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.

True Rest

Our human will drives us to stay in control of our life and to live it as we choose, rather than in submission to any created or divine being. We feel the need to manage our life and the life of all of those who have influence over our existence in any way. We do not want anyone, who could possibly disturb the orderly peace we create in our sphere of reality, to have the control. If anyone tries to disrupt our peace, we reject or fight them with every ounce of effort we can muster.

However, true rest comes from submitting to God’s will for our life. In reality, we could never attain the amount of peace through our own vigilance over the order of our life. Our true victory is in responding in kindness to those who attempt to abuse us and to rely heavily on the hand of God to use every trial for His glory. When the situation is impossible to bear, we do not have to remain in an unsafe or unsavory situation, and we can remove our self to an alternate space to await God’s will in the situation.

There is absolutely never any reason to divorce our self from any person or situation; but if possible, we simply reposition our self in order to have some space and protection from the situation. We wait on God to move in the circumstance and to work it all out for our benefit (Romans 8:28). He often takes His time in these issues, giving the other party plenty of time to repent and come to their senses. He will influence their decisions, but He will never force His will on them.

Regardless of their choices, God will always protect His Saints, even to the point of death. Even those Believers, imprisoned for their faith and unable to escape, find that He sustains them from the inside out. He gives them His supernatural comfort and joy, which surpasses all of our horrifying circumstances they are forced to experience (Philippians 4:6-8). They live in victory and in praise for the honor and glory of our Savior’s name: Jesus.

Prayer:

Father God, we start dying to self by denying our flesh in simple areas, such as that second piece of cake; then we soon develop less of a desire for carnal appetites and more of a desire to live in submission to Your will. We start this walk of total dependence on You by developing quiet times in our daily schedule in order to sit in Your presence. Even in Your silence, we can still pray as You bring people to our mind. Ultimately, we spend our time in praise for who You are and all that You do for us. We reap intimacy with You and have fewer areas in our life, on which the devil can feed.

Thought for the Day:

We live in quietness and confidence, which is our strength; and we dwell in peace and safety forever. – Isaiah 30:15, 32:17-18

 

In Quietness and Confidence

No one is good, except the Lord (Romans 3:10). As we stop trying to be good and realize that we are already dead, and hidden with Christ in God (Colossian 3:3), we find rest for our soul. It is time to stop trying to perfect our self like the foolish Galatians (Galatians 3:1-3). We are not required to strive to please God; but instead, He asks us to enter His rest (Hebrews 4:10). We no longer use our energies or concern our self with gaining this world’s goods, because they will soon fade in the light of eternity.

 

Faith in the triune presence of God within us brings with it the anointing of God’s Spirit. We completely yield to His will and receive His direction and comfort through each moment of our day. He gives us victory over the deceitfulness of the devil, the temptation of sin and the pull of the world over our life. We are crucified with Christ, and He now lives His life through us, instead of us. We do not hinder Him by our unbelief, but we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loves us and willingly gave Himself for us (John 3:18; Galatians 2:20).

God desires a deeper, personal relationship with us. When we surrender all to God, He works in our life to perfect us, until we reflect the image of His Son (2 Corinthians 3:18). It is only at the foot of the throne of God that we receive His full supply for all of our needs. He fills us with His Spirit and we abide in Christ’s presence throughout our lifetime (John 15:4). He calls us to be kings and priests and to serve Him (Revelation 1:6). As we focus on Christ alone, we live in righteousness, peace and joy (Romans 14:17).

As we sit in quiet contemplation of who God is and all that He does for us, we enter into the restful peace of the Lord (Isaiah 30:15; Psalm 60:1). We wait patiently for Him in the silence (Psalm 77:7). In the stillness, we find our confidence and strength in Him (Isaiah 30:15). The tranquil soul is more aware of abiding in Christ. We live as one with Christ in us, which brings us extreme joy. Our relationship with God is not a partnership where we share duties, but a place of resting in God.

We cease from our own labors and do only those things, which we see our Father do (Hebrews 4:10; John 5:19). We are pliable instruments in our Father’s hand. The faith of the Son of God, who loves us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20), assures us that God will complete the work He started in our life (Hebrews 12:2). We adopt a teachable attitude, and we walk in humility. In the acquiescence of worship, God reveals Himself to us and presents to us a multitude of blessings.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, it is in the quiet times, as we sit at Your feet, that we hear your still, small voice. If we are rushing around working for You, we do not stand a chance of hearing the direction of Your Spirit. Thank You for teaching us to abide in the Vine, so that Your spiritual fruit will flow into us from Christ. We lay down our own agenda for our life, and we surrender to Your will and ways.

Thought for the Day:

Without Christ, we are empty, helpless and alone in our attempts to reach God.

The Secret of a Joyfilled Life

As authentic Christians, our satisfaction in life comes from accomplishing the will of God each moment of the day. We do everything, even the most mundane of things, out of our love for God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We do not seek His blessings. We seek nothing more than to know Him. We rely totally on God for wisdom and grace in everything we do and say. Once we develop this habit, we have little difficulty in walking in the Spirit and being led by His desires instead of our own carnal ones (Galatians 5:25).

