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NIV is used unless otherwise noted.



Rest: Day 5

Come to me all you who are labor and burdened 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.”      
 Matthew 11:28-30  
 “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”           
                                                           John 17:3                                                                 



 What, then, is this rest? And why do we need it?

To rest in Jesus is to rest in His sovereign plan: His eternal purposes and His guidance for our lives through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Here are four things that may help you recognize the plan, release yourself to it, and rest in it.

First: There is no plan B for the people of God. Each of us is “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10). Don’t look at another’s gifts, lifestyle or seeming impact for the kingdom. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you get past the superficialities and see what you can learn from them that will impact your walk.

Second: God’s kingdom is unseen and eternal, but we live in a culture that prizes both materialism and instant results. As a child of God, you have been given an eternal timeline and an eternal perspective. Cultivate them.

Third. The only things that last for eternity are the souls of men and the Word of God. Invest your time in people—including your own family. Pray for them, spend unhurried time with them. Trust me, in ten years your children won’t remember the names of the people on their baseball team or who came in first in the play-offs, but they will remember family dinners.

Fourth: Look at every activity through the lens of its value for the kingdom. Nothing beats prayer. Our seven grand-children are all fairly young; this summer I began praying seed prayers. When they come to mind or (as grandmas do) I worry about their future I say something like this: Dear Lord, I am planting a seed for Maddie. One day, in your time, it will sprout and bloom, May she come to know you and love as her Lord.  Amen.

Nancy S.


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