Rest Is Found in Jesus.
“Come to Me, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT.
My thoughts and comments today are about,
“the rhythm of rest.”
Rest. Peace. Calm. Quiet. Refreshed. What calming words in such a busy, stressful world. But there are times when a slower pace, or fewer things on your to do list, or even an extra hour of sleep will not provide the rest you seek. Rest is always and only found in Jesus. Exhaustion does not come in a single form. Our common need includes rest for body, soul, and spirit.
Your spirit is revived through frequent and unhurried time in God’s presence. You renew your soul by regular worship and diligent study of God’s Word. You rebuild your strength when you depend on His. You recover optimism by your regular practice of meaningful prayer.
I remember a season of life when my days felt too long and my nights too brief. As I sat alone with my Bible late that night, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind an obscure verse. I searched to find its reference. As I found and read that verse, I experienced profound rest in the Lord, strength from His Word, and ample grace. I learned its simple yet powerful truth: “Your strength will equal your days.” Deuteronomy 33:25 NIV.
God promises and gives abundant grace for each day. And then, He faithfully provides for every tomorrow. A favorite hymn of mine is, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Among its lyrics are this faith affirmation: “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”
Jesus said, “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34 NKJV. So much about life is learning how to prioritize your life.
Fill your thoughts with God Word. Welcome each new day with ample trust and each night empty your day of its cares. God’s Word is clear, ”Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NIV. God welcomes what you give Him. He will not take away your concerns without your surrender of them. When you are walking in obedience, strength is given according to your need.
Life has a rhythm between work and rest, activity and inactivity, productivity and replenishment.At creation, God Himself modeled the helpful and healthful rhythm of work and rest when he created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh and commanded us to do so as well.
Rest and work are seldom equal parts, but they certainly are parts of equal importance. Discover that rhythm and you will have all the strength and energy you need. Ignore that and life doesn’t work as well for you, no matter how much you want it to work or how diligent you are to make it so.
Can you identify yourself with what the disciples must have felt? “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me to a quiet place and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31 NIV. Even though the disciples were involved in good things for others, that was not enough to make it good for them. Rest is found in Jesus.
Life will only change for you when you finally tire of being tired. Only then will you make the necessary changes for that to be different.
Burnout is an undeniable fact of today’s high stress, success driven society. The price is inestimable that is exacted on marriages, personal relationships, quality of life, and spiritual fulfillment. Don’t become a statistic. When you do God’s work in God’s way, you will have God’s peace and rest for your soul.
Today, I pray for you to keep pace with God, neither hesitating nor hurrying.
Christian Communications 2019
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