“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.’” Numbers 11:16-17 (ESV) When you love and care for people, you will experience fatigue. Life has a way of draining your energy and depleting your emotional reserves. Relationships can be refreshing and wonderful, yet some can be taxing and demanding. You can become weary to the point of total exhaustion. Moses hit a low point after caring for nearly two million Israelites. The journey of wandering in the wilderness had taken its toll. The Israelites were irritable and ungrateful for all that God had done and wanted to go back to Egypt. Moses felt the weight of their complaints. His emotional reserves were empty. God responded to the desperation Moses was experiencing by providing some much needed help. Moses could not bear this burden alone. God instructed Moses to bring a select group of Israel’s elders to the Tent of Meeting. God put His Spirit on them and empowered them to help Moses carry the burden of the people. Are you overwhelmed by life? Have you experienced compassion fatigue? Perhaps your load has exceeded your limit and you have no margin in your life. Ask God to bring some godly people into your life to help you carry the load. Ask God to show you what you need to stop doing, what you need to continue doing, and what you need to start doing. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Stress
“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.’” Num 11:16-17 (NIV) When you love and care for people, you will experience fatigue. Life has a way of draining your energy and depleting your emotional reserves. Relationships can be refreshing and wonderful, yet some can be taxing and demanding. You can become weary to the point of total exhaustion. Moses hit a low point after caring for nearly two million Israelites. The journey of wandering in the wilderness had taken its toll. The Israelites were irritable and ungrateful for all that God had done and wanted to go back to Egypt. Moses felt the weight of their complaints. His emotional reserves were empty. God responded to the desperation Moses was experiencing by providing some much needed help. Moses could not bear this burden alone. God instructed Moses to bring a select group of Israel’s elders to the Tent of Meeting. God put His Spirit on them and empowered them to help Moses carry the burden of the people. Are you overwhelmed by life? Have you experienced compassion fatigue? Perhaps your load has exceeded your limit and you have no margin in your life. Ask God to bring some godly people into your life to help you carry the load. Ask God to show you what you need to stop doing, what you need to continue doing, and what you need to start doing. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Compassion Fatigue
“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.’” Num 11:16-17 (NIV) Compassion fatigue is a reality in this life. When you love and care for people, you will experience fatigue. Life has a way of draining your energy and depleting your emotional reserves. Relationships can be refreshing and wonderful, yet some can be taxing and demanding. You can become weary to the point of total exhaustion. Moses hit a low point after caring for nearly two million Israelites. The journey of wandering in the wilderness had taken its toll. The Israelites were irritable and ungrateful for all that God had done and wanted to go back to Egypt. Moses felt the weight of their complaints. His emotional reserves were empty. God responded to the desperation Moses was experiencing by providing some much needed help. Moses could not bear this burden alone. God instructed Moses to bring a select group of Israel’s elders to the Tent of Meeting. God put His Spirit on them and empowered them to help Moses carry the burden of the people. Are you overwhelmed by life? Have you experienced compassion fatigue? Maybe you are emotionally depleted and physically exhausted. Perhaps your load has exceeded your limit and you have no margin in your life. Ask God to bring some godly people into your life to help you carry the load. Ask God to show you what you need to stop doing, what you need to continue doing, and what you need to start doing. God will come to your rescue! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
De-cluttering Your Life
“Moses’ father-in-law replied, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.’” Ex 18:17-18 (NIV) Living in a fallen world has immediate and progressive challenges. Sinfulness and selfishness dominate our culture. We live with an immense amount of pressure to perform at home, at school, at work, and at play. Our lives are bombarded with information and endless opportunities to expend our energy. Do you have margin in your life? Margin is the space between your load and your limit. God has designed you to handle a certain amount of His work during your brief stay on this planet called earth. God has given you all the time you need to accomplish His plan. Moses reached a breaking point due to being overextended and overwhelmed. The masses of people each wanted a piece of him. They wanted his time, his attention, and his decision making prowess. Though serving as judge over Israel, Moses failed to exercise proper judgment over his own life. God came to the rescue by bringing Jethro into Moses’ life. Jethro lovingly spoke into Moses’ life to declare, “What you are doing is not good.” Moses couldn’t see the unhealthy path that he was on. Jethro saw it clearly and succinctly. Jethro was willing to help Moses’ de-clutter his life. What is overwhelming you right now? Has your load exceeded your limit? What are you giving your life to that is outside of God’s will? Step back and evaluate your current reality. You may want to ask someone you know and love and trust to help you examine your life. Allow that person to give you feedback on what they see going on in your world. Their perspective could help you see what you are not seeing. God uses other people to help us walk in obedience to His will. Pray and ask God to bring a Jethro into your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor