I am a “race horse” who lives in a world full of turtles. I love to gallop, except for when I can run at full speed. Deadlines and schedules are motivators for me. I don’t like “late-nicks.” My mantra is, “It is better to be fifteen minutes early than to be fifteen seconds late”. That is my long-running philosophy that has served me well in life. My race-horse mentality is never more in evidence than when I travel.
I am very utilitarian when I am on the road. Therefore, I have only stopped at a handful of Rest Areas in my 40+ years of traveling (unless there was female or a dog traveling with me). I have driven by many opportunities to pull over, stretch my legs, rest my brain and relax my body. Many times I have zoomed past these exits of opportunity while I haughtily scoffed at the amateurs who couldn’t take the pace of being a “professional traveler”.
These “namby-pamby” types who think travel is supposed to be a pleasant experience of sight-seeing and wafting the interstates just do not understand my sense of urgency. These “Sunday Drivers” may know that the shortest distance between Point A and Point B is a straight line, but they have not figured out that the fastest way to get there is with your cruise control set on 75 mph. They don’t call the inside lane of a freeway or an interstate highway the “Bullet Lane” for nothing. These “turtles” just don’t realize that you can rest and relax WHEN you get to your destination!
I, on the other hand, coordinate my stops to maximize my travel time. I fill my tank, empty my bladder and hit the road. My stops truly are comparable to the NASCAR Pit Stop mentality. Eating on the road is a “drive-thru” experience. Nutrition is a word that never crosses my lips when I travel. It is the least of my considerations. If I cannot hold it, eat it and drive simultaneously, then it is not on my menu. My trips never include foods like chili, biscuits and gravy, or salads. I know that if I leave Houston at the right time to avoid traffic snarls, and can average 65 miles an hour, I can make the 969 mile trip to my old home place in Greenville, SC in 14 hours and 56 minutes. I have done it so many times that I have it down to a science. I know every burger joint and multi-stall facility in five states. When I travel, I am a man on a mission!
I know this is not what AAA or AARP suggests as the norm for travelers. I understand their perspective of stopping every two hours to stretch your legs and rest your eyes. But that’s just not who I am. I am all about the enjoyment of BEING there, not the grind of getting there. My absolute imperative when I travel is to keep my eyes on the prize, and that means “the arrival”, not “the process” is my goal. After all, I am a race horse, not a turtle, and if I snooze, I loose.
With this insight into my persona, it should come as no surprise that I am this way about Kingdom living. My race horse mentality often finds me looking at Jesus in my rearview mirror. There are days when it seems that He has real difficulty keeping up with my pace. Maybe He is not slow, just methodical. For whatever the reason, I frequently appear to be the “bell cow” on this missionary enterprise. My theme song is,”If you’re waitin on me you’re backing up”.
Jesus, on the other hand, appears to enjoy the more “laid-back” approach. In fact, it has taken Him over 2,000 years to get His Bride ready for the “Wedding of the Ages” and, according to Paul’s epistle, we still have “spots and wrinkles”. Come on now, even our Federal Government does not move that slowly. What’s up with this lack of urgency in the Kingdom? Maybe we should explore this subject a little more.
Let me go on record as saying, right here and right now, that I love Jesus very much. However, there are things about Him I just do not understand. For instance, (1) Why did He hang around with “low-lifes”, druggies, drunks, prostitutes, thieves and fishermen, when He could have been preaching to mayors, governors and the elite of His day? What is wrong with “Silk-Stocking Evangelism?” Didn’t the aristocrats need to be saved just as much as the commoners? (2) Why did Jesus, the Savior of the world, lounge around for hours with His friends, go fishing and mountain climbing when He had a WORLD to save in just a little over three years? What kind of time management was that? (3) After His resurrection, why did Jesus appear to these same simpletons instead of marching into Pilate’s Courtroom or Caiaphas’s office and confronting them about their obnoxious behavior? I could go on, but you get my point. These are simply samplings of Kingdom Principles that are just beyond the scope of our human understanding.
It then follows that, if I do not understand some of the things Jesus did, I may not understand some of the things He is doing! For example, why does He use reins on the race horses and spurs on the turtles? I can see the reason to spur the turtles, but why restrain the race horse? Aren’t we in a hurry to win the lost, save the world and prepare the Bride of Christ for the wedding? The answer to these questions is an unequivocal “YES”. But Christ is also interested in limiting the list of casualties during the process and, as the National Transportation Department tells us, “Speed Kills.”
