REST

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Burdens. Weights. Pressure. Pace.

What kind of mental images do those words stir up?

Do they paint the picture of someone struggling to stay upright under a heavy load or someone frantically trying to “keep up”?

It that you?

Truth is we ARE STRESSED from time to time.

Work is stressful.

Home is stressful.

Relationships are stressful.

Conversations are stressful.

Yet Christ calls us to FREQUENTLY break away; to pause and to breathe.

"Are you tired? Worn out?

…Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. – Matthew 11:28 (MSG)

This morning while sifting through the “stress” of countless emails, my calendar for the day, the notes and the to do list, I was happy to see my little bi-weekly devotion from the Passion Translation team entitled…

“COME AND REST WITH ME…”

Here is just a snippet…

I care deeply for you, My child.

Quietly wait on Me, and you will feel my nearness. You will hear Me whisper into your soul, and My peace will descend upon you…there is a hiding place you can find in Me. The shadow you see over you is the shadow of My wings. It is not a shadow of confusion, but a shadow of My hiding place where I will place you next to My heart.

I care deeply for you, and nothing can disturb you in the hiding place of My glory. Come and rest with Me.

Wow!

Doesn’t that invoke a tranquil image?

Friends, the LORD wants us to SLOW DOWN from time to time; to take a break from the frantic and distracting nature of this world because when we are SO BUSY, so distracted and so preoccupied, we are settling for something less than a fulfilling day or life.

Busyness often translates into restlessness.

At least it does for me. 

Then mix in a little confusion, de-affirming interactions, folks who press you from all sides with their agendas and mistaken viewpoints and soon we (at least I) have been robbed of the promised blessings of today; been robbed of the good of the day due to the distractions.

Burdened and restless living steals calm contentment.

And gladness and peace are uncovered in that hiding place, that still place, that resting place.

The LORD knows this.

That is why He makes the offer.

That is why he says,

"Slow down. Take a deep breath. What's the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?”  Jeremiah 2:25 (MSG)

So friends, let’s choose to…

rest upon Him

Your Father who is in heaven is your Friend

You can rest upon Him

When your measure of faith is spent

You can rest, you can rest upon Him – Durham-Speer

Be blessed today and this weekend

I love you all.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE