True Rest Pt. 2

True rest isn't just about physical rest---although that's rated pretty high in my books!  (So much so that I'm really hoping that we get to sleep in heaven!)  But true rest also has to involve spiritual rest.  And, I believe, the spiritual rest actually leads to great physical rest.

Galatians 3 says that God didn't save me from the curse of sin, fill me with the Holy Spirit, and then say, "Now, go and live perfectly and measure up to the law!"  No!  He saved me by faith in the PROMISE of Christ.  He filled us with the Spirit so we could walk by faith.

I've spent many years trying to measure up to the law.  In fact, I've added a few of my own--just to keep me from sin.  No wonder I was exhausted!  I am a child of promise..a child of the supernatural.  If I submit to the law, I fall away from grace.

Instead, through the Holy Spirit's help, by faith, I wait for the good and the blessing which causes me to hope.  I must walk by faith through love.  This pleases God and draws me into freedom and rest.  The law leads to strife but the Spirit leads to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Can I do those things on my own?  Absolutely.  I can love on my own, exhibit patience on my own, and eek out some self-control, too.  But when I do it on my own, it's exhausting.  And when I do it on my own, I'm doing it through the flesh.

Hebrews 4 tells us that we have to appropriate this rest.  Just as God rested on the 7th day from His labor (of creation), we are to enter that sabbath rest--and quit laboring on our own.  I have to laugh because we're told to "be zealous, exert ourselves, strive diligently to enter that rest."  It's that important.  But once we enter that rest, we find that the Holy Spirit does all of the "work."  He causes us to be full of love, joy, peace, etc.  So it seems it's work to enter that rest...but once we get there..watch out!  It becomes a supernatural work of God.  The best kind of rest---True Rest!

True Rest

To continue from where I left off yesterday...

It seemed that the major theme of our prayer time Tuesday was "REST."  We talked about how tired we are, how hectic our schedules are, and how we just never seemed to get rested.

But then we also talked about how noisy our lives are.  Television.  Computers.  Radios.  Music.  Crowds.  It just seems our lives could be termed "overstimulated."  And I have an aversion to being overstimulated, so you'd think I'd avoid it at all costs. 

But I have a theory.  The more you immerse yourself in the noise, the less it bothers you. 

I actually don't like listening to talk radio when we're traveling.  But Andy does.  So when we travel, I take a book while he listens to the radio.  I can tune it out.  But it's a static noise that I get used to.  In fact, Andy will comment on a point made on the radio and I'll have a "Huh?" reply and he'll ask, "Weren't you listening?"  No, I wasn't.

Andy has always liked to fall asleep to noise.  When we moved into this house for the 2nd time, we put a TV in our bedroom for the first time ever.  Immediately, Andy began using the timer on the TV at night and we'd fall asleep to that noise.  Now I have a hard time going to sleep without it.

I can have the TV on and be working/playing on the computer at the same time.  Am I watching the TV show?  Not really.  But I think I've gotten used to noise and just don't like dead space.  I'm addicted to noise now.

There was a time when all of my children were in school for the first time ever and I spent hours reading the Word of God--learning and growing.  I hated noise at the time.  I never turned on my TV.  I spent hours each week with my friends in prayer and spiritual battle.

Now?  I find it hard to find time to open my Bible.  I'm just being honest.  Noise has crowded my life.  It has exhausted me.  And I think I'll only begin to find the True Rest once I turn off the noise.  I told my friend, Jodina, whom I met and prayed with during those productive years, that we'd had the privilege of hours and days and weeks of meeting and praying and battling together.  I wondered if our children, who grew up in the technological age, even know what quiet is.  And would they know what to do with it if it showed up at their house.  (I'm not being critical...just actually wondering!)   Me?  I'm going to have to re-learn. 
To be continued...

The Lion

Not a lion.

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."  I Peter 5:8

My prayer group talked about this verse yesterday.  I know we're all aware that Satan is that roaring lion who would like nothing better than to devour us.  We've all probably had a few chomps taken out of our behinds as he's snuck up on us.  But Tuesday, as we were praying, I had a vivid picture in my mind.  I saw this lion coming up on me like I was a rabbit.  Only I was just sitting there licking my paws (feet?) and didn't run away.

I stopped our prayer time and asked my prayer partners why they thought Satan was having so much success in devouring his prey all around us (and including us).  These are some of the answers we came up with--see what you think:

• We're tired.  We have no energy to run away.
• We're unfocused.
• We're not aware of the danger.
• We're not quiet enough to hear the lion stalking us.
• Our world is so noisy we don't hear the lion.
• We're distracted.
• We're living in the lion's territory.

