"As I talked about last time, time flies! It has been too long since I have placed my thoughts here. Life has been busy. And then there is vacation.
Mark Buchanan wrote a book called The Rest Of God. It is an interesting title, so I began to look at it and decided to save it, appropriately enough, for my vacation. Our vacation was wonderful, thank you for asking, but now that I am back I have finally opened the book.
Vacations can be restful even if you are busy. It is a time to relax the brain, focus on new thoughts and enjoy the things around you. It is not always what we plan it to be, but hopefully we come back refreshed and encouraged.
I have been thinking a lot about rest lately. Rest is not sleep, or laziness. It is a state of peace, comfort and dependence. If we trust in God to be our shield and the lifter of our head (as the Psalmist wrote), we understand that nothing touches us that hasn't passed through the hands of God. We also see Him as our the One who encourages us, and who raises us up to be with Him.
I know, it sounds like theological simplicity. And it is. Rest is not complicated. We trust God with everything, including what keeps us up at night. And He protects, guides and encourages us. We just need to come to Him, realize that we can't save ourselves, and believe that He will save us. It comes down to faith.
After all, Jesus is the One who said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 ESV)
Mark Buchanan wrote a book called The Rest Of God. It is an interesting title, so I began to look at it and decided to save it, appropriately enough, for my vacation. Our vacation was wonderful, thank you for asking, but now that I am back I have finally opened the book.
Vacations can be restful even if you are busy. It is a time to relax the brain, focus on new thoughts and enjoy the things around you. It is not always what we plan it to be, but hopefully we come back refreshed and encouraged.
I have been thinking a lot about rest lately. Rest is not sleep, or laziness. It is a state of peace, comfort and dependence. If we trust in God to be our shield and the lifter of our head (as the Psalmist wrote), we understand that nothing touches us that hasn't passed through the hands of God. We also see Him as our the One who encourages us, and who raises us up to be with Him.
I know, it sounds like theological simplicity. And it is. Rest is not complicated. We trust God with everything, including what keeps us up at night. And He protects, guides and encourages us. We just need to come to Him, realize that we can't save ourselves, and believe that He will save us. It comes down to faith.
After all, Jesus is the One who said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 ESV)