We live our entire life in the presence of God within us. We start in daily prayer, Bible reading and study. Then we carry that devotional attitude throughout the interaction of earning a living; caring for our home, family and community; and serving in a ministry in the Body of Christ. This consistent life brings amazing pleasures that fill our spirit and soul – our mind, choices and emotions – and affect the health of our body as well. Even difficult times are more bearable with our mind focused on pleasing God in them and through them (Isaiah 26:3).

Our stress in life only occurs when we wander from His presence and try to achieve success in life in our own self-effort. God is intimately present within us and eager to direct our thoughts, words and actions. We go throughout our day in constant conversation with Christ within us. We consult His wisdom and direction for every object of our interest and every duty we perform. This allows our times of work to mirror our times of devotion. We achieve all of our duties while informally dialoguing with our Lord.

We accomplish everything, even our secular employment, out of our love for God. After all, He is our true employer. We serve the company at which we work and the family in which we live as unto the Lord. Our quiet times of prayer and our conversational dialogue with God all throughout the day do not differ. They are equally as devout and joyful. In this way, we live in the joy of the Lord throughout the day and night. Our facial expressions and body language reflects the calm devotion in our soul and spirit.

Even in the most hectic times of life, we enjoy the peace of God, which transcends all human reasoning. People we work and live with wonder how the calamities and abuses we endure do not disturb our peace. It is because the Master Designer of the universe is in control of our life. He keeps the earth rotating in the exact orbit and tilt from the sun, which we need for optimum living. He never sleeps, day or night (Psalm 121:3-4). We trust Him implicitly to care for us no matter what anyone else does to us or against us (Psalm 121:7).

Prayer:
Father God, You are our hiding place. You protect us from trouble and surround us with comforting songs (Psalm 32:7). You do not turn us over to the evil desires of our foes. You always deliver us in Your timing and way (Psalm 41:2). No circumstance will overwhelm us, because You give us joy and peace in the midst of them (Proverbs 12:21). You surround us with Your blessings as a shield (Psalm 5:12). You give the oppressed a refuge and the troubled a stronghold of safety (Psalm 9:9). We give You all the praise, glory and honor due Your name (Psalm 96:8).

Thought for the Day:

We live our life in calm composure and serenity, because our thoughts are focused on God as He supplies all of our needs according to His glorious riches (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:19).

 

Thank you, Poetry and Love, for the use of your photo.

When God is Silent

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12

So many times I hear people say that God does not speak to them, or that God stopped speaking to them (Psalm 27:9, 28:1, 69:17, 102:2, 143:7). Sometimes, this is due to the fact that we do all of the talking when we pray. We often fail to take time to listen or we have sin in our heart that blocks us from hearing Him (Psalms 66:17-20). In the quiet times, God is telling us to wait, to trust, and to rest in His love (Psalm 34:17; Ephesians 3:20-21; 2 Corinthians 9:8). He may not be talking, but He is always listening.

Usually, as I sit quietly in His presence, He shares with me needed information to enable me to serve Him during my day, or in the coming weeks. He gives me the wisdom I need or counsel on an issue in my life. When I notice a bend up ahead in the river of life, and I allow anxiety over the unseen possibilities around that bend to disturb my peace, He calms my fears (Isaiah 26:3, 41:10). At other times, I embrace the silence and just enjoy the scenery along the river, while I soak up the goodness of His presence in my life no matter what lies ahead (Psalm 27:13).

God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As we feel fear rise in our soul during some daunting experience, we can realize that God still abides in our heart (Isaiah 3:17). He will walk with us through this trial or temptation and remain with us when we come through it (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Even while God is silent, He is still pouring His love over us like a waterfall. He is also building up our spirit, because He knows we will need all of our spiritual strength around the next bend in the river of life (Romans 5: 2-5).

In fact, if we trust Him enough, we will eventually relax and actually begin to enjoy the ride! When we feel overwhelmed by life’s issues, spending time alone with God is the perfect place to find rest for our weary souls (Jeremiah 31:25; Matthew 11:28). God is still God regardless of what is happening in our life (Deuteronomy 32:4). God promises to deliver us out of our troubles, if we will glorify Him (Psalm 50:15). We can always find the joy that God plants in every situation we encounter. It is all a matter of our focus.

Even the death of a loved one, ill health, a bad marriage, stress at work or at home, or any other negative event always has a positive side. We will find that place of contentment if we change our focus about the issue and our attitude to one of praise (Isaiah 25:4; Psalms 42:5). Every dark cloud has a silver lining and God is eager to reveal it to us (Hebrews 6:19-20). Rather than allow the cares of the world to weigh us down and to give us a negative attitude, our faith and trust in God will carry us safely through one bend in the river after another (Psalms 146:5-6).

                 
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when everything goes wrong, walls block us on every side and hope is quickly dwindling away, we feel like throwing up our hands and giving up. That is exactly what You are waiting for, however. You want us to completely surrender everything to You, to walk in Your Spirit every moment of the Day and to learn to be content in every situation in which we find our self. Remind us to be still and to remember that You are God (Psalm 46:10; Deuteronomy 33:12). Allow Your joy to see us through every circumstance we encounter,  and cause us to serve as an encouragement to others in our life. This way we are a blessing wherever we go.

Thought for the Day:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” - Hebrews 4:15