Rest is in the nature of God, and He has made it to be an integral part of our nature as well. Interestingly, while we are designed to need rest, God still chose to specify in the Old and the New Testament the need to rest.  He knew that our flesh naturally will gravitate towards busyness and restlessness! God enjoys rest, and He wants us to partake of His rest!

Imagine that you are a billionaire and your daughter is getting married. How would you go about planning her wedding? Where would you draw the boundary line for the number of guests, the cost of venue, the price of dinner, and a whole host of other decisions you need to make? How much is enough?

Our creative and powerful God chose to only create for six days, and that was enough! He had the resources of heaven and earth to do more, but He stopped on the seventh day and chose to be pleased with everything he created in the first six days.

For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Hebrews 4:8-10

Rest (according to Strong’s Concordance): a putting to rest, calming of the winds, a resting place

Cease (according to Strong’s Concordance in Greek): to make quiet, to cause to be at rest, to grant rest, to lead to a quiet abode, to still, restrain, to cause (one striving to do something)

Are there any winds in your life that prohibit you from being at rest today? Do you lose your rest when you see someone more capable than you that causes strife in your heart? Is it the wind of financial instability that makes you anxious about your life? Is it the challenge of parenting that keeps you awake at night wondering how to help your child succeed in school?

There are always plenty of opportunities to get anxious and restless. However, we need to remind ourselves that the Lord is already aware of the situation and take it to Him. If our rest remains circumstantial, we will never enter the true peace that God has for us!

According to the above scripture, God has the gift of rest as a nice package available for us. In order to truly open this package and enjoy what is inside it, there is one requirement, and that’s ceasing from our own work!  That means we restrain our abilities, cleverness, and ingenuity, and we choose to STOP! We speak to our soul, and we tell it, “Enough is enough! Let the chips fall where they may. My soul, you’re not touching this anymore. This is good enough. The rest is in God’s hands.” When we truly give things over to the Lord and trust Him, His rest floods our souls.

Are we willing to say enough is enough? Are we willing to work hard and do everything we need to do, and then rest on the seventh day? This rest is not just resting from activities, but it is resting our minds, emotions, and will from all subtle temptations to do more, plan more, or contribute more. Is there something that you need to cease from doing today? Give it over to the Lord, so you can enter His rest!

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; Philippians 2:12

Just as a physical workout breaks down fat and develops muscles, our sanctification is a spiritual workout that breaks down sinful habits and strongholds and develops stronger faith in God. To get in shape physically, we need to have a regular workout plan and expend time and energy to achieve our goals. We may take classes, read up on the latest and greatest exercise routines, or  purchase a gym membership to get in shape.  In the same manner, we need to have a plan to grow spiritually because the flesh is not going to willingly submit to change!

Each tool or workout technique can show us how to exercise, but unless we are willing to put it to work, we will not see transformation. Others can encourage us but can’t perspire for us!

I have been working out for a quarter of the century, and I have seen variety of gym members. It is actually very similar to church membership. There is Mellow Maddie who exercises mildly and after years of going to the gym, there isn’t much observable change in her. Then there is Seasonal Sue. She seems very interested and intense, but then she disappears for months, and she is nowhere to be found. Steady Eddy is committed to working out and stays consistent. As a result, you can see tangible difference in his shape in a matter of months. Consistent Connie has been coming faithfully to the gym for years, so she is fit consistently. Then you have Driven Debbie who seems addicted to exercise, and you wonder if her family suffers for the amount of time she spends at the gym!

Church membership just like gym membership doesn’t get us in shape automatically. Each of us has to workout our salvation with fear and trembling. Our teachers, coaches, or our friends can’t do it for us. Salvation is a gift from God; we are called to steward this gift well by working out our salvation with fear and trembling, so it can produce the fruit that God desires.

Do you steward developing the gift of salvation with fear and trembling? Are you taking on the shape and character of Christ?

The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. Isaiah 32:17

Quiet- (Definition According to Strong’s Concordance): be tranquil, be at peace, be undisturbed

Today, there may be a couple of things that disturb you. You can put the above scripture to work and allow the Lord to give you peace in the midst of the disturbance.

Quiet your mind from thoughts of worry, injustice, and oppression. Give it all to Jesus. He sees everything. These are your battlegrounds. This is where victory has to be won! Don’t give in to anxiety, rage, or revenge. Know the voice of your emotions. Your emotions will tell you to get angry, to give up, or to fight back. You can be free from these yokes if you don’t give them a foothold in your life. Choose to reject any negative thought. That means you are not going to allow them to steal your joy, peace, and love.

Receive the Lord’s love by meditating on His word and worshipping Him. Let Him soak you in His love. Allow God to be magnified over every situation. He is larger than any issues you are facing today.

