Rest

Rest- obtainable? Absolutely! 

Exodus 34:21 NASB

You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.

Slow down and rest! Everything will be there tomorrow...

Day 154: Harvest peace, find rest…

Exodus 34:21 NASB

You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.

Living in grace, harvesting peace, and learning patience leads to rest because you have the time to dedicate yourself to being still. Yet, there is a mandatory component to rest. Intentionality! It is layered throughout scripture from the very beginning as it was established by God Himself on day seven.

Genesis 2:2-3 NASB

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. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

This was and remains one of the hardest lessons I have learned but continually relearn over and over again. I have to plan to rest. I have to say no. I have to stop. I have to honor God in all of it. This is a part of continuous education in my life. I am not sure I will ever master this concept, but I am actively working on it each week.

         Why am I constantly working on rest? There are lots of excuses, but they are all like a car without wheels. They don’t go anywhere and they make me look silly in the grand scheme of things. This is where today’s verse carries a lot of weight in my life. Even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest…

         As an educator we have two major seasons of exhaustion, returning to school and the end of the year. There is so much associated with the busy mundane preparations of getting ready to receive new students and likewise at the end, so much connected to sending them forward in life that educators find themselves burning the candle at both ends. Many professions experience this kind of seasonal shift and it takes its toll on all of us. Which is why this scripture becomes so valuable. It reminds us that even in the middle of an abundance of work, we are meant and designed to need the break.

         Now, rest is not just sleep or idleness, there is so much more to it than that and we are going to explore this concept throughout the next three weeks, but our baseline is “He rested on the seventh day.” Even in the pursuit of writing these devotions, rest was mandatory every seventh day. It was imperative that time was taken to rest from the writing and gathering of each of the scriptures. In the middle of things, it has provided such clarity and deep appreciation for the callings God has placed in my life. Therefore, I know if you adopt the same practice, you will see benefits from protecting and intentionally taking the time to rest each week.

Dear Resting Father,

         Thank You for setting such an amazing example for us to experience and study. You led by example and hardwired it into the fabric of our DNA to need rest. Then You commanded that we follow Your word even in the seasons of our lives that would contain the most work for us to do. Lord, may we honor You in our physical rest and shut things down for a time each week to allow our hearts and minds to reconnect to our souls and You Jesus. Teach us to honor You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 155: Rest in refuge

Psalms 46:1-11 NIV

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.'

        Rest is in the refuge of God. As much as heaven is a place, it is God’s people too. It is where we are to dwell with Him. The world can be falling apart around us, and we still have refuge in Jesus. We have refuge in the helpers He sends to us. He sends His help through all kinds of means in our lives. Our rest can be found in the refuge of His dwelling. If God’s Holy Spirit resides in His people, then is it not God Himself providing us comfort through His people in our lives? This scripture was written to an old testament audience, but the same applies today. It says, “The Lord Almighty is with us.” If He is with us now and we are not in the Holy City or “eternity” then He clearly dwells within us as a people that have chosen to follow Jesus.

         Within our choosing Jesus and the Holy Spirit becoming a part of our lives we are filled with God’s grace. We have grace prior to that, but the grace that we embody after accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is different in that the Holy Spirit dwells within us guiding us in ways that we will never fully understand. This same grace is found in the people God uses in our lives. In this passage of scripture, we are to take refuge in Jesus. This means not only are we seeking refuge in the Holy places, but also the people and situations of our lives. We take solace in the situations we find ourselves in knowing that the God of the universe is in full control.

         Upon seeking comfort in the people, the places, and the control of God, we begin to live life in a place of rest. True rest that surpasses knowledge. This surpasses our cultural understanding of what rest really is. We have been taught that we have to slow down, we have to be still and quiet with sleep, and all of those things are beyond important, but there is so much more to rest than a check list of things we need to personally “do” to find rest. We can “be” at rest with chaos surrounding us because we have access to the Creator through grace and peace! We are not fearful because we “rest” in the assurance of God! Even in chaos, we can be still for a moment and just acknowledge that God is sovereign over all things and He is with us!

Dear Fortified Father,

         Thank You for Your word this morning and how it helps illustrate the point of where You are. Lord, You use Your people, Your places, and Your control to deliberately pursue us in our lives. Nothing is beyond Your scope of reason. You stand firm in the chaos of this world and remain sovereign throughout the world. You bring what is necessary into our lives so that we can take rest in Your refuge. Thank You Jesus for being our ever-present help in trouble. Thank You that we can rest in the knowledge that You ARE God. Let us be still in the chaos of our day and trust in the beauty that You have granted us. In Jesus Christ’s authority and power, amen.

Day 156: Unshakable rest

Psalms 62:1-2 NIV

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

         What does it take to not be shaken? It takes deep roots in faith and trust in Jesus. Life often finds ways of causing us turmoil. It is always happening. We are in a constant state of change and often we fight change at every step. The more we desire things to stay the same, the more we struggle against what life is doing. This is where learning to rest in Jesus is one of the most profound strategies to finding beauty in everything.

         For me, this lesson came through several significant events that God was using to teach me to not be in fear of what is coming and to embrace the changes on the horizon. The first time I truly remember learning how to not be shaken was with my daughter Audrey. I wrote about it in my journal at the time.

The other night we were coming in from church when another one of these shifts occurred. Audrey and Sarah jumped out of the car like always after any day and rushed into the house.  I think both of them expected their momma to be sitting on the couch when they came in like she had been so many times before. However, when they went into the house, she wasn't there.

Audrey panicked and went into a frantic search throughout the house checking every room. Upon not finding her momma, she lost all composure and melted into a little puddle of really strong raw emotions. In her little mind, her mommy had died. She was gone without explanation.

To fully understand her mindset, you have to go back in her young life to the only loss she has ever known. Our children were blessed to have a regular relationship with their great grandparents on their mother's side of the family. Unfortunately, the girls Great-Grandfather Willard went to be with Jesus at the beginning of COVID. We were not able to have a funeral for him in the traditional sense. We went straight to a graveside service where all my girls were able to see was that he was alive and well one weekend, and gone the next, buried underground. They never received closure or understanding of death. So, in Audrey’s mind- her momma just died.

This all served as the background knowledge built in Audrey's heart about loss. The only thing she knew about death is that one day the loved one was there, and the next day they were gone. Thus, her fear manifested itself in this singular moment. Her mommy had just disappeared without any sense of closure, and she panicked.

The brokenness within my heart manifested itself in the strongest sense and I felt like a failure as I did not prepare my girls for their mother to be out at dinner with a friend. I did my best to comfort an inconsolable child, a broken mess myself. I prayed to God to reveal the beauty of that moment in the middle of it.

His answer was evident within my heart upon asking the question. In the stirrings within my soul and the intercession of the Holy Spirit, I knew that this was the preparation of what was coming. I knew in that moment praying with my daughters on the front sidewalk of my home, that this was our future. Coming home to an empty house.

