will not only work but also rest. It must be a priority for me to be healthy and close to God.
But it is also possible to have too much rest and not enough work. Solomon says that ...through idleness of the hands the house leaks (Ecclesiastes 10:18 AMPC). In other words, people who don’t work enough end up in trouble. Their finances, spiritual life, possessions, bodies, and everything else suffer because they don’t do the work necessary to keep things in order.
Ask God to help you have a healthy and proper balance of work and rest. Take time to accomplish the tasks before you but be sure to seize your opportunities to be at peace and enjoy rest. Both are important. Balance is the key!
Prayer of the Day: God, please show me how to bring balance to my life between work and rest, one step at a time, amen.
