Entering God's Rest

All during our lifetime, we love to create on God's behalf through our vocation, hobbies, parenthood and church ministry. However, we fail to heed God's advice to take times off to rest (Genesis 2:1-2:3).

God gave us an example of how to spend our time by taking a day to focus on rest. We usually use our "day off" to catch up on chores around the house, to stock our pantry and to prepare for the coming week.

During the most hectic days at work, home and with family, we often wish we could fly away on the wings of a dove and be at rest (Psalm 55:6). Yet, we fail to use our days off to relax and breathe.

Most of us enjoy our work, and realize that no matter what our vocation, it is God who actually pays our check (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25). This helps us not to be anxious about our livelihood.

God gives us our job and keeps us there until He has another place for us to minister for His Kingdom (Acts 8:39). Regardless of our vocation, God has His perfect plans for us (Ephesian 2:10).

There is no reason to feel worried about any aspect of our life. We take all of our cares to the Lord in prayer, because He cares about us (1 Peter 5:7).

God's peace guides us, not through our human mind, but through our spirit. He guards our emotions and mind from worry and stress, because we abide in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

Jesus modeled this peace through storms, Satan's temptations, persecution and His crucifixion (Matthew 8:24). God is humble and gentle with us and gives us rest for our soul (Matthew 11:28-29).

Pray:

Father God, remind us that You offer us a fulfilling and passionate relationship with You, which keeps us in peace because of Your faithful provision for all of our needs (Romans 8:28). This requires regular quiet times in order to enter your rest (Hebrews 13:5).

As we pray with our children and model a Godly walk for them, they too will learn the importance of trusting You with their life. Help us to enter into Your rest and to abide under the shadow of Your wings (Hebrews 4:10; Psalm 91).

Thought for the Day:

Pray as a single person, as a couple and with your children to inspire anticipation for the miracles ahead, as well as faith in God's faithfulness, which both inspire us to rest in Him and to walk in His peace in every situation.

A Seed for a Miracle

 


The trials of life are inevitable. Tribulation even comes to those who walk uprightly before the Lord (Matthew 5:45). Paul learned two secrets through the things, which he suffered.

First, he learned to be content whether he had plenty or when he had nothing, when he lived in comfort or when he suffered deprivation, and when he saw the fruit of his ministry or when he simply planted or watered (Philippians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

Secondly, he learned to count every trial and tribulation as a joyous event (James 1:2-18). I never understood this insane view of suffering; until the day that I suffered the dissolution of my family.

This was by far the worst thing that could ever happen to me. I can bear physical pain and death, but I was inconsolable from the magnitude of my emotional loss when I was literally cut out of my family circle.

God previously tried through numerous trials to teach me to surrender all to Him, to enter His place of rest and to have faith in His faithfulness (Proverbs 3:5-6; Hebrews 4:10-11).

Yet, through every trail I struggled, often in vain, to use my own human resources to remedy the situation. However, this time there was no repairing the rupture of my family unit through divorce.

This is when I learned the Serenity Prayer. I had no recourse but to hand this devastating trial completely to God to do with as He saw fit. What I learned from this situation changed my life.

Now when I experience a trial, I view it as a sidewalk. If I focus on the details of the journey, I experience fear and insecurity. If I remember that there is a seed for a miracle in every trial, I feel only hope and anticipation.

I look toward the end the trial with the eyes of faith (Hebrews 11:1), expecting to see a miracle just up ahead. I keep my mind focused on God's Kingdom and His will for me in this trial.

I serve at the pleasure of our King Jesus. If He allows a loss or trial or tribulation in my life, it is for His glory and my good (John 9:3; Romans 8:28). I can count on Him, because He is always faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9).

God uses us in times of trial to share the Gospel with someone; to live through this storm as an example of Christ's peace within us; and for God to form His character, the fruit of His Spirit, and Christ's divine nature in us through the things, which we suffer (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:4; Ephesians 2:10).

I count trials as joyful experiences now, as I focus on the eternal consequences and not the temporal aspects of each one. I look forward to the ultimate miracle, which this trial shall birth in my life.

Prayer:

Father God, trials also taught me that as I continually live in Your presence and walk by Your Spirit, I will experience far fewer trials, than if You have to resort to trials to gain my attention.

Satan also uses circumstances to batter us with temptations and trials all throughout our life; but we thank You that Christ in us is greater than the god of this world (Job 2:3; 1 John 4:4). Remind us that Jesus already won the victory for us over every negative aspect of life (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Thought for the Day:

Trust your life to God's capable hands.

New Life in Christ

Jesus became sin for us and hung as a criminal on the cross in our place. After His resurrection, He walked the earth for 40 days, appearing to people and ministering to them. These eyewitnesses give us infallible proof of His resurrection. He was the first born of God’s children to come back from the grave and He now has total supremacy over the all things (Colossians 1:18).