         In asking God to reveal His beauty, I found rest for my weary soul. I was learning how to embrace the changes that were coming, knowing that God Himself was the only source of comfort. Jesus was the fortress I needed to rest in, so I turned to Him in the middle of the moment and found rest for my weary soul. Jesus was the rock on which my salvation came from. I could do nothing apart from him but be shaken from the moments of change that would otherwise shake me to my core. God’s grace, peace, and faithfulness on that day have really made a difference in my life. It can in yours too.

Heavenly Fortress Maker,

         Thank You that You have crafted a place that will not be shaken in Your grace Father. We are humbled that You would love us so perfectly. You care for every need and can help us in every moment of trouble and change. Lord, You are our everything and our souls find rest in You alone. Truly Jesus, You are our rock and salvation. May we continue to build our lives upon Your rock and allow every brick to be put in place as a function of Your will. Craft in us the ability to weather the storms of life and fix our eyes upon Your Holy Light. Jesus, we love You and thank You for the goodness You bring into our lives through Your forgiveness and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 157:Proper motivation leads to rest

Psalms 127:2 NLT

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Psalms 127:2 NIV

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.

         If you are anything like me, you have days that seem to fly by and once you leave your bedroom in the morning, the rest of your day is not your own. Other days are more leisurely, but for the most part, every day you get up and go, they are not always spent doing the things you want to do. You spend your days taking care of others, securing the bacon, or striving for the next person’s consumer-based demands. Life like this can seem mundane and lackluster. It is easy to see why people become purposeless. They lose all sense of themselves and then anxiety creeps into their lives and depression. This is the point where we hear about people going to extremes trying to fill that insatiable part of themselves.

         We work, labor, stress, gather, beg, borrow, and steal our way into what we think will provide comfort for us. If I just had a beach house then I would have a place of rest, or maybe a good vacation, I could then rest. We pursue things and experiences that will “provide” our rest. Yet, when you come back from that trip, you need a break to rest from that trip…

         As humans we are looking for that place of rest in our lives. It is a natural desire, as it was established in creation by God Himself. We are designed to need rest. The only true place of rest we will ever find is in God.

         I have a vast number of days in my life as an educator that require significant emotional capacity. As educators, we are constantly pulled in a thousand different directions. Then when we leave our places of work, our families require more from us. We end up drained physically, emotionally, and most days spiritually as well. Yet, each morning, we will get up and go do it all over again. I have never met anyone that went into education for the money, yet they still return day in and day out. This is not because they are seeking food to eat, although money does help with that, but most of them I know simply want to make a difference. Most of them I know also struggle to find sleep, me included. However, most educators have learned the value of resting in that we have done all we can, including prayer. On the days when we truly know all that is done that can be done, we sleep well. This is likely true for you as well, regardless of your walk in this life.

         This could be what this verse is referring to, we rise early and stay up late, but it is not for food, it is because we are living out the calling that Jesus has placed in our lives. When we find that calling, we rest in Him more soundly.

Dear Rest Granting Father,

         Thank You for another day to spend in Your Kingdom pursuing the things in which You have called us to do. Thank You for the daily bread You have provided for us. Thank You for the power in which You make everything work. Thank You for Your word to guide us and to teach us not to labor in vain, but to attend to the callings You have granted us through Your glory and grace. Jesus, please use our hands and feet today to be the hands and feet to others. Allow us to see Your glorious works abound in our lives and let us love others with Your authentic light. Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross, forgiving us, and covering us with Your grace. In Jesus Christ’s name, amen. 

Day 158: Intentional retreat

Mark 6:30-32 NIV

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. '

        I fall in love with this scripture more and more each time I read it. Jesus commands His disciples to come with Him to a quiet place and get some rest. Then, they got in a boat and went to a solitary place. I love being on the water when it is calm and beautiful. I love retreating to the mountains. I love the ideas presented in this passage. The disciples had come back in from their labor and were reporting to Jesus all they had experienced. This is a precious time for all of them and Jesus in His wisdom knew what they needed more than anything else, REST.

         We are all like this in our western culture right now. I am of the generation that grew up in the Gulf War, was 18 at the time of 9/11, graduated college and bought my house right before the 2008 financial crisis, my wife was diagnosed with an incurable cancer during the throws of COVID in which I was a teacher forced to teach during an insane time, and more recently as the Iranian Conflict/war is present. We have not had a break for very long in our lives in a world just happening over and over again. We are exhausted. This is true for every generation that lives. Each one faces significant obstacles meant to drive them closer to God.

         Jesus knows we need rest. He commands us to go WITH Him to a quiet, solitary place to find rest. This is of upmost importance. We have to intentionally retreat with Jesus to find our rest.

         I can hear it now, the excuses. I know the plethora of reasons that you can come up with for excuses as to why you cannot do this. I have used the same excuses for myself. I know the multitude of factors at play. I am a single father that may get 5-7 days away from my daughters in a given year. I get it, but it is not an excuse to ignore the commands of our Lord. We have to anchor ourselves in Him and trust Him to do what He wants to do in and through us when we seek Him in that quiet place. We have to submit to His will and not make it about ourselves. Essentially, we have to get over ourselves and do the things we are called to do. We have to intentionally retreat from the world to a quiet solitary place to recharge.

         I know the next excuse all to well, but I have my inner room, and I do my quiet time every day… but my question is to you, why did Jesus go to the mountain top or to the garden? Why did he seek a place away from His home to encounter God the Father? Why did he seek out the expanses of the waters? I believe it is about us reconnecting with our origin. We were formed from dust and ash by His hands in His garden. God uses the waters to wash over us. His word is full of His creation and how we are connected with Him in the wild places. So, seek out a quiet solitary place close by and go sit with Jesus for an hour. I wonder what would Jesus gift you with out of that time.

Dear Intentional Father,

         Thank You for all that You have done to inspire and create a joy within us to share about the work You are doing through us in Your Kingdom Lord. We rejoice in the labor and pain of our testimonies, because we know the fruit produced in our lives is all from You Jesus. Thank You for the labor as we know it is not in vain. Lord Jesus, You have invited us to come into a quiet solitary place to rest in You. Let us find a time and a place this week to do just that, find You and rest. Lord, let us rejoice and be glad in that You desire us to set aside the turmoil of our everyday lives and how you just want to be with us. Thank You for seeking us, now let us seek You wholeheartedly. Thank You Jesus for all that You provide and do. Amen.

Day 159: Mental rest even though others succeed

Psalms 37:7 NIV

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:7 NASB

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not get upset because of one who is successful in his way, Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.

Psalms 37:7 NLT

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

         Comparison is a dangerous trap and an incredible waste of time. Yet we all fall into this trap. Social media is a predatory tool used by our consumer driven society to generate desires within us to consume more. We see highlight reels of people’s best moments and miss everything in between those fleeting moments of glory. We pursue life meant for a spotlight and forget in our toil the real purpose of why we are here. Life becomes full of insatiable desires to acquire more and more, and we lose contentment in things long before their usefulness has been exhausted.