Listen to His voice. Ask the Lord, “How do you see this situation?” His answer may surprise you. He may not see it the way you perceive it. You may desire to get rid of the pain. He wants you to get rid of the yoke! He wants to see you free. Anything that pushes your button, He will allow it to stay in your life until the place of pain is healed by the power of His name!

The Lord’s solution to sin and injustice is the Kingdom response. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14

Jesus declared himself as the light of the world, and He affirmed the same attribute over us. His ministry was to light the path and show the Way to the Lord, and He has imparted to us the same ministry as His ambassadors in a dark world.

Just prior to Jesus’s declaration that we are the light of the world, He preached about the beatitudes in Matthew 5. It’s as if He gave us the characteristics of being light and salt in a darkened world. The beatitudes are not something that the natural man is capable of doing in the flesh. However, a spiritual regenerated man can grow into by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

As we grow in Christ, we exhibit the poverty of spirit, and we become meek peacemakers who are full of mercy. We let go of the pollution generated by self and allow God’s light to shine through us. The beauty of light is that it doesn’t have to work hard at being light. As our soul changes, the light becomes part of us.

The main condition to be light is to be connected to the source of light who is Jesus. When we are in the right relationship with the Lord, we can shine brightly on a continuous basis regardless of circumstances.

The world needs the light in us desperately. Our light can bring clarity in a situation. It can help someone gain a new perspective in life. The light of Jesus in us can hold up a standard at our workplace. Our light can bring hope to someone who has been stuck in a bad situation for a long time. The Lord can use us in so many ways to touch the world around us.

Some people will not like the light because it exposes the hidden dark things of the flesh. Jesus was hated by those who desired to stay in the darkness and had no aspiration for change. On the other hand, those who were looking for light and direction were drawn to Jesus. This is why the Christian life seems so schizophrenic sometimes. On one hand, we may be loved and sought after, and on the other hand, rejected and marginalized!

Light is not meant to be hidden. We don’t have to apologize for who God has made us to be. If we are truly walking in the beatitudes described in Matthew 5, we are not operating in the flesh but in the Spirit. When we are pushed aside, there is no need to take things personally but celebrate that we are living out our calling. Rejection of the light is part of the life we have chosen.

Let your light shine today by living out the beatitudes described in Matthew 5 and allow God to use you to bring hope to a dark corner of the world! Amen!

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

God is light and there is no darkness in Him. The Holy Spirit, His search light, reveals and exposes problematic areas that would not otherwise be visible. Without the light of God in our lives, we live and reason in darkness. Many times we don’t even know we are in darkness until we see the light!

God’s light is powerful, potent, and painful, but it is also freeing! It’s not always easy to allow His light to shine in the crevices of our lives and those hidden places that no one sees or knows about. However, when we come to His light, we become free from what was holding us in bondage. We see clearly, and we don’t have to stumble in confusion any longer.

The above scripture tells us  that “we walk in the light”. We don’t just expose ourselves to light when we are ready or is convenient, but we need to make it a lifestyle. Walking in the light means that there is a continual exposure to light every step of the way. There is a constant soberness and awareness of what we are stepping into because the Lord is lighting our way.

The above scripture tells us that when we walk in the light as a matter of lifestyle, we have fellowship with our brothers and sisters who are walking on the same path.  Our fellowship is not just based on human emotions, likes, or dislikes, but it is based on truth. If any sin gets exposed in the process of walking in the light, the Lord has given us a solution in the form of the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all sin. We can apply Jesus’ blood to remove all unrighteousness and impurities. That allows us to stay in the right fellowship with God and with man.

The scripture in John 1: 5 (NIV) tells us, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The darkness can never overcome light, but light always overcomes darkness. You can have a room that is completely dark, but one flicker of light can completely change the visibility in a room. On the other hand, one dark object placed in a well-lit room only takes a visual space, but it does not change the visibility in the entire room. Jesus came to overcome the world and the darkness in it. When we receive Him, we have the privilege of shining in the darkness and not be overcome with it!

Praise God for the His light in our lives! Where would be without Him!

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:7-9

The law of the Lord constitutes His testimonies, statutes, and commandments. The law has many benefits to our lives.  God’s law literally transforms our hearts, minds, and our will. We become a changed person as we learn God’s word and obey it. Some people struggle for years with certain issues, but they are not willing to go to the word of God for transformation. We can’t just look to the Bible for encouragement but not receive the rest of the benefits of the word of God. While being comforted and encouraged is important, but allowing our hearts and minds to change by God’s law is of paramount importance!

The Lord’s testimonies are certain. There are no ambiguities in God’s testimonies. They allow a simple and immature person to become wise. One doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel and learn by trial and error. He/she can do right the first time because they have followed God’s word.

His statutes are right, and what is right brings joy to our hearts. What is right settles the hearts and brings clarity to the mind. It removes the fog of confusion!