For His entire life on earth, Jesus surrendered His will to God’s and He calls us to do the same thing. His resurrection power works in us, giving us the ability to do His will (Philippians 2:12-13). We relate to Jesus death through the death of our carnality and by our baptism into His life (Colossians 2:12, Galatians 2:20). We have perfect fellowship with our Heavenly Father, just like Jesus did (1 John 1:3).

God rewarded Jesus’ faithfulness with the glories of Heaven. Jesus demonstrated to us that when we give up our life for God, we gain the splendor of Heaven as well. We walk in the victory of God’s Spirit in our spirit, victory over sin in our soul and victory over death in our immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). Jesus lives out His life in us by God’s Spirit, who abides in us and leads us each moment of our day.

We receive Christ’s divine nature as we total surrender to and obey God’s will for our life. We are holy vessels, set apart for God’s service. We renounce all worldliness, rebellion and apathy as we admit our helplessness without Him, live in dependence on Him and accept our significance in Him. God’s Spirit works the holiness of Christ in us and gives us His life and anointing.

Prayer:

Father God, as our flesh dies with Christ, our spirit rises up to walk in a new life in Him (Romans 6:4). Like the three Hebrew children taken into slavery, we refuse to partake in the sin of this life. We keep our self holy and pure by fleeing from temptation and submitting to Your Spirit each day. Help us to live a life of responsibility, forgiveness and wisdom like Joseph did. We wait in breathless anticipation for our new adventure in Christ to unfold with each new day.

Thought for the Day:

Everyone in Egypt saw the hand of the Lord on Joseph’s life, because the Lord was with Him as He is with and in each of us. – Genesis 39:2

 

Loving Kindness in the Morning

 

Each day, God draws us closer to Himself as we surrender our will to His. Our intimacy with Jesus, who lives within us, grows deeper with each passing day. We mature in His Word and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). He gradually works His spiritual, divine nature into our character (2 Peter 1:4). He reveals Himself to us more each day that we walk faithfully according to the leading of His Holy Spirit. We anticipate the day on which He completely unveils the fullness of His Godhead in us.

With each new morning, we meditate on God’s Word, listen to His Spirit, follow Jesus’ example and look forward to His triumph in every moment of our day, regardless of how dark our circumstances appear. He loves for us to sit at His feet, to learn from Him and to spend time worshipping Him throughout the day for the multitude of gifts He showers on us. These are the highlights of our day. He also provides us with spiritual gifts to use to help to build His Kingdom in the earth (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

God prepared works for us to accomplish with our life (Ephesians 2:10). He knew ahead of time whether or not we would walk in them (Romans 9:23). Once we taste of the goodness of the Lord, we will never return to our sinful lifestyle (Romans 6:22). If we do, that proves we are not Born Again (1 John 3:9). His kindness leads us to repentance as He draws us into redemption from sin and the curse (Romans 2:4; John 6:44; Philippians 3:13-14).

Our guilt over our past, our stress in our current situation and our fear of the future all hinder our joy in the Lord. We can rejoice in the good as well as in the bad, because He always works everything out for our ultimate benefit (Romans 8:28). Walking away from sin’s temptation insures that we reap God’s intended blessings for our life (1 John 5:18). God perfects us from the inside out, putting His desires in our heart so that we walk in His ways (Psalm 37:4; Deuteronomy 8:6).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for removing any vain thoughts that set themselves up in our mind against Your truth (2 Corinthians 5:10). We live in remorse for those times that we choose to walk away from You. Draw the hearts of our loved ones away from rebellion, pride, addictions and willfulness and show them the beauty of Your presence in our life. Cause us to hear Your loving kindness in the morning, which enables us to trust in You. Reveal to us the way in which we should walk, because we lift up our soul to You (Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

Those whom the Spirit sets free are free indeed. - John 8:36

 

Fellowshipping with Our Father

Read: John 14:16-21

“What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’” - 2 Corinthians 6:16

As my sister-in-Christ walked on the beach, she fairly fainted with excitement over her upcoming trip to her best friend’s home. In the next moment, the Lord stated a clear fact to her. “You are more excited to spend time with her than you are to spend time with Me.” This thought reminded her of Mark 12:30, "Love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

Amazingly, the God and King of the universe desires companionship with His children. So much so, that He sent His Son to die for us, and His Spirit to dwell within us.

How much time do we spend fellowshipping with Our Father? How much attention do we give to the monumental fact that the Holy Spirit of God lives inside of us? Our busy schedules usually prevent this from happening.

Therefore, now is the moment to prioritize our time and to exclude all of our useless endeavors (1 John 1:6). Then, whatever crowds out or competes with our affections for Him can be demoted to its proper place in our life.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we desire to walk in Your presence each moment of our day and to live our lives as a praise to You. Fill us with your peace, joy and contentment. Draw us ever closer to Your heart.

Thought for the Day:

Blessings are not earned, but awarded.