         I love how the various translations here use three different words for what we are not to-do in this context. We are commanded to not fret, get upset, or worry. Our inner peace is what should remain at rest. This is what we are to be doing while we are waiting. As much as we are to be still, we are also commanded to take our thoughts captive. This is a significantly different context to this scripture as most people interpret it. We are to anchor ourselves in the Lord in such a way that we do not concern ourselves with others in the sense of what they have that we do not.

         We are to focus on the hope and preparations of Jesus in our lives. Our mental rest is the priority. We are to fix our minds on Christ Jesus and allow His hope to be what our pursuit is based in. This is where another scripture helps us interpret this idea.

Psalms 40:1-3 NLT

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

Part of the waiting patiently comes to us being active in our waiting. We are calling out to Him in prayer, we realize that He has set our feet on the rock of His salvation anchoring our belief in Him, and then we are to walk WITH Jesus. Walking with Jesus is an active process or praising Him while we go about our daily lives. Understanding God’s grace and proclaiming those truths helps others see the power of our Lord to work miracles through our lives. Waiting is an active pursuit, not just being still. While seeking silence and solitude are an active part of pursuing Jesus, so is resting in the mental fortitude provided through Jesus’s life altering work in our lives. It is so much more than just being still. It is a culmination of rejecting comparisons, living courageously, and seeking Jesus as we walk and wait for Him to steady us as we go.

Dear Steadying Father,

         Thank You for Your steady hand and deliberate guidance. Lord, You have placed anchors for me in my heart and soul that guide my mind into Your counsel. Who am I that You would choose to love me and steady me in times of chaos and turmoil. Thank You for Your ever-present Spirit Jesus. Thank You that You have granted me kindness and the capacity to walk with you throughout my life. Your word is a lamp unto my feet, but it is up to me to choose to walk by its light. Help me avoid comparison traps and fix my mind upon Your callings in my life. Lord, I trust You as You have steadied me throughout so much in my life. Thank You for Your forgiveness and grace. In Jesus Holy authority and power, I request this prayer so that others may see the evidence of Your work through my life. In Jesus’s name, amen. 

Day 160: Return to rest

Psalms 116:7 NLT

Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.

        No matter what happens in our lives we can always, always, always find rest for our weary and burdened souls in Jesus Christ. This is an eternal promise for childlike faith. The true beauty in this scripture is that you can tell when you read it in its entirety that the Psalmist was rescued from death and turned back to the Lord in praise.

         Psalms 116:1-19 NLT

I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!” How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me.

Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth! I believed in you, so I said, “I am deeply troubled, Lord.” In my anxiety I cried out to you, “These people are all liars!” What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me. I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die. O Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains. I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people— in the house of the Lord in the heart of Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

         There are so many truths in this entire Psalm for us to write into our hearts! The idea of chaos taking place in our lives and death being upon our door is true for all of us at different points in our lives. Yet, it is the ability we have to call upon the name of the Lord and know He hears us, offers us salvation when we have nothing to bring to the table, and then He chooses to walk with us. There is a key to all of this happening in our lives. We are to offer a sacrifice. Specifically, a sacrifice of thanksgiving as we call to Jesus. Thanksgiving allows us to return to the restful state in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving cures the anxious ways in us and brings us through grace to peace and from peace to rest.

Dear Heavenly Father,

         All we have to offer You is our sacrifice of thanksgiving. Lord, is it even a sacrifice for me to be thankful for all that You have done in my life? I feel that walking in praise and thanksgiving for You is all I have to give in this day. I praise Your Holy name Jesus and I am thankful for the grace that has covered me in profound ways. I am thankful for the ability to return to You in our rest knowing that You have secured us through grace for all eternity. I am thankful for each moment that has breath in it so that we have the functional capacity to praise You. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for us and save us from Your wrath because of our sin nature. Thank You that He took on our sin and died for us on our behalf so that we know and trust in You Father. Be with us today and allow us the ability to praise You with thanksgiving all day long. In Jesus Christ’s authority and power, amen. 

Day 161: We don’t question when we find rest…

John 16:23-28 NASB

And on that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.  “These things I have spoken to you in figures of speech; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father. On that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

        There is true beauty when we find the depth of rest provided by the Father. We don’t question when we find rest. Being at rest allows us to be filled with joy in a way that we cannot fully comprehend, we just trust in the unification of the Holy Spirit and our souls through the transformation of our minds. Why else would scripture advise us to make joy complete? In Philippians 2:2-4 (NIV) it states, “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Between this verse and the one above we have a true depth of understanding that we can transform our minds with. Within the mental transformation, we can find true rest that extends beyond the physical.

         Trusting in the authority and power of Jesus allows us to fully surrender and submit to His will. This understanding means that we realize there is only one thing within our total control in this life, our response to everything. Rest is found in total submission, but it requires the action of mentally shifting away from self and onto God’s will. Our emotions then serve as an indicator of our walk with Jesus and do not dictate anything beyond informing our response to the stimulus. Notice the nuance of this phrase, emotions inform our response, they do not dictate our response.

         When faced with significant challenges, too often we respond with our emotions in control of us instead of us being in control of our emotions. Life is hard enough without allowing our minds to be tossed about within the storm of ourselves. This is where these scriptures offer us guidance in the circumstances we face. We are meant to request (whatever) on behalf of those we love and speak our desires to our Father directly. We don’t just pray to Jesus; we talk and walk with Him. We also pray directly to the Father who receives us. This is a complex relationship that we learn to walk in through years of practice. The beauty of our rest is in the joy through unification of all parts of God with ourselves and those we love in the bride of Christ. There is much to unpack in all of this… but when we find ourselves at a place of true trust and surrender, we find ourselves no longer questioning God about things, submitting to His will, and at REST…

Dear Unifying Father,

         Thank You for Your word and how it brings depth and clarity to rest. When we truly seek You Father, You grant us the ability to find You; Your presence Lord, brings about an overwhelming sensation of rest. When we can find that rest we can dwell in Your house in awe of Your splendor and grace. Jesus, thank You for Your salvation of our souls and presenting us with the choice of how we are to respond to You. Lord, we are humbled to be in Your presence. Please bless those around us in our walks to come into a loving relationship with You. Open their eyes to see Your majesty, Your authority, Your power, and most importantly, Your love for them. Thank You Jesus for Your sacrifice on the cross. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.

Day 162: Rest is not just a cure for tiredness

Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.'

        Rest is not just a cure for tiredness! Learning to trust in the Lord’s everlasting steadfastness is the key in truly understanding rest. Most people know the tail end of this verse, “Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” However, knowing the context of the verse is significant for true understanding. Given the fact that the Lord is everlasting and never grows weak or weary, His understanding is limitless, and that He is the grantor of strength and power, we then can do all the things through Jesus Christ who grants us the strength.