God’s commandments are pure. Because God is holy, His commands are pure. There is no ulterior motive for giving us His commandments except that they are good for us. They allow us to grow in health and strength in all areas of our lives.

The fear of the Lord is clean. There is no manipulation or evil in the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is not oppressive but it is liberating from all other fears. To the level we respond to the fear of the Lord we remain protected from harm and foolishness.

Praise God for His judgments! His judgments have complete accuracy and fairness. God’s judgment is not arbitrary based on His feelings or His mood of the day. The Lord is not impulsive in judging, but He is very patient with us. The Lord is the best judge, and He has the best plumb line for truth and justice. When God judges, He does it righteously. There is no partiality, politics, or personal agenda. He judges based on principles that He has established which don’t change through eternity. Praise God!

As people of God, we need to be willing to give up our cultural values and our family upbringing in order to take on everything God has for us in His word. Many people embrace the Bible only to the degree that it doesn’t interfere with their old family values. We can only grow to the level that we are willing the Bible to be the final arbiter in all areas of life including our marriages, parenting, finances, work, friendships, enemies, etc.

Is reading the Bible part of your daily life? If reading the Bible is not a priority, how do you know if you are obeying Him?

“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

In the above scripture, Jesus very clearly declared that we cannot be in a state of belief if we are more concerned with receiving honor from man than God. Paul stated something similar in

Galatians 1:10b: “For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

If we allow the approval of man to make us or break us, we have gone back to the slavery that we came from!  Man’s approval or disapproval is a moving target, and it is only bound to cause insecurity in our hearts! The Lord will provide plenty of opportunities for criticisms and complements, and each of those can affect our hearts and shape our behavior if we let it. The test is there to teach us to resist desiring man’s honor and its false security. Instead, we have the privilege of seeking sure security which is found in God!

A desire to receive honor is not necessarily an evil desire. The scripture tells us that God will give honor in due season. It also exhorts us to honor those in authority and those serving among us. The key issue is not the desire for honor, but what are willing to do to receive the honor!?

This is very similar to having a desire to be in a courting relationship leading to marriage. Having a desire to be married is a God given desire, but are we willing to lose ourselves to be in a married relationship? Do we have to be with the person every free moment to ensure we have their attention? Do we settle for less in our spiritual standard and stay in an unequally yoked relationship? Do we compromise our purity to ensure we don’t lose the person?

Similarly,  we can be tempted to draw attention to ourselves and compromise a Godly standard to receive honor from man and in the process displease the Lord. Honor is something that God gives to us; it is not something we have to strive to get. If we strive to have man’s honor, we are bound to make compromises in the process of getting it!

Jesus is our perfect example in receiving proper honor! He did not seek the honor of man. On the contrary,  many times He walked away from the attention of man to focus on His purpose! If Jesus had looked for man’s honor, He could have asked His disciples to find Him a Stallion not a donkey to enter Jerusalem! He could have dressed in priestly garments and had phylacteries on to secure man’s honor as a religious leader. However, His focus was not on worldly honor; He only desired His Father’s honor, and that was enough for Him.

The Father was pleased to honor Jesus! As a result He allowed the Son to be honored and recognized by man for the work He did on the earth. Jesus will continue to be honored by people through eternity while the Pharisees went to the grave with their earthly honor!

Do we have the certainty of the Father’s approval? Are we living our lives for the audience of ONE?

 “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

Believe (in Greek): to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in

Honor (in Greek): opinion, judgment, view opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone

At the first point of our salvation experience, God’s love has touched us so deeply that everything fades compared to being in His presence. However, things change over time. We start going to church and getting to know our new found brothers and sisters in Christ. We get involved in serving, and in the process, our attention gradually starts shifting from Jesus to His people!

Over the years, what others think of us becomes very important. That’s how it used to be before we were saved, but we thought we were freed from those issues! Surprisingly, we find ourselves fretting over the opinion of others all over again! The only thing that is different is that instead of being concerned about our family or coworkers’ opinion, we are now concerned about the opinion of our spiritual family!

Every word or look that is directed toward us from certain spiritual people can either take us to the highest mountains of acceptance or drop us into the lowest valleys of rejection.  We don’t even give an opportunity for the Lord to have the final analysis in the situation. The estimation of people and their judgment upon our lives can completely affect our emotional/spiritual state. This is when a hard examination of our faith is required.

Jesus’ statement is very important to heed and take to heart. He is stating, “How can you believe who receive honor from one another…?”. Unfortunately, Jesus found the Pharisees in this state of unbelief. They were the religious leadership of the day. They had no lack of honor in men. Not only they honored each other, but they also expected honor from others. However, God’s honor has faded out of the picture. In the process, they lost their faith because they were too focused on getting and keeping man’s honor!

