One of the most challenging dynamics we are facing in this age is simply, who do you believe? Who are you listening to? You go online and you can find 100 different perspectives and even realities. And they are all just a click away, clamoring for our attention. But our deepest source of wisdom and insight and direction can come from God if we tune into His word, His teaching. It is so easy for us to “depend on our own understanding.” To just boldly go forward with what seems right to us in the moment. But what if we kept going back—through daily devotion and reading of scripture—to “Seek His will” in all that we do. Not just in the big decisions, but in the regular ones. The only way I know to do that is to create a daily way to tune into God’s wisdom through reading, reflecting and remembering scripture.

All of us are different. We are wired with different personalities, different gifts, different abilities. Our calling is not to be someone else, but to use the unique gifts the Holy Spirit has given each of us to bless others. Don’t overstate our gifts, don’t undervalue our gifts.  Be realistic Paul says—but then use them! Invest them!

One of the powerful titles that someone once gave describing Jesus was: “A Man for Others.” We are taught to look out for number one. That we need to take care of ourselves and seek the power, the status that gets us the perks in life. But Jesus points in a whole different direction. Its not upward mobility but downward mobility—life in Jesus kingdom, following Jesus leads us to serve as he did. Seeing the people around us. Seeing the opportunities around us to bless others. And then stepping into those opportunities.  The disciples struggled with this and so do we. But if we keep following Jesus, he will show us how to love, how to serve.

Solomon was one of the wealthiest and wisest people in the world. He had the means to pursue happiness and pleasure wherever he wanted. And in Ecclesiastes he gives his verdict after exhaustive experimenting—focusing on pleasing yourself.  In the end it is meaningless. Yes pleasure brings happiness in the short run…but it doesn’t last. A mile wide but an inch deep. Scripture shows us the real path to deep heartfelt joy and meaning—is to find your calling in focusing on others. God created us a masterpiece, but a masterpiece designed to serve others. It is when we discover that surprising truth that we find true joy and meaning for our lives.

We live in a busy world. You ask people how they are their first response is likely to be, “I’m busy.” It is as if our worth and value is determined by how full our calendar is. But this Labor Day God wants to remind us that rest is his gift to us. He never intended us to live out of exhaustion. As God said to Moses: “They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you.” How are you building rhythms of work and rest into your life? Are you living at a sustainable pace? Do you believe that rest, that sabbath is a gift from God to you?

Life isn’t easy. It can be hard. It can be devastating. It can be wearying. God knows that and God leads us into community that we might find the support, the care and comfort that we need when times are tough. The Holy Spirit comforts us that we might be comforters for others. It is in community that we care for others and we ourselves receive care. That is not something we can just do for ourselves. May we open ourselves to the care and comfort that God longs for us to know in community.