         There is a single line in this that is honestly reassuring as I get older, “Even youths will become weak and tired, and young me will fall in exhaustion.” We are all finite beings. We all have capacities that are limited in what we can and cannot do. Even for those of us that carry significant burdens in our lives, we have our limits. Rest is not found in sleep, but in knowing and understanding where our hope comes from, an inexhaustible source! There is peace in knowing that my rest is found in Jesus alone, especially on those days where I exceed my capacity as a human and I am operating out of grace alone.

         In my limits as a single father, educator, and all things household related, I have exceeded my capacity many times. In fact, my health data is constantly chasing me to sleep more and rest and recover. Some days are significantly better than others, but I am not in that season or stage of life. So, how do I keep going? About every ten days, my body needs to shut down and physically sleep. I get about 8-10 hours of sleep, which for me is about 2 nights of sleep in one, but then the whole next day, I am practically useless. I hardly function. The biggest reason is I physically push myself to the point of broken exhaustion. Why?

         I feel like I have no choice. Yet this is an excuse as well. Often times, I have made the right choices in life with the wrong motivators. Understanding this about myself, I have come a long way in where I choose to place my hope and rest. I choose Jesus. I ensure I even rest from active ministry work with men and take my sabbath as often as feasible without being a total legalist. I am by no means a great example, but what I am and hope you become is someone more aware of where they are putting their rest. Is it in sleep, the sabbath, or in the everlasting hope and power of Jesus Christ? I know I have greater access to see God’s beauty when my rest is found in Him!

Dear Strengthening Father,

         Thank You for providing today our daily bread. Thank You for offering Yourself up for us as a living sacrifice. Thank You for being the everlasting source of hope and rest in our lives. Thank You for the depths of understanding you have and can provide for us. Thank You that we are all equal and that we all grow weary; therefore, there is no comparison of ourselves to others in how we are to truly approach You Jesus. Thank You for gratitude. Lord, may we be one who lifts others up to You and praise You for Your marvelous work in this world. We love You Jesus. Amen.

Day 163: Confidence in Rest

1 John 3:19-22 NIV

This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

        Guess what? We have access to the confidence of Jesus Christ and this confident access grants us an amazing ability to rest. This scripture is specifically teaching us how we are to put our hearts at rest in Jesus. When we find this kind of rest beauty emerges all around us. So, what is this scripture teaching us specifically?

         First, in our hearts, is our core belief in God? If our core belief is there is it telling us that we are doing or not doing the right thing? This is our first indication of our place of rest. There is further evidence in scripture suggesting this is the place that we start, in our own hearts. Take for instance Romans 10:9-11:

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

This clearly outlines our need to believe in our hearts first. If our hearts are burdened, then we are not at rest because the foundation of our belief is found in our hearts after we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. This is where Proverbs 4:23 helps us frame out thinking as well, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This along with Jesus’s words in Luke 6:45, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Our hearts are indications of our place of rest…

         The next thing is to know our place. God is greater than our hearts. This is why God stated the following in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” God knew we needed a new heart because of what Jesus said in Mark 7:20-23, “'He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Once God transforms us, and we know our place, God says that He knows everything before we even need it, “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Matthew 6:32 NIV.

         Finally, we have confidence when we ask in accordance with God’s will that we have what we ask for in our times of need. James instructs us on why we do not have things in our lives that we want, but that we have things that God wants for us. In James 4:2-3 we see, “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Therefore, true rest comes from our confidence in God and what He is doing in our lives. We must trust Him in an active way, know that He is significantly higher than us, and ask for things within His will. In doing so, as believers in Jesus Christ, our hearts have the capacity to lead us to do things that God desires for us to do. We have to learn how to truly trust the new heart we have been given through Jesus because He writes His word on the tablets of our hearts if we allow Him to.

Dear Heart Changing Father,

         Thank You for another day and another opportunity to love others well today, Jesus. We could not be who You want us to be without new hearts and minds in You. Help us be at rest in trusting the new heart You have given us. Help us remember we are nothing but dust and ash before You, dust and ash designed with a purpose in this life to share with others Your awesome power. Help us remember that we have confidence in what we ask for in this life due to Your life saving work on the cross and the grace that You have so graciously supplied beyond measure in all of our lives. Jesus, let us come to the Father through Your blood. Thank You for dying to save us. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.

Day 164: Sabbath Rest

Mark 2:27 NIV

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

         I have got to say, this is probably the hardest for me to get right. I will keep coming back to this and wrestling with this over and over again in my life. This is especially true in our American culture where we have so much to do. Resting secure in the Lord daily is of upmost importance, but more than that is it not equally important for us to observe the Sabbath? God established it at creation, and has a set of specific guidelines throughout all of scripture for it, does it not mean that it is super important for us as humans to do?

         Yeah, but… Oh, am I too good at this one! Yeah, but… God will understand why I am doing all this and that… He has called me into it… It is for His children that I serve in my classroom, so I’m not really compromising the Sabbath, I am serving… I am serving the Kingdom. Yeah, but my family really needs me to come and visit, and I need to do this, and I need to do that… Oh my goodness! Do I know every single one of these excuses! I have employed them all at various times to justify my own turmoil and strife. Even down to justifying my own sleep patterns, do I make excuses for the various things I am chasing in my life.

         Yeah, but… when I do officially take the Sabbath and realize my place in the universe with God, I find a sweetness in life that is generally missing most of those other weeks when I do not observe the Sabbath. We have to shut ourselves down. I am literally preaching to myself right now more than anyone else! I have to, it is designed as a CORE need in my life, and I HAVE to make it a priority. Frankly, I am absolutely terrible at this. I have gone as far as to modify my family’s patterns attempting to honor it, and yet I still find ways of becoming a hypocrite in it. We even attend church on Thursday nights in order to free us Sunday mornings for actual rest. We are so busy throughout the week that I am rarely home enough to cook or clean, so I do things like that on Sunday. I put my house back in order and I generally do more than I rest physically.

         This probably sounds similar to you in life. We work and chase everything when we just need to trust in Jesus. The funniest part is in the week I am writing this; I did try to rest more this past Sunday and did not actually do work related stuff, or run to the grocery store, or any of my normal Sunday toil, and I have still been able to function all the same. I modified and adjusted my routines enough through the week that we are making it just fine. I just need to prioritize physical rest and observing the Sabbath. I would likely be better off in my day-to-day life.

         I know that in most Sabbaths I have time to reflect on each week and see where God has moved and revealed His beauty in my life. It allows me to truly see what He is at work doing all around me. His beauty becomes more evident when we slow down enough to stand in awe of who He is. Jesus observed the Sabbath, so we can too.

Dear Sabbath creating Father,

         Thank You that You hardwired into us the need for a Sabbath day of rest. Lord, I must confess, I am not good at honoring Your word in this area of my life and I need to bring it to the foot of the cross and lay it down. Lord, please help me prioritize the rest You have designed me to need. Help me see the benefits far outweigh the productivity I may find in observing a day of rest. Reveal to me the path forward to honor You in taking rest. I submit my control over all the things into Your hands and ask for Your word to echo in my heart and mind when I try to work on days where I have intentionally set aside to reflect upon Your beauty and provision. Thank You Jesus for all that You have done, In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. 

