restoring rest

After a two-week hiatus, we have another devotion.  Building off the message from Sunday about the Sabbath, I have included some verses and some notes that you might have missed.  I pray that God will continually teach you how to rest in Him. 

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Jesus is here to give us rest.  We are all busy and God knows that.  I was reminded of a quote last night from a friend that said, “the devil is not as much concerned about making us evil as he is about making us busy.”  Dang, if that is true then we have all tapped into the devil’s plan. 

Concerning the Sabbath, Jesus once said, “The Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  And along those same lines, Mark Buchanan once said, “more than Israel ever keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath kept Israel.” 

Busyness kills the heart.  But rest restores.  Check out some of these passages:
Psalm 46:10 – when was the last time you were still?  Meditate on God. 
Luke 10:38-42 – are you distracted from God?  or are you sitting at His feet?  are you so concerned with working for God that you are missing God?
Isaiah 40:28-31 – wait on God and you will be renewed? 
Psalm 23 - are you trusting in the Shepherd?  are you lying down gaining restoration?  is your soul restored?  are you being guided by God? do you see Him with you or are you having to search through the clouds for Him?  are you overflowing with Him?  are you desiring to live in His house?  desiring to be in His presence? 

 So my prayer for each of you is take a break today and find a place that only you and God will be.  It is my prayer that you can also find a day that is marked as the Lord’s.  Not a day to be caught in busyness, which if the quote is true, is of the devil.  But a day of rest.  Restoration.  Strength.  A day to remember where He has brought you from.  A day to trust Him to bring more to mind.  A day to experience.  A day to stop.  A day that is truly a day given over to live.  A day to come alive. 

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