Thursday, April 12, 2018

Rest for Our Soul

Free stock photo of flowers, top view, lavender, wooden planks



Abiding is one of the most beautiful words in the English language! It includes the concept of blending, togetherness, completion, belonging, permanency, conquering, resting and being made complete.

Abiding in Christ takes all of the frustration and stress out of life. We relax as if we are luxuriating in a huge feather bed, or floating down a quiet stream, or sitting in the midst of a field of flowers.

When we abide in Christ we lack no good thing, we feel perfectly comfortable regardless of our circumstances, and we know that He will keep us safely tucked under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 40:11, 91: 4-5).

Although God promises to shower us with His blessings by opening up the windows of heaven (Malachi 3:10), so often we turn from them and from Him. We choose to live life through our own efforts, so that we will gain the power and praise.

We refuse to submit to the Spirit’s direction because we want to maintain control. We compromise with the flesh, the world and the devil; and we ruin our Christian testimony to the world, as well as our intimacy with our Heavenly Father.

Eventually, God brings a turning point into our life. We are reduced to nothing; so that we desperately decide to cling to His promises, to accept His blessings, and to allow His Spirit to incorporate His fruit and gifts into our life.

God beckons us to come to Him to find rest for our soul – our mind, will and emotions (Matthew 11:28-29); He challenges us to take up His yoke, so that He may bear the weight of our load, and to yield to His will each moment of our day.

Prayer:
Father God, You restore our soul and provide us with goodness and mercy all of the days of our life (Psalm 23).
Thank You for bringing us to the place where we feel complete in You. We experience intimate fellowship and enduring fulfillment with You. The more we surrender our limiting humanity and carnality to Christ’s divinity within us, the closer we come to continually abiding under the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 91:1).

Remind us that we will live in perfect rest only as we relinquish our self to Your management and care. Please continue to perfect us until Your Son reigns supreme in every area of our life. We want to live in undivided commitment to You with our whole spirit, soul and body, and to seek to please You and to further Your kingdom with our every thought, word and action.

Thought for the Day:
Abiding in Christ brings us complete peace and joy, which defies description and goes beyond human reasoning; so that the longer we walk with God, the deeper we abide in His rest with no hidden agendas or ulterior motives - simply resting in His love and abiding in His presence continually.