Day 165: Shut up and rest

Isaiah 30:15 NIV

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it…”

         This scripture feels like a direct call out to why I have struggled to find the true rest that Jesus offers us at times in my life. I have found myself at the point of exhaustion so many times due to my own ignorance more than anything else. I have chosen to take on more than I should at times in an effort to be all the things for all the people and that is not my responsibility. I am to be some of the things for some of my people. What are those things? Reliability, trustworthy, prayerful, and encouraging are a few of the characteristics I should embody. So, how have I found a way to fix this “all things to all people” mindset? The key is above…

         Repentance is beyond important. When I have assumed the “all things” mindset, I have to truly repent from that slippery slope. It’s like standing on the edge of a steep slip-n-slide that has been freshly soaped up, one wrong move and you are being hurled down the hill out of control. Repentance means to literately turn and walk away from the edge of disaster. So, when we repent, it is an action that forces us to change inwardly in our minds, attitudes, and ultimately our heart. I found myself having to repent from things I never even realized I had assumed in my life, but I had actions that were driving my behavior in such a way that I desperately needed to repent from. Upon seeking the Lord in my inner room, devouring scripture, I uncovered much of what I needed to repent from, and I gave those things to God. Then, I found true rest in Jesus and my relationship with Him. I felt safe and secure, like I understood my salvation at a different level.

         The next step, which is technically doable all at the same time and necessary in all seasons of life, is to be quiet. We just need to shut up and listen. Oh, am I guilty of talking to much even to God. I have much to say about nothing, which may be evident if you have read this deep into these devotions, but the Lord is with me. I just have to be quiet. Physically quiet, but more so, mentally quiet, with an open posture to receive from the Lord. God’s word says that IN quietness and trust IS our strength. This is pretty straightforward… but then His word goes on to say that we would have none of it!

         My ignorance has left me looking like a bumbling buffoon. The next few lines of this section of Isaiah talk about how some run from the Lord and what the results of that running looks like, but one of my favorite scriptures to encourage others with comes a short 3 verses later, “Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.” Isaiah 30:18 NASB. Therefore, in quietness and trust we are longing for the Lord to have compassion on us, we just need to work on repentance and rest to emerge from intentionally slowing down and embracing time to shut our mouths and trust in Jesus.

Dear Sovereign Lord,

         Thank You for your guidance and direction for our lives. Let us honor Your word and learn to be quiet and trust in Your strength Jesus. May we be quiet as You search us to see the ways that are within our hearts. Reveal Your beauty and grace to us and teach us Your ways Lord. Thank You for sitting on high waiting to have compassion on us. Thank You for always being present and consistent in our lives. We are humbled to be called Your sons and daughters. Thank You Jesus for all that You do. Bless those around us with Your presence through us today, Jesus. In Jesus Christ’s Holy name, we pray, amen.  

Day 166: Vigilant Rest

1 Peter 5:5-11 NASB

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

        I walk in a world where I always feel like I don’t fit in. In reflecting over this, I think it is because of the variety of experiences I have been gifted by Jesus to learn from at a younger age than most people learn them. Let me elaborate some, but within context of this verse. We are meant to humble ourselves, especially as young men, to one another out of reverence for Christ Jesus. We know this is true because it is clearly evident in God’s word. We find it here written by Peter and we find it in many of the writings of Paul but specifically here in Ephesians 5:21, “and subject yourselves to one another in the reverence of Christ.”

         This is where sometimes I feel like I do not always fit because the Lord has graciously allowed me the privilege of doing something that is prevalent in much older men. I carried my wife to the gates of heaven and presented her to the Lord as Holy and blameless. I was only able to do so by the grace of God and His guidance in our lives. So, in ways I feel like a much older man than I am. I think this has led me to have a sober spirit, always vigilant to what is going on around me, and I have learned the art of being in the moment. Wisdom is not just knowing sayings, it is the realization that God has it all.

         This is where rest has come in significant ways in my life. When I have remained firm and steadfast in my faith, with the knowledge that I am not alone, and that suffering is always temporary, I have been able to rest in the hope of eternal glory in Christ Jesus. Jesus works in me to perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish me for His glory. He has dominion over my life and all that is within it.

         So, while I feel like I do not always fit in, the truth found in the scripture is that as I cast all my cares upon Jesus, He makes me everything that I am. I am nothing but an empty vessel when I attempt to do life on my own. Yet, now with Jesus pouring through me in all my brokenness, cracks, imperfections, and weaknesses everything around me has the extreme potential to reveal God’s beauty in ways I would never see otherwise. We simply have to be on guard knowing we can call in the calvary that stands with Jesus in gratitude for all that He has created in and through us to worship Him.

Dear Life-perfecting Father,

         Thank You for so many things in our lives. Lord, now as we come before You we are humbled that You would work within us. Let us surrender our will to Yours Father. Let us be made complete and whole again in ways that we may never fully realize. Jesus, sometimes I feel like I do not fit in, in the world around me for You have carried me through incredible times of suffering and anguish, but Your word tells me You are doing all of this to perfect me and establish me for You good and perfect will. Thank You for using me today. May I always be humble in spirit and seek to honor You in those around me. In Jesus Christ’s authority and grace, amen.

Day 167: It’s just a nap…

Proverbs 24:30-34 NLT

I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

         Striking a balance between rest and slumber is challenging to say the least. We all experience seasons of our lives that drive us through differing motivations and callings. In each season we have different aspects of life that we get to enjoy and others that push us to the point of exhaustion. Each one serves a purpose greater than what we know. Most of the seasons are truly understood when we look back on them. I believe that God uses our memories as quiet sermons teaching us through our experiences as we reflect through the aspects of our lives meant to reveal the beauty within God’s work.

         These sermons in our memories can be held responsible for many things within our frame of thinking and feeling. We have to be careful with how much time we spend resting, taking breaks, and/or reflecting over our lives. There have been many Christ followers that fell into a pit because of how they rested from their pursuit of the Lord. They found Him in seeking Him wholeheartedly, received what they wanted from Jesus, felt rest from His presence, and then never got back to work. They hit the snooze button again, they forwent their quiet time, they allowed the excuse of the world to come into them and said they deserved the extra sleep. I must confess- I am 1000% guilty of all of these things. I am not here condemning us. I am asking us a question, are we using the excuse of rest to protect us from our true calling in Jesus? Do we have work that we need to get back to doing through the faith and grace that God has provided for us?

         I think the answer to these questions, and more is, YES… We have all been designed with a purpose that goes far beyond our comprehension. We need to rest for the appropriate time, typically a sabbath, and then get back to work! Using our hands as instructed to build and restore places of beauty and grandeur. We are to honor the sabbath as the Lord’s Holy day in in our lives. We must pursue the Lord in order to have true balance between resting in His promises and the work that He has for us to do in this world. It is a combination of His will with our faith in Him that will allow us to walk through each day knowing that His grace is sufficient for us.

