THERE IS PURPOSE IN REST
THERE IS PURPOSE IN REST
“Remember your father knows exactly what you need even before you ask ‘Him!”
Matthew 6:8
There's something special about having a campfire with friends late in the Fall, when the chill in the air hints at winter. Everyone knows spending time outside will soon give way to spending a lot more time inside. The fresh air feels exhilarating, the warmth of the fire invokes a little more gratefulness, and the conversations go a bit longer.
The cold months pull us into our homes, and we find ourselves falling into hibernating tendencies. Savoring the simple feels easier. A bowl of homemade soup tastes gourmet. Blankets feel softer. The fireplace is especially comforting. While we're cozied up in simple survivor mode, it can sometimes be easy to think we should be doing more. We can think our lives are passing by in the uneventful days of the ordinary and making no real impact.
God has a purpose in rest. He showed the importance of it after creating all that we see. He put it in His top ten ways to express our love for Him. He knew we needed time to simply be. So let's do it. Rest without regret. Rest without letting the rigorous schedule of life interrupt. Rest with every fiber of our being, knowing His love is around us, preparing us for what's ahead. We don't always have to be doing, going, moving, or planning to feel we're living. Our life is in God alone. The simplicity of that truth is encouragement enough to face our days; however they unfold, with joy, confidence, and peace.
Be At Peace,
Pastor Russ
+++
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a hard time sitting still. It stems from my upbringing, and the horrible childhood I experienced. I've always carried a sense that I was not enough. In order to overcome this feeling, I was driven to be successful in everything I did. To be truthful I became a workaholic. If things went well and people were happy, I felt good about myself. If things did not go well and people were not happy then I was a failure. What a miserable life I led for so many years.
I still struggle with being still. The idea of relaxing or reclining and doing nothing pretty much drives me crazy. My mind never seems to stop and rest.
I share this with you so you can understand that I struggle as many of you do. To find our rest in peace and God alone and not in what we can achieve is a challenge for many people in this world. The apostle Paul even understood this. After all he was a rising star in Judaism, and I would imagine he was pretty much a workaholic like me. Yet as he preached to the people the good news of Jesus, his message was one of peace and rest.
Ironically, he even quotes the Greek philosophers at one point to help the people understand the truth that was right before them. He said these words, “For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’” Acts 17:28
It is hard for us to understand that our very existence is made possible because of the presence of God. If God stepped away, and removed His presence from creations itself, then creation would crumble and fall apart. The writer to the Hebrews states: “He upholds all things by the Word of His Power.” Hebrews 1:3
This means that Jesus is the one Who makes the sun rise and the rains come. He is the one Who manages all we see in creation. And why does He do this? For us!
The seasons will come and go! Life will go forward for each of us, but we must never forget that God is still God on His throne and He is overseeing all things for the purpose of blessing each one of us as His children.
In other words, it does not depend on us! We are no the ones who will make or break every situation. We are the recipients of great grace and love from God. Everything God had done and everything He is still to do is all according to His heart’s desire, and that desire is to love us fully in Christ.
So, take a break. Watch a movie or play with the dog. Relax and let the stress melt away. Learn to rest for you body but most of all learn to rest in Him. He’s got this!!!
God’s blessings to you today,
Pastor Russ
“Remember your father knows exactly what you need even before you ask ‘Him!”
Matthew 6:8
There's something special about having a campfire with friends late in the Fall, when the chill in the air hints at winter. Everyone knows spending time outside will soon give way to spending a lot more time inside. The fresh air feels exhilarating, the warmth of the fire invokes a little more gratefulness, and the conversations go a bit longer.
The cold months pull us into our homes, and we find ourselves falling into hibernating tendencies. Savoring the simple feels easier. A bowl of homemade soup tastes gourmet. Blankets feel softer. The fireplace is especially comforting. While we're cozied up in simple survivor mode, it can sometimes be easy to think we should be doing more. We can think our lives are passing by in the uneventful days of the ordinary and making no real impact.
God has a purpose in rest. He showed the importance of it after creating all that we see. He put it in His top ten ways to express our love for Him. He knew we needed time to simply be. So let's do it. Rest without regret. Rest without letting the rigorous schedule of life interrupt. Rest with every fiber of our being, knowing His love is around us, preparing us for what's ahead. We don't always have to be doing, going, moving, or planning to feel we're living. Our life is in God alone. The simplicity of that truth is encouragement enough to face our days; however they unfold, with joy, confidence, and peace.
Be At Peace,
Pastor Russ
+++
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a hard time sitting still. It stems from my upbringing, and the horrible childhood I experienced. I've always carried a sense that I was not enough. In order to overcome this feeling, I was driven to be successful in everything I did. To be truthful I became a workaholic. If things went well and people were happy, I felt good about myself. If things did not go well and people were not happy then I was a failure. What a miserable life I led for so many years.
I still struggle with being still. The idea of relaxing or reclining and doing nothing pretty much drives me crazy. My mind never seems to stop and rest.
I share this with you so you can understand that I struggle as many of you do. To find our rest in peace and God alone and not in what we can achieve is a challenge for many people in this world. The apostle Paul even understood this. After all he was a rising star in Judaism, and I would imagine he was pretty much a workaholic like me. Yet as he preached to the people the good news of Jesus, his message was one of peace and rest.
Ironically, he even quotes the Greek philosophers at one point to help the people understand the truth that was right before them. He said these words, “For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’” Acts 17:28
It is hard for us to understand that our very existence is made possible because of the presence of God. If God stepped away, and removed His presence from creations itself, then creation would crumble and fall apart. The writer to the Hebrews states: “He upholds all things by the Word of His Power.” Hebrews 1:3
This means that Jesus is the one Who makes the sun rise and the rains come. He is the one Who manages all we see in creation. And why does He do this? For us!
The seasons will come and go! Life will go forward for each of us, but we must never forget that God is still God on His throne and He is overseeing all things for the purpose of blessing each one of us as His children.
In other words, it does not depend on us! We are no the ones who will make or break every situation. We are the recipients of great grace and love from God. Everything God had done and everything He is still to do is all according to His heart’s desire, and that desire is to love us fully in Christ.
So, take a break. Watch a movie or play with the dog. Relax and let the stress melt away. Learn to rest for you body but most of all learn to rest in Him. He’s got this!!!
God’s blessings to you today,
Pastor Russ
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