I Can't Sleep but I'm Tired

Don't you hate that! It's after twelve a.m. and my mind isn't stopping - so, I thought I would post a quick blog. Here's is a favorite proverb of mine:

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest -

and poverty will come on you like a bandit

and scarcity like an armed man.

Prov. 6:10

This has been a favorite proverb of mine for a long time. It applies so much. I used it when I was running to help me get out of bed and run, I used it when I was working for FCA and had to take the long drive out to Coalinga to build relationships, and I still use it when I have to get up early to cut back the jungle that never sleeps or slumbers. It is easy to apply this to our sleeping or working habits but I really unlocked the door to conviction when I started applying this passage to...well, every area of life. I look at poverty not just financial but spiritual, relational... more of a lacking of necessity, I guess. Like spiritual disciplines, for example. I have never made up my mind that I would stop reading my bible. But, I have gone through months at a time with out cracking the thing open. That doesn't happen overnight. It was a little less bible here, a little less there, skip one day, then skip two and three. Soon, I don't even sense the spiritual hunger anymore, I am in spiritual poverty in a way. We need to be on our guard! Poverty sneaks up on us!

On a more positive note - I am learning that the reverse is true as well. It's the, "Set a large goal and then divide it up into smaller goals" approach that I learned while running. We say we want to read the bible in a year - that is so do-able! Go for it. But you should divide that big goal into a smaller daily reading plan ( like this one, it's my favorite). Maybe we can write a converse to proverb 6:10 as something like this:

A little discipline, and little sweat

A little less cutting the corners -

and richness will come on you before you know it

and blessings you never expected

I have been applying Proverbs 6:10 to other parts of my life as well such as my relationships, marriage, exercise, spiritual disciplines and others tuff I cant think of.

Keep watching for the armed men,

Phil