Dear Life-Balancing Father,

         Thank You for Your grace and will being present in our lives. Thank You for always finding the perfect balance for us when we seek Your presence in our lives. Thank You for the little sermons that reveal Your grace and provision in my memories as I reflect upon the lessons You have etched into my life through every trial, error, and rejoicing. Thank You that You are providing these lessons with beautiful clarity. Yet, Lord, I know that life must be lived forward. Thank You for forgiving me when I have come to You and simply taken what I believed I needed and then overstayed my welcome to the point where I did not get back up to pursue the work You would have me do. Thank You for forgiving me all the times I smashed the snooze button in my past and the ones You have already forgiven me for in the future. Thank You that You provide such amazing grace to cover us all. Thank You for Jesus dying on the cross so that we may learn through the sequence of our earthly existence how to praise You. Thank You Jesus, Amen.

Day 168: Healing Rest

Isaiah 58:8-14 NLT

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes. “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!”'

        Healing rest is capable of so much more than we can ever imagine. Not only is rest the knowledge of Christ in our lives, access to the grace that is so abundantly give, it is also found in the provision of healing. Following God allows us the look forward to healing as we know the Lord not only leads us but guards us from behind as well. We are to acknowledge Him in all our ways. Not only in looking back, but also looking forward, while maintaining a present focus upon the Lord.

         In being in the present, we are to be mindful of our tongue while feeding and helping those around us in need. The light of the Lord will manifest itself within us and we are be the beacons of light in this world. We are to be like lighthouses. Reflectors of God’s light calling people to truth while allowing the Lord to prompt others to come into safe harbor while we work to make disciples by the way we live.

         When we allow the Jesus to continually guide us, He restores all that is within us and we can produce abundant fruit through His continuous flow of life into our hearts and minds. This is powerful abundance that promotes healing in deeply profound ways. It is restorative healing that can only come from the Lord. Part of the healing comes from the abundance of water and fruit in the harvest that permits us the ability to rest in the Sabbath. The thing that hinders us the most is the simple fact that we “think” we need the time to get all the things done, therefore, we choose to strive and work not observing the Sabbath day.

         This scripture provides some guidance about the Sabbath. It informs us of what not to do, which is interesting, we are not to follow our own desires or talk idly. As to what this entails, we will have to leave that up to ourselves to decide. 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 grants us guidance here as well, ““I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” This leads us to believe that the Sabbath should be kept Holy, but not in the sense that we do not look out for others in what we do.

Dear Healing Father,

         Thank You for the healing rest that You provide through an abundance of grace in our lives. You are so gracious to us, and we have nothing but gratitude and service to offer You in return. We desire to chase after You, but often we get in our own way Father. You know all of this and more and You still choose to fill us with Your abundance and love. Jesus, we are seeking You and desire You to be the Lord of all in our lives. Thank You for the water of life You have provided and the blood that covers us. Thank You for hearing us when we call. Thank you for going before us and following behind us as we attempt to walk in Your light and counsel. Father, we praise You for all things. Thank You Jesus for Your grace and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Day 169: Prolonged Days

Proverbs 3:1-8 NIV

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. '

        Everyone wants a long life. We all desire to experience as much of this life as possible. I remember this being one of the topics my wife and I talked about often as we looked at the realities of a terminal cancer diagnosis. Our conversations would often drift into what she was going to “miss” in our lives. The milestone events that mark succession of life. You know important events in our daughters’ lives like driving, graduations, engagements, marriages, children, all the things that life has to offer. This kind of conversation could easily and quickly turn very depressing and emotionally exhausting. However, the Lord, through His grace led me to learn how to navigate this reality.

         Sometimes we think of all the things that we are going to miss and we focus on the bad within it, when in reality, we should focus on the things that we don’t know. I have always said, “If we are going to what if this, let us what if it in all the ways…” This means we have to look at the positive along with the negative. This is where I think the scripture above is huge in our understanding of God and His ways. To put it simply, WE DO NOT KNOW… We cannot know the ways of the Lord! They are simply too high for us to comprehend.

         Armed with this thought process, I would always turn the recurring conversation into the plausibility of what God could do… I remember one particular conversation that has always stuck with me. I posed this question, “If eternity is what we think it is, how do we not know that we can sit with Jesus through every single human’s lifetime and get the firsthand account of what He was doing in every minute of every day with each individual?” The truth being that eternity is beyond our comprehension. Therefore, our experiences with Jesus after this life are also incomprehensible. At the time, this provided rest for my wife and I as we looked at the prospect of all that she “might” miss.

         We simply opted to let love and faithfulness guide our hearts and minds as we navigated all the things our weary minds would think of to slow us down and hinder our progress towards the goal of heaven. We trusted that the Lord had higher ways than we could understand and we let that provide rest beyond the chaos in our lives.

         To this day, I continue to think this way. We simply do not have the capacity to understand God in all His ways. When I place my trust in this idea, I can rest that He has the capacity to know things I cannot know. Therefore, I can set my eyes upon the Lord, and it brings me peace and peace brings me rest.

Dear All-knowing Father,

         Thank You for another day. Thank You for the lessons we have learned in this life. Thank You for having ways so significantly higher than ours. Thank You that we can lean on You in all Your ways and trust in You for all things including grace, peace, forgiveness, and love. Jesus, without You we are nothing and You have promised us things beyond our human capacity. Jesus, we trust You with our lives. Thank You for leading us down the path of life and prosperity in You. Guide and direct our steps and let us meditate on Your word today. Let us tell someone about You today. In Jesus Christ’s authority and power, amen.

Day 170: Relearning Rest

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 NIV

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

        Paul was wise in the grace of Jesus Christ to know that we would all need to be reminded of the gospel. The simple saving grace of Jesus is what we constantly need to focus on in our lives. This reminder is so simple in that it comes with us recognizing again and again that we did nothing to earn our salvation. We submitted to the love of Christ and surrendered our lives to Him. We have to relearn rest.

         This is true for me in my life. I have spent so much time having to relearn old lessons and refine my view of rest over and over again. For each season of life, it has been different. Recently I learned the origin of the word Sabbath. It is Shabbat- which means to cease, to end, to rest. It is governed by two major themes, remembrance and to observe. According to the Old testament we are supposed to observe the sabbath. This means that we remember and remind ourselves of the gospel.

         However, in the New Testament we are under the grace of the Gospel. It does not explicitly command us to observe the sabbath, but it does give us guidance as to the rest we should seek.

Romans 14:5-9 NIV

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

This is why I am constantly relearning how to rest because rest is important. Both 1 Cor. 15:58 and Romans 14:8-9 are advising us to stand firm and live for what we have been called to live for in our lives. We are to remain in Jesus, at times in rest, for why else would He have told us His burden is light? He wanted us to anchor ourselves in Him, take time to remember Him each week, be purposeful in our rest knowing work is not in vain, and to give thanks for all that we have.

