Archive for rest
Use This in Case of Emergency
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A little over three years ago, God challenged me with a particular scripture. It was one of those times when I ‘heard’ the scripture reference spoken to me by God, not knowing its content. When I opened my Bible and read this verse, I knew intuitively by God’s Spirit that it was what we might call a ‘Now Word’ for me and my church family.
The verse was Isaiah 30:15 which states “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved: In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’ But you would not.”
In the historical context, Israel was being invited into a place of rest with God where she would allow God to do what she could not do. She was being invited to access God’s help without going back to her slavery mentality. She was being challenged to lean upon God and not look to any other source for her help.
Isn’t it easy to look at such Bible passages and clearly see how a nation or an individual made huge mistakes? As we say, hindsight is 20/20.
Much more difficult is for us as individual believers to ‘get it right’ when we are faced with challenging circumstances. Our emotions rage and our minds whirl.
God offered me, and I believe He offered my church body, a specific invitation on that particular day. Some accepted the invitation at the moment. Some never even realized there was an invitation issued, and most of us passed for a day or two along the way and flunked many other days.
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Are You Tired?
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Isaiah 53:4 contains a beautifully mysterious phrase. Jesus carried our sorrows.
What an amazing thought! The very idea of “sorrows” invokes feelings of things that are weighty and burdensome. To know that there is One who will carry those things which are too heavy for me is a thought which comforts and encourages my soul.
Life is made of cycles and seasons, and you don’t have to live long to figure out that some of those are filled with sorrows and pain. When my life is filled with sorrows, I cry out for relief, longing to escape the place where my heart is torn apart. And Jesus answers. Sometimes his answer contain immediate rescue, but many times His answer carries this idea, “I will carry the sorrows for you.”
He always wants to carry our burdens, but we usually try to handle life in our own ways, carrying things in what we believe to be our own strength. The problem with that is, well, we don’t really have any strength! It is an illusion. Nothing reveals our lack of strength any more than sorrow and pain. When life becomes unbearable, then we are either driven to the feet of Jesus to ask for help or we are moved to reject him because we misunderstand his heart.
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The Unforced Rhythms of Grace
Posted by: | CommentsIn this busy world in which we live, Jesus offers a beautiful gift – rest. In Matthew 11:28-30, we find these words of Jesus:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (NKJV)
I also want to include that section of Scripture from The Message:
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly." (The Message)
We all long for true rest, the kind that Adam and Eve had before their fall when they walked and talked with God easily and did the work that He directed them to do. Notice what Jesus said about true rest:
· If we want true rest, we must come to Jesus.
· His offer is for all who are tired, worn out, and burned out.
· Rest is a gift from Jesus.
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