Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”
Our Bible verse for today: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:18 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Most of us need more rest.”
One of the best things most of us could do to improve our health is to get more rest. We’re just too busy, and we don’t get enough sleep. Researchers tell us that while the average adult body needs 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night just to function well, the vast majority of Americans get only 5-6 hours, and much of that is not deep sleep.
Insufficient sleep saps our energy, makes it difficult to concentrate, and is stressful on the body. We also tend to overeat and make poor food choices when we’re overtired. Additionally, we often try to compensate for the lack of energy by consuming too much caffeine. All of that is very unhealthy for us.
But God wants us to rest. Psalm 127:2 in the NLT reads “God gives rest to His loved ones.” That’s right – God gives rest as a gift to those He loves. In 1 Kings 19:5, when the prophet Elijah was super-stressed and not thinking clearly, God put him in timeout and made him take a nap. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus invited the weary and burdened to come to Him for … rest.
Do you need a better night’s sleep? Lay off the caffeine (especially in the evening); consume no sugar after dinner; do not watch late-night TV shows or movies that tend to get your heart rate up (like adventure thrillers); and do not attempt to deal with problems or stressful situations prior to bedtime. Instead, try listening to soothing music in the hour before bedtime; read your Bible; and pray asking God to give you good rest.
Most of us need more rest, and God wants us to have good rest. But we need to be smart about this too. There are steps we can take to help prepare body for the rest God wants us to have.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 