Dear Purposeful Father,

         Thank You for another day of work and the opportunity to relearn again the importance and value You offer to us as Your followers. You have done everything to secure us in Your Kingdom and ask us to stand firm in our convictions. You ask us to set aside time to remember You each week and be purposeful in our rest. Then You desire our deepest gratitude for all that we have in this life. You, Father, are more than we could hope for and everything that we need. Help us relearn the art of resting in Your presence Lord. Each season of life provides new opportunities to seek this in You. Jesus, we are thankful You are with us to lead us through this life. In Jesus’ name we give thanks, amen. 

Day 171: Rushing is for nothing

Psalms 39:4-7 NLT

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

        Life is short. Every time I look into my daughters’ eyes I am reminded of this simple notion. I see their mother’s grace and poise looking back at me. For a while in my life, that was hard to embrace due to grief. It was a silent grief that no one will ever fully understand. My oldest daughter is strikingly similar to her mother, she is such a beautiful legacy of the woman her mother was, and my youngest daughter has her mother’s heart and sense of adventure. Every day when I pray with them, I am reminded that our days are numbered. I may not always say it, but it is the most poignant reminder to be present. My daughters are a gift of grace that deserves to be celebrated and led back to their Creator. As their father, it is my responsibility to lead them well.

         One of the things that I know I have to do is teach them the value of each day. The value is truly found in each interaction with those around us that we love. It will never be found in any fortune amassed because of a career, or in having the nicest things. It is found in right surrender to the Lord. Understanding that we have been given each moment to treasure and cherish is key as we are storing up an eternal currency that we have no idea about. What is powerful in this verse is the phrase “We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.” In examining other translations, a similar theme presents itself. Take for instance the NIV, “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about…” or the NASB, “Certainly every person walks around as a fleeting shadow; They certainly make an uproar for nothing…” Each one has the same theme; busy rushing is for nothing…

         This is a difficult thing for us to process, because our culture takes great pride in the busy toil of life. I have taken great pride in being constantly on the go and doing a ton more than necessary, all for what exactly, control? Power? Influence? Avoidance? Manipulation? Regardless of why, I have propelled myself into chaos and constant running and rushing for what? For what means?

         This is a definitive call for me to slow down. I need to intentionally slow down and remind myself to enjoy the life as presented to me. Yes, things will get done, but they do not have to be rushed, hurried, or sped up for the sake of saving time. I need to rest and be reminded that time here is limited and the relationships we forge here are the most important aspect of this life. If I need these reminders, chances are, so do you. What can we do today that will remind us to slow down and be present? Let us trust God and place all hope firmly in His hands of grace.

Dear Keeper of my days,

         Thank You for knowing the number of my days and reminding me today to rest in Your hope Jesus. Who are we that You would love us with such grace! We are mere shadows, glimpses of Your infinite creative power, yet You still choose to love each of us for the individuals we are. Lord, help me slow down today to be able to see the light that cast me as a shadow in this world. Teach us how to reflect Your light to those around us and consider the investment of time in our relationships. Father, You are worthy of all praise, and we place our hope in You today. Thank You for Your grace and forgiveness through Jesus on the cross and His eternal promise that we will rise with Him when He returns. In Jesus’s grace and peace, we pray, amen.

Day 172: Rest in Purpose

Jeremiah 1:5 NASB

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

         Rest is also found in purpose. Have you ever found something you are doing completely engaging and just fun? The work you were doing fulfilled you in a way that everything else hasn’t been able too. It was easy to work yourself into exhaustion and be supercharged ready to do it again as soon as you could. This is what it means to find your purpose.

         I was very privileged to walk with a friend of mine when he discovered his true purpose. We still are walking through it together, but what was really interesting about him is that it essentially was at least his third attempt in life to find what it was that was truly fulfilling for him to do. He is a little older than me, a great husband, a great father, and a great friend. Yet he was walking through life just not fulfilled. I will forever remember the day he asked me to sit with him and then he truly told me where he was. His vulnerability with me was real. We talked for the entire time we had as men that evening and came up with a plan.

         The first plan failed, but we kept engaging and talking with each other. Within a few short months he made a discovery about himself. He knew he needed to provide for his family through a transition, and I suggested that he become a substitute teacher in the meantime to earn an income for his family as we worked through things. He followed my advice and fell in love with the job. Next thing we knew, he had applied to become an educational assistant. He had stumbled into his purpose.

         God knew what he was designed for long before my friend had ever discovered it. So did Satan, because what happened next was one of the most evident stories I have ever experienced of how spiritual warfare exists in this world. Once my friend found the purpose he was consecrated for, the enemy attacked with the most vicious attack on a man and his family I have ever witnessed. Persecution was evident. I will not share the details to protect him, but ultimately, God’s purpose in him prevailed.

         Now, he is teaching and working on his degree. He is exhausted beyond reason, but joy radiates out of him every week as we walk through his God granted purpose in life. He is truly at rest in what he is doing. Tired, worn out, mentally challenged, but at rest in the fact he has finally arrived at what God created him to do. He is walking in Jesus Christ’s designed works for him and truly making a Kingdom impact in this world. Ephesians 2:10 NASB tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” My friend found his rest in purpose.

         You can find that too, just ask God to reveal to you where you find that sense of fulfillment. There will be immense beauty revealed when you start doing what God has created you to do.

Dear Marvelous Creator,

         Thank You Father for creating in us something we are meant to do before we were even established. Help us find what that is for each of us and help us thrive in it. Lord, we will know what it is when we face the attacks and have trouble getting to the point of that fulfillment. Resistance is not always bad, but evidence that You are at work stretching us and molding us into what You designed for us to do. Let us walk in Your workmanship, grace, and love as we navigate this life. Help us rest in our purpose, knowing it is far superior to anything we could imagine. Thank You Jesus for my friend that found his purpose. Bless the work of his hands. Your word father teaches us that the world will try to discourage us in the work You have prepared for us to do just like in Nehemiah 6:9 “They will become discouraged with the work, and it will not be done… But now, God, strengthen my hands.” God strengthen all of our hands for the work You want us to do. Let us find it and rest in that purpose. It is in the work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection that we come to You Father and make these request. Thank You for blessing Jesus and subsequently blessing us through this life. In Christ’s name I pray, amen. 

Day 173: Blessings to the God of rest

1 Kings 8:56 NASB2020

“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel in accordance with everything that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant."

         Blessings to Jesus Christ for He is the ultimate source of our rest. He made promises over 4000 years ago that we get to partake because of how much He loves us. We serve a powerful God. He is taking on so many burdens for us and all we have to do is cast our cares upon Him.

         At this point you know that rest is so much more than just sleeping. Rest is a state of being. And one of the things that was suggested very early on in these devotionals (Day 16) is that there is a nuance difference between being still and being at rest. The claim that was made on day 16 was that both are important, but what is more important is the fact that we are to wait patiently upon the Lord.