It is very easy to get distracted beloved! We can assume if we have man’s honor that we have God’s honor! That’s not always the case! While man’s honor is important, it is never more significant than having God’s honor! Do we have God’s honor apart from man’s honor?

The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer; Proverbs 30:25

Ants have certain characteristics of lifestyle and behavior which makes them similar to human beings. The scripture highlights these insects by calling them “The ant are a people..” because we can gain insight from their little lives!

The above scripture basically states that the ants have a sense for change of seasons, so in the times of plenty they prepare and store up food for the season of scarcity. The Bible tells us that Joseph did the same thing for the Egyptians. God instructed Joseph through the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream; he showed him how to save for the upcoming long season of famine in order to preserve the people.

This is an important principle that we can all learn from. God has always been a God of seasons in the nature as well our personal lives. The creation itself goes through different seasons. The Fall and Winter are designed to keep the plant healthy, well rooted, and established. Eventually the fun season of fruitfulness comes in the Spring and the Summer seasons, and it brings joy and celebration.

If the ants counted on food in every season, they would not survive the Fall and Winter seasons when there isn’t much food around. The ants know to save for the dry seasons and so should we.

Practically speaking as people of God, we don’t live in debt like the world does. We have a culture of debt where everything can be charged, and people have thousands of dollars of credit card debts. Part of the problem has risen from not having any/enough savings. As a result when something unplanned happens, there is no plan or anticipation for the unexpected. That’s when we are forced to charge a bill on our credit card and pay high interest rate for borrowing that money.

Recently, my son’s car was in the shop twice, and each time it cost a few hundred dollars to fix it. At the second round of repair, he offered to pay for part of the bill. I was glad that he cared enough to inquire about the cost of repair since he is just a college student at this point. While, we weren’t looking for his monetary assistance, it gave a great teaching moment in the necessity of savings. I told him that he should always be in the habit of tithing and saving. That prepares him for the unexpected, and Lord willing when he gets his full time job, he will always be in the position to pay his own bills. Can I get an “Amen” from all the parents with adult children?

What season are you in? Are you preparing for the next season? Do you tithe and save regularly?

Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.  Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore.  Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.  And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. 1 Samuel 18:1-4

King Saul and Jonathan both took interest in David after he defeated Goliath. However, their relationship with David was as opposite as it could come. Saul’s relationship to David was a love hate relationship which over time turned to complete hatred. On the other hand, Jonathan lovingly and consistently loved David over the years until his death in a battle against Philistines.

Jonathan would have been the one to reach out to David since he was the prince and David was just a shepherd boy. Interestingly, Jonathan prophetically confirmed God’s anointed man and next in line for power by giving David his robe and his full armor transferring his birthright!

Jonathan’s attitude towards David was impressively kind and gracious. There were no subtle hints of jealousy or competition in his heart towards David. God gave him a love for David, and he trusted his heart instead of listening to his paranoid father. He could have easily been instrumental in sharing the news of David’s whereabouts with his father to get him eliminated, but he didn’t. On the contrary, when he knew Saul was chasing David, he sounded the alarm for David to run away from his father’s claws!

Once David heard the news of the death of Jonathan and Saul in battle, he mourned for both of them. David in his song about Jonathan’s death lamented,

“I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me;” 2 Samuel 1:26a

When the Lord orders God ordained connections with others, they are free from strife, rejection, & fear. Sometimes a relationship is God-ordained but due to one person or both people’s insecurities, it impedes God’s purpose from fully developing to its fruition.

Insecurity and fear can also be an indication that the relationship is a man-made connection, and one or both people are holding on to it in their own strength for their personal reasons. A man-made connection may produce fruit for a season, but it comes with a high price of slavery of our soul!

If you were to pick the next man of God, would you have picked David as a shepherd boy? Most of us would do what Samuel did. He looked to Jesse’s older and more skilled sons as the possible future king. It wasn’t until he considered all the other older boys and ran out of options that he wondered if there is someone else that God had in mind. We can’t rely on what we see with our natural eyes, or it will betray us over and over again.

Jonathan took interest in David when he had nothing.  Jonathan did everything he could to see David protected and successful. He remained loyal to him all the way to the end. They had mutual love and respect for each other throughout their lives.

On the other hand, Saul was intimidated by David, and he tried to thwart God’s plan that the Lord already had set in motion. He could have been David’s coach and mentor, but he refused to see him as God’s anointed!

Godly connections see the hand of God on someone’s life, and they cooperate by doing their part in helping the person to move forward in God’s purposes. On the other hand, man-made connections are just about one or both parties, and the benefit it provides for them,. They will not be long lasting because they are based on selfish reasons.

Do you have Godly connections with other people? Just because someone is Godly it doesn’t make our connection with them Godly. If the relationship is based on fear of rejection, competition, or intimidation, we should seriously inquire of Lord about the nature of the relationship and our part in it.