Hebrews 4:10 "...the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works..."
Historically, much of what I based my confidence in was in some way related to my works, my efforts, my ideas...all that I contributed.
It's becoming increasingly clearer to me that I have nothing to add but simple, child-like faith. Herein lies true freedom! I don't need to strain - I simply release my grip and relinquish control.
I reveal my trust in my Unseen yet Fully Present God when I stop striving.
If I strive at all, it must be in my efforts to 'be diligent to enter that Rest' which is promised.
Hebrews 4:16 "...let us draw near with confidence to the throne of Grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need..."
So I shall be intentional in my attempts to remain in Rest. And trust my King to handle the rest.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Sunday, October 10, 2010
All We Need Do Is Come…
Luke 10:41-42 “But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”
How easy it is to get swept up into the hustle and bustle of life and with good intentions, push aside “the good part” Jesus so longs to impart to us!
He knows that unless He calls, we may not come in light of our labors and many burdens.
Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
So, He invites us to come “to” Him. Much like a mother might beckon her tired, teary-eyed toddler into her lap, Jesus calls us close and offers us His nearness. And just like the mother’s loving hold assures her little one, His rest settles our soul.
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
And is that precious place of His embrace, we know no fear or want.
All we need do is come…
How easy it is to get swept up into the hustle and bustle of life and with good intentions, push aside “the good part” Jesus so longs to impart to us!
He knows that unless He calls, we may not come in light of our labors and many burdens.
Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
So, He invites us to come “to” Him. Much like a mother might beckon her tired, teary-eyed toddler into her lap, Jesus calls us close and offers us His nearness. And just like the mother’s loving hold assures her little one, His rest settles our soul.
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
And is that precious place of His embrace, we know no fear or want.
All we need do is come…
Monday, October 4, 2010
Simplicity…
I sense a call to simplicity and discipline.
Both are seemingly elusive aspects of a godly life, from my perspective!
Too much “stuff” creates distraction. Too little planning leads to laziness. The more things I need to keep in order, the greater the potential for confusion. When I fail to intentionally do what I know I need to, I ultimately fail to accomplish my desired goals.
So…why do I seem to struggle, especially in these two areas of my life?
Simplicity first.
If I consider a dialog between two people, it’s fairly simple. But if more join in, each person increases the complexity of the conversation. Hence, the more people I am relating with, the more complex my world is. But people are not dispensable or unnecessary, so my search for simplicity must begin with my surroundings.
If I picture an empty room, I imagine it to be quiet. No pictures on the wall, inviting me into another place or time. No furniture establishing the atmosphere with color, line and texture or nicknacks whispering about past experiences or books laying around asking to be picked up and read. And certainly no clutter demanding to be cleaned up.
Hmmmm…never considered how noisy a room could become. Perhaps as I begin my pursuit of simplicity, I can begin by listening with my eyes as I work through my home, and determine what “sounds” are more like clattering clutter than an invitation into rest.
That’s what my heart longs for. Rest…
I desire to be surrounded by beauty, so my goal is not to strip my rooms of all visual sound. Rather, I would like to cleanse each one of unnecessary “noise.”
Deep breath. I can do that.
With Your help, Lord, I can begin to listen with my eyes and bring restful order to my home. I ask for clarity of vision and sensitivity of sight. I want my home to be a sanctuary.
Both are seemingly elusive aspects of a godly life, from my perspective!
Too much “stuff” creates distraction. Too little planning leads to laziness. The more things I need to keep in order, the greater the potential for confusion. When I fail to intentionally do what I know I need to, I ultimately fail to accomplish my desired goals.
So…why do I seem to struggle, especially in these two areas of my life?
Simplicity first.
If I consider a dialog between two people, it’s fairly simple. But if more join in, each person increases the complexity of the conversation. Hence, the more people I am relating with, the more complex my world is. But people are not dispensable or unnecessary, so my search for simplicity must begin with my surroundings.
If I picture an empty room, I imagine it to be quiet. No pictures on the wall, inviting me into another place or time. No furniture establishing the atmosphere with color, line and texture or nicknacks whispering about past experiences or books laying around asking to be picked up and read. And certainly no clutter demanding to be cleaned up.
Hmmmm…never considered how noisy a room could become. Perhaps as I begin my pursuit of simplicity, I can begin by listening with my eyes as I work through my home, and determine what “sounds” are more like clattering clutter than an invitation into rest.
That’s what my heart longs for. Rest…
I desire to be surrounded by beauty, so my goal is not to strip my rooms of all visual sound. Rather, I would like to cleanse each one of unnecessary “noise.”
Deep breath. I can do that.
With Your help, Lord, I can begin to listen with my eyes and bring restful order to my home. I ask for clarity of vision and sensitivity of sight. I want my home to be a sanctuary.
Friday, March 26, 2010
To rest or not to rest…
Genesis 2:2 “By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”
Hebrews 4:9-11 “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest…”
Entering into rest requires an action on my part. On the one hand, it demands that I move towards rest, while on the other it leaves no option for my own works to accompany me.
