STRESS...!

birdelljerome · Post by **birdelljerome** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:43 am

STRESS...!
Memory Text: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV).

This Week's Study: 1 Kings 17:2 - 4, 15, 16; 19:1, 2; Mark 6:31 - 34; Gal. 6:2 ; John 15:13.

1 Kings 17:2 - 4 Elijah Fed by Ravens "Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there."

1 Kings 17:15, 16 "She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah."

1 Kings 19:1-2 Elijah Flees to Horeb "Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."

Mark 6:31-34 "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things."

Galatians 6:2 "Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down ones life for ones friends."

Stress touches everyone. Demands at work, family crises, guilt, uncertainty about the future, dissatisfaction with the past - these all are hard enough. All this, along with the general events of life, can put enough pressure on people that it affects their physical and mental health. Researchers Thomas H. Holmes and Richard H. Rahe developed the social readjustment rating scale, which lists life events with corresponding stress values for each: the death of spouse - 100; personal injury or illness - 53; change in residence - 20; etc. A person accumulating 200 or more points at any given time runs a 50 percent chance of becoming ill; someone accruing 300 or more will reach a point of crisis. Moderate amounts of stress are necessary to increase performance, but beyond a point stress becomes a health hazard.

Jesus shows by precept and example that seeking God at a quiet time and place is the best remedy for lifes stresses (Mark 6:31). If we will allow Him to, the Lord will help us deal with the pressures that are such an inevitable part of life here.

Paisleegreen · Post by **Paisleegreen** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:47 am

I just read the Stress Rating Scale in one of my workbooks on Anxiety. Very thoughtful quotes to help counter stress.

SilverLining · Post by **SilverLining** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:14 pm

I agree - couldn't make it without the Lord on my side. Through every symptom and every difficult day, knowing that HE is with me and my life is in His hands, helps me get through every day. Life is a continual learning and growing process. I find the longer I've walked with the Lord, the more I need Him.

manofmusic · Post by **manofmusic** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:19 am

Amen !