A Psalm of great significance was written 28 generations before Christ’s birth that will shed some light on this subject. In David’s masterpiece he penned, “…He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…” (Ps. 23:2). What was David telling us some 1,400 years before Jesus would become our Shepherd? He said that Jesus would MAKE US lie down. The exact Hebrew word means, “ To crouch [on all four legs folded, like a recumbent animal]; by implication, to recline, repose, crouch down, fall down, make a fold, lay, cause to or make to lie down, make to rest, or sit.” (Hebrew, Rabats, Strong’s Concordance #7257).
Many of us are like the little school boy who would not stay seated during class so his teacher pulled a chair up beside her. After making the little boy come sit beside her in front of all his classmates she turned to him and said, “Johnny, what do you think about this arrangement?” To which he responded, “Well, I may be sitting down on the outside, but I am definitely standing up on the inside!” Doesn’t that sound a lot like us when Christ makes us to sit for awhile?
Remember Paul, the ever-restless one? He was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to go preach in Asia. God made him to stay put for the time being. The Shepherd made him to SIT where he did not want to sit and rest. Earlier, Moses and the children of Israel were stopped in their tracks when the cloud did not move forward. For days, the Shepherd made them SIT OR REST. Elijah was made to sit OR REST by a drying creek. David, the newly anointed King, was made to sit on the sidelines for years as Saul tried to kill him 21 times. The Bible is filled with examples of God’s people who were MADE TO SIT OR LIE DOWN against their will.
It is critical for us, especially those in ministry, to remember that the Shepherd is responsible for the
(1) mission, (2) condition, (3) position and (4) nutrition of His Sheep. Just as surely as the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, so also the STOPS of a good man are ordered by the Lord
(Ps. 37:23). Our Shepherd knows that, if we do not take the time to come apart for awhile, we may eventually just “come apart”. Jesus displayed the need for personal relaxing and refreshing during His earthly ministry so that we could follow His example during our ministry without feeling guilty.
We must never reject our Shepherd’s voice or rebuff Him when He commands us to sit, rest or relax. No matter how strongly we view the imperative to “GO”, there are times when He will tell us to “STAY”. If we do not heed His still, small voice, our Shepherd knows how to “Make us lie down”. After all, the Shepherd knows what is best for His sheep. Do not be guilty of trying to speed past the Exit Ramp when the Lord places a Rest Area on your itinerary.
Christ’s Rest Areas may not look so inviting at first glance, but the Shepherd only makes you lie down in “Green pastures.” These stops may be designed (1) as a punishment for bad behavior, as in the case of Moses’ forty years of separation from his Hebrew family, or (2) it may be a place designed for spiritual, emotional or physical recovery and rehabilitation. Whatever the reason, you can trust the Shepherd’s love for you. He knows when you need to get out of the “rat race” or away from the scene of the crime and enjoy the amenities you will discover when you just lie down and linger at “Green Pastures Rest Area”. Learn to stop struggling and start snuggling with your Shepherd. Life is definitely better that way.
There is much more to explore about resting in the Lord (Ps.37:7) as you go to the Gold Mine of God’s Word.
****A Personal Word to Our Readers from Dr. Frazier****
There are great insights to be derived from the study of the Greek or Hebrew Testaments. Each month I will endeavor to share a nugget of truth from the Book of Truth, God’s Eternal Word. These will be concise and should not intrude into your time or opportunity to explore the richness of the vein from which they were extracted. That is for you and the Holy Spirit to excavate together. These nuggets are just to let you know where to begin the digging, if you so desire. They are NOT designed to be an exhaustive commentary providing all the answers on the subject. The Spirit will guide you in how deep to dig. Please feel free to share your questions, observations or insights with our readers and me.
Website: http://www.donfrazier.com
Author: Donald Frazier
| Author's Website: http://donfrazier.com
Written: 12/01/2008
| 
Category: Golden Nuggets
Comments: 3
RSS Feed
| (What's an RSS feed?)
|
Ads Sponsored by Southern Spin
I started reading your articles a few months ago,and all of them has blessed me with some great insights, however this "rest area ahead" really hit home for me and my ministry. Dr. Frazier thank you for letting God to continually flow out of your gift of writing and blessing the flock of His pastures. Looking forward for next month.
Dr. Frazier, I don't know where you come up with your ideas, but you definitely have a way with words! You have hit on the problem with the majority of us believers -- we are in too great a hurry and it causes us to worry! Thank God Jesus was a Man of peace and grace and knew how to pace Himself! I love your writings!
There's one area that I wish the Lord would be speedy -- come and get His bride soon!
Page 1 of 1 Comment Pages