         Sometimes resting is waiting. Think about it, when you're on a long road trip and you stop at a rest stop, you are waiting to resume your journey. When we rest in the Lord, we wait patiently for Him to reveal the next steps for us. Too often we're in such a hurry to get to the finish line that we forget we need to wait patiently and rest because the way the Lord works is He illuminates the next step. Why else does scripture say in Psalm 119:105 NASB2020, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path."

         When we're on the path to hold on to the Lord's commandments and write His words on the tablets of our hearts we have to wait patiently and rest from time to time. When we're being still, we are acknowledging the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are resting, we are re-equipping ourselves with God's word so that his word will light our next steps.

         I have found that when you climb mountains you rest along the way and when you get to the top. Upon resting you finally have the ability to take in the fullness of the beauty that surrounds you. Resting in the Lord and waiting patiently upon him is one of the easiest ways of seeing 359° of beauty.

Dear Promise Keeping Father,

         Thank You for another day to rest and take in the beauty that surrounds us. Thank You for lighting the path before our feet. Jesus, You guide and direct our steps when we wait patiently for Your presence before we move. You also direct us to rest and be aware of those around us that You can love through us in our lives. Thank You for loving us and keeping promises made 1000s of years ago. We are humbled that You remain the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and that it is Your abundance of grace and love we rest in now. Thank You for making all of this possible through Jesus Christ. In Jesus’s heavenly and Holy name, we pray, amen. 

Day 174: Rest is found in gratitude

Colossians 3:15 NASB2020

Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.

         Rest is one of the most complex concepts. While it is physical, it is also emotional and spiritual too. There is so much about the mind that controls rest. We can be physically exhausted yet at perfect rest. We can be well rested and in chaos. There is a double meaning within rest that is like nailing down Jello, it just isn’t quite possible to define in clear cut ways. Although, it is important to seek rest in the Lord.

         This is why over the past month and half you have read through grace, peace, and now rest. Ultimately these three things work together to create within us the greatest response we have to offer to Jesus, gratitude. Over and over again scriptures talk about our need to express gratitude. This is true for all things, not just unto the Lord, but most importantly the Lord.

         Think about it for a minute. Chances are you have encountered a situation where you felt underappreciated, taken advantage of, even used… Why? Because someone, some situation, or a relationship failed to express gratitude. They were not grateful. When a lack of gratitude was shown to you, your feelings got hurt, your patience waned, your cheerfulness left, all the things that likely happened that caused you to not be at peace or rest… Think about it for a moment- other’s lack of gratitude disrupted your peace and ability to rest.

         Conversely, you have also likely experienced a time where someone’s gratitude likely brought significant peace and rest to your soul. We feel safer around people that genuinely express gratitude towards us for what we have done. When we feel safer around people, our emotional state is more at rest and we can think more clearly, express ourselves more freely, and love more deeply. All of these are natural byproducts of gratitude that help promote the right environment for our hearts, souls, and minds to be at rest.

         Now, thinking about these situations in your life, notice the scripture above. It is a command. “Let the peace of Christ- rule in your hearts…” This means allowing all dominion and power to rest in Jesus Christ. The core of our being is meant to be at peace in Jesus. When we find that our central belief and essence of who we are is fully founded in Christ Jesus, we are at peace, and when we are at peace, we find rest. Then there is the little tag line at the end, “be thankful.” Being thankful is not necessarily a result of being at rest, it is a qualifier of rest. It is an essential component of peace ruling in our hearts.

         Think about it, if we are at peace, we have rest, is not gratitude for the One who made all of it possible the indicator that we are truly at rest in Jesus? We are not suggesting that rest is a necessary precursor to gratitude, because we can be grateful and not be at rest, what we are saying is that gratitude is found in rest. When we find ourselves fully at rest, we also can find ourselves steeped in gratitude. What are you grateful for today? Are you able to rest in that area of your life? Rest is found in gratitude… and gratitude is found in rest… they are mutually inclusive.

Dear Gracious Father,

         Thank You for another day in Your courts. One day in Your house is better than 1000s elsewhere. Thank You for the rest You provide through Your peace Jesus. Today, as we venture forth into the work You have prepared for us to do, let us rest in the peace You provide through Your grace so abundantly granted to all of us. Thank You for the opportunities we have to serve Your Kingdom and love on Your people. Let us not forget the power within Your resurrection. Thank You Jesus for all that You have done in our lives. In Jesus Christ’s authority and power we pray, amen.

Day 175: Enter Jesus’s Rest

Hebrews 4:9-13 NASB

Consequently, 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’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer. '

         We must enter the rest that Jesus offers us through His sacrifice on the cross. We no longer have to do any work for our salvation beyond surrendering to Jesus Christ and professing Him as Lord of our lives. We have to do this daily, but it is not work, it is giving up our control. The second line of today’s scripture is really powerful when you take the time to break it down and meditate on it. For those of us that have trusted Jesus have received rest from our work, just like God has rested from His. This helps us understand that the work of our lives is in the surrender to Jesus, once we find and get to know Jesus, we are at rest in Him.

         Therefore, this is why it then says that we should make every effort to enter Jesus’s rest. As always, I encourage you to read the entire scripture in context with the book of study because here, the next line talks about people that may fall by following the same example of disobedience- which is a direct reference to those that have hardened their hearts in verse 7.

         The next line is one that is often quoted as the reference and tool for what the Bible is because it is the literal Words of God Himself. They do split us metaphorically and literally at times. We have divisions in interpretations, purpose, intent, all the things within our human hearts. But notice here, it says that it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. This is what we believe not only in our minds, but our hearts. Nothing will remain hidden from Jesus’s sight, everything is laid before Him, and we must answer to Him in all things.

         If I am going to have to answer to Jesus for all things and His Word exposes all things within me to the light, then I must surrender to enter a rest that only He can offer me. If everything was laid before Him right this second in my life, would I worry or stress about my most recent sin, or do I rest in the fact that Jesus covered that for me? There are an infinite number of excuses, but there is only really one choice, Jesus or not? Jesus promised us trouble in this world, but He also promised peace and guidance within that trouble if we would learn to rest or abide in Him for all things. So, make every effort to surrender yourself to Christ Jesus for I would rather be at rest in Him than trust myself and my efforts any day.

Dear All-seeing Father,

         Thank You that You see all things. Thank You that You provide rest for those of us that seek you with our whole hearts and minds. Thank You that You are forgiving and gracious to us. Thank You for the grace that covers a multitude of sins and is constantly working on my behalf. Thank You that we cannot hide from Your sight and that all will be exposed, so I know it is better for me to walk in the light than in the company of darkness. Thank You for using Your word to penetrate deep within me and opening me up to Your possibilities. Thank You for Jesus dying on the cross for us. Let us serve and seek to enter Your rest, while encouraging others to do the same today. In Jesus Christ’s Holy and perfect name, amen.