We decided we need to get quiet--to stop all of the technology around us and just be still.  Do we know how anymore?  To be continued...

Epiphany

This morning in Sunday School, I had an epiphany.  We were studying Ephesians 2:11-18.  The conversation turned to the covenants that had been made with Israel in the Old Testament.  These covenants pointed to Christ and the new covenant to come. 

I suddenly understood why Israel had a problem with the new covenant--and why it's hard for them to come to Christ.  First of all, the old covenants are familiar.  And we get very content in the familiar.  But secondly, these covenants were for Israel alone.  Why in the world would they want to be a part of a new covenant which included Gentiles?  (If you want to see some of these covenants, go here and type in "covenant.")  And thirdly, the old covenant is about self---keeping the law.  It's hard to let go of that and trust Christ.

And for that matter...why would Gentiles long to be a part of the old covenants?  I've heard teachings about spiritual Israel and how the promises given to Israel are for us.  But why would we long for those old covenants when God has offered us so much more in the new covenant?  And this new covenant was meant to unify us with Israel.

I'm sure I don't understand everything about this, but this made sense to me this morning.

Christmas

Not my stockings...but I wish they were!

Do you find it as hard as I do to keep Christmas giving "even?"   For some on my list, it's hard for me to even think of one gift.  And that person varies from year to year.  But then when I begin shopping, I keep finding something really cool for that person who is easy to shop for that particular year.  And then I start over trying to even things out!  And that hard person to shop for becomes even harder.
But I may have hit upon the solution.  I told my mom that instead of gifts next year, I wanted a sister/mom shopping date at the after-Christmas sales in Dallas/Ft. Worth.  Maybe the bargains will put me ahead of the game for Christmas 2012!!  It will be fun, regardless.  Even?  I'll still probably be out on Christmas Eve trying to even things up.

I'm hungry!

This is Addie--my granddaughter.  She came to our house Wednesday night so that her parents could cater the Living Water Christmas party.  She and her brother were going to hang out at Living Water during the party, but Pops got sick (sniff, sniff, cough, cough, A-CHOO, A-CHOO, A-CHOO, A-CHOO,A-CHOO, A-CHOO) and couldn't go to the party, so he ended up babysitting the kids at the house.  And this is his story.... 

 

As soon as Addie's mom left the house, he turned and found Addie with her head in this cabinet.  (And yes...it normally looks like this.)  All of my grandkids know where I keep the good stuff--candy, crackers, snacks.  And even though they know "it's not healthy for them and has ariticial flavors", they're drawn to these snacks.

She had to climb all the way up from the floor to get to this cabinet---something she's never done at our house, so Pops was definitely surprised!  He asked her, "Addie!  What are you doing?"  To which she replied, "I'm hungry!"  Pops got her down and told her she couldn't have (another) snack.  So she walked over to the next counter.

"What's in that jar (to the left), Pops?"  Nothing.

"What's in that jar (center), Pops?"  Nothing.

"What's in that jar (right), Pops?"  Nothing.

"Then why are they there?"

 

The girl was definitely hungry.

Surgery

Surgery...ever had it?  Well, I'm not having it now, but I know about the subject.  It's not much fun.  It's excruciating to know you're going to have to have surgery.  And then you spend days or weeks worrying about the surgery while they try to schedule you in.  You know you need it, but what are the other options?  Would medicine work just as well?  Can I just bury my head in the sand?  Please??

I had a hysterectomy when I was 34.  I can only tell you that I was ready.  Did I dread it?  Of course.  I would have dreaded it even more if I'd known that the outcome of the simpler procedure led my doctor to also do the more invasive procedure.  And that I came out looking dead because I lost so much blood.  (tmi?)

Well, I'm not having physical surgery but spiritual surgery.  Sometimes it's just as painful, if not more so.  And I stew just as much--trying to figure out a way to take care of it myself (or get out of it!) before I finally turn myself over to the Great Physician's care.  The great thing about this Doctor is that he never screws up.  You won't die.  Or even look dead.  And the good news is you'll feel 100% better!

I have to finally get to the place where I'm willing to pull my ribcage open and allow Him to look at the infections in my heart...and remove them.  It's such a difficult procedure only because He doesn't allow anesthesia...because He wants me to be a part of the process.  I have to go in willingly and agree to each step of the surgery.
It's never easy.  But it's certainly healing.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  John 8:32