Rest

Genesis 2:2-3

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.  Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

This week was “retreat” week for my department.  It is a very long week full of lots of team building and professional development.  By about mid-week, we are all getting tired.  Come Friday, we are all completely drained. 

I’m sure you have a time that you can relate to this feeling.  The Bible even tells us that the Lord, after working hard to create the world and all that is in it, needed to rest. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, how often do you take time to rest and refresh yourself?  We live in a world that is always on the go.  While we may have a couple of days off during a week, we rarely fill it with rest.  Instead we have different stuff that we have to get done.

I want to encourage everyone to find some time, even if brief, to take time to truly rest.  To reconnect with themselves and with God.

Thursday Devotional - Alone?

John 16:27-33        No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.²⁸ I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

²⁹ Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. ³⁰ Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

³¹ “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. ³² “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Where do you feel alone? Or when have you felt alone? Jesus has felt your pain. Being a child of God, though, we don’t ever have to be alone!

James was explaining to both sets of grandparents (and aunts and cousins) about accepting Jesus as His Savior and having Jesus in his heart. (Of course, I had already told them, but we were all together for Sarah’s 3^rd birthday and James was talking about it). As James was explaining it in his own words, he declared “Jesus is there to stay and won’t ever leave!” Yes, as a believer, God will never leave us nor forsake us!

Joshua 1:5    No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Where do you and I need to cling to that truth today? What peace can you and I experience now, knowing Jesus has already overcome the world and it’s prince and all our pain?

Alice

God's Masterpiece & You

“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!  And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.  And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.  Acts 9:13-18

It was an opportunity.  I thought that I could write devotions.  When someone asked me why, I shrugged.  No way would I be qualified enough to write on biblical topics that many people studied years for.  Some were well versed in writing, and others had greater biblical understanding of God’s word.  Neither of these were things I possessed.  To be honest, it had been a long while since I had even been to church regularly.  So I answered, “If you have someone who has a better spiritual understanding, giving them the opportunity (to write devotions) would be great, and I would be happy to continue learning more for when it will be my time.  But if no one does answer the call, rest assured I will take this on and do well.”  That’s a pretty bold statement for someone who had never written a devotional before.  To be honest, I do not remember even writing that last part, but perhaps it was a case where God knew my heart.  That’s when my relationship with God really started.  That was over twelve years ago.  I have learned so much since then, and God has been so good to me.  Yet, it is this, my most bold and humble beginning, that remind me that I am but a mere instrument in God’s master painting.

We are all part of God’s plan.  Our mission is to be brave enough to live it out.  The story of Ananias and Paul is always one to remember when seeking one’s journey of faith.  On one side, it talks about Ananias’ faithfulness to follow the instruction of God.  The other speaks to Saul finding his true calling from God.  Both are compelling for we can see two paths converge.  First, the very beginning of Paul’s journey that would lead him toward being arguably the most important figure in the New Testament.  By the same token, would there even be a Paul had there not been the faithfulness of an Ananias?  Maybe, but as the saying goes, “Sometime you choose the moment, and other times, the moment chooses you.”  You see, God has all of us playing a role in His masterpiece.  Our job is not to play idle and simply absorb knowledge of His word and Kingdom.  Ours is to bring His word to life through actions and deeds.  We are to be humble in His calling of us and bold in our response to it.

God does not just call on a select few.  He looks for all of His people to lay their troubles down at His feet, and pursue His will for our lives.  It may be a scary proposition, but David answers it best in the 27^th Psalm saying:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
    so why should I tremble?  Psalm 27:1

So let us be encouraged by a God who can handle any obstacle we can imagine, and move forward toward being the people God always intended us to be.  Where can you show greater courage through trusting in God’s plan for your life?  What bold idea has God placed on your mind, heart and soul?  My prayer is that we submit to God’s will to become part of God’s masterpiece.  Amen.