And the illustration for this is the seventh day of creation and the completion of God’s work and how He blessed and sanctified what He had done by resting.
I find that I enter more readily into my own works than into God’s rest. When I see a need, I take it on and think that I must “do” something. Interestingly enough, we are charged to be “diligent to enter” that rest so that we will not fall into disobedience.
My inability to believe that God is able to do what He says He will do is a serious lack of faith. Romans 14:23 clearly says that “whatever is not from faith is sin.”
The call of rest is the call of faith. It is not my works or "my doing" rather it is God’s faithfulness aptly revealed through my rest.
Hebrews 4:9-11 “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest…”
Entering into rest requires an action on my part. On the one hand, it demands that I move towards rest, while on the other it leaves no option for my own works to accompany me.
And the illustration for this is the seventh day of creation and the completion of God’s work and how He blessed and sanctified what He had done by resting.
I find that I enter more readily into my own works than into God’s rest. When I see a need, I take it on and think that I must “do” something. Interestingly enough, we are charged to be “diligent to enter” that rest so that we will not fall into disobedience.
My inability to believe that God is able to do what He says He will do is a serious lack of faith. Romans 14:23 clearly says that “whatever is not from faith is sin.”
The call of rest is the call of faith. It is not my works or "my doing" rather it is God’s faithfulness aptly revealed through my rest.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Be committed to surrender…
Psalm 37:5 (The Amplified Bible) “Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.”
Complete surrender creates the firm foundation upon which the house of Joy is built and remains intact. In yielding my will to God’s purposes, I establish a resting place for my soul; wherein I can relax, release and receive without strain the direction my soul so longs for.
Being diligent to remain in that place of submission is the work cut out for me, and He takes it from there. He builds the mansion of Joy in which I am privileged to frolic. I merely remind myself, moment by moment, to lean on, rely on, and be confident in His ability to do all that He wishes to accomplish through me.
Complete surrender creates the firm foundation upon which the house of Joy is built and remains intact. In yielding my will to God’s purposes, I establish a resting place for my soul; wherein I can relax, release and receive without strain the direction my soul so longs for.
Being diligent to remain in that place of submission is the work cut out for me, and He takes it from there. He builds the mansion of Joy in which I am privileged to frolic. I merely remind myself, moment by moment, to lean on, rely on, and be confident in His ability to do all that He wishes to accomplish through me.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
To plan or not to plan…
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."
For someone who’s been given a high degree of vision, not planning is a challenge. To plan is to be prepared I’ve always thought.
If I am the builder and not the architect, though, I just take the plans handed to me and fulfill them with my hands. I do not change measurements or re-design. After all, my Architect never makes mistakes.
I simply and faithfully follow the blueprint. If questions arise - and inevitably, they do - I humbly go to the Master Designer, and ask for the assurance I need. Surely He knows the plans inside and out and can encourage my heart to trust His wisdom.
For someone who’s been given a high degree of vision, not planning is a challenge. To plan is to be prepared I’ve always thought.
If I am the builder and not the architect, though, I just take the plans handed to me and fulfill them with my hands. I do not change measurements or re-design. After all, my Architect never makes mistakes.
I simply and faithfully follow the blueprint. If questions arise - and inevitably, they do - I humbly go to the Master Designer, and ask for the assurance I need. Surely He knows the plans inside and out and can encourage my heart to trust His wisdom.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
He’s holding your hand…
Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
As alone as we can sometimes feel, these are the facts. He not only makes the way before us, He is “with” us along the way. And He is not grudgingly along for the ride, He “delights” in the pathway we travel. This God of ours is intimately involved in our journey. So concerned is He, that He “holds our hand” as He watches over us.
Psalms 37:23-24 “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.”
How precious is that? The King of the universe doesn’t want us to be “hurled headlong” when we fall, so He holds on tightly to us just like a careful parent might grasp the little hand of a toddler crossing a street. Yes…our God is absolutely watching over us!
Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”
And why does He take such care? Because He sees holy purpose in our lives and He wishes to work mightily through us! Being a light to the nations, opening eyes that cannot see and rescuing those who dwell in darkness is no small order. The One who holds our hand also makes sure we accomplish what He’s called us to do.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
Good deal…
As alone as we can sometimes feel, these are the facts. He not only makes the way before us, He is “with” us along the way. And He is not grudgingly along for the ride, He “delights” in the pathway we travel. This God of ours is intimately involved in our journey. So concerned is He, that He “holds our hand” as He watches over us.
Psalms 37:23-24 “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.”
How precious is that? The King of the universe doesn’t want us to be “hurled headlong” when we fall, so He holds on tightly to us just like a careful parent might grasp the little hand of a toddler crossing a street. Yes…our God is absolutely watching over us!
Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”
And why does He take such care? Because He sees holy purpose in our lives and He wishes to work mightily through us! Being a light to the nations, opening eyes that cannot see and rescuing those who dwell in darkness is no small order. The One who holds our hand also makes sure we accomplish what He’s called us to do.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
Good deal…
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