The Absolute Best Rest Ever

rest, Psalms 37:7,hopeFriday is here!  If you are like me you have been trained to look forward to Friday afternoon and the weekend that follows.  Weekends are a time that we can rest and play and hopefully enjoy a few days away from our jobs to do other things.

But then Monday comes and the process starts all over.  If we are not careful we can find ourselves in a perpetual “looking forward to the weekend” mindset where we aren’t truly enjoying each day to the fullest.  We start chasing the idea of rest and relaxation as a goal in and of itself instead of the good things that God has for us each and every day.

What we need, then, is to learn to rest properly.  We need to learn to rest in the Lord and be sustained by Him.

Psalm 37:7 says “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him”.  Note that resting in this context involves a continued hope that waits patiently on God’s provision and God’s timing.  This type of resting does not involve stopping, giving up or running away and is certainly not a form of escapism like so many of this world’s distractions.  This is a rest that remains focused on God as our provider and the one who sustains us.  This is the only type of rest that truly restores us and blesses us.

That is not to say that we should neglect physical rest.  It is important to take care of the bodies that God has given us and be good stewards to our health and well-being.  But we don’t need to stop at just resting physically.  If we are just resting physically without taking the time to rest our spirit in Him then we are missing God’s best for us.

We live busy lives.  Distractions are everywhere.  As God’s people, it is imperative that we remain rooted and grounded in Him at all times.  By learning to truly rest in the Lord with our hope and confidence placed in Him we can enjoy the absolute best rest ever.

 

Friday Favorites 12/13/13

Christmas, Christ, LoveFriday favorites is a place where I can talk about and recommend some of my favorite things.  From food to music to technology to great ideas, Friday favorites will feature them all.  If you have feedback on something that’s deserving of a Friday favorite, please don’t hesitate to use the comment section or send me an email at matthew515blog@gmail.com.  I want to hear about your favorites too!

My topic for today’s Friday Favorites is taking time to enjoy the real meaning of Christmas.  Let me explain.  Today’s post will most likely be my last for 2013.  As we approach the end of the year I find that I am ready for a rest, both mentally and physically.  I am already enjoying Christmas time this year much more than usual simply because of my job change and exit from retail.  But I want to make sure that my focus remains on God’s love and how it was expressed with the sending of the Christ child so many years ago.  This year, I have an opportunity to really experience Christmas as never before and I don’t want to miss it.

With some additional time to rest and reflect I plan to catch up on my reading, enjoy the company of my family and friends and focus on renewing my mind and body for the start of 2014.  It’s been an amazing year and I remain excited and expectant about what God is going to do.  He has been so good to my family and I and I must continue to proclaim His love and His mercy both with my mouth and the way that I live my life.

To all of you that are travelling this Holiday season I pray for your safe return.  To all of you who are visiting places where there is tension and strife I pray that God’s love may heal and wipe away any record of past wrongs.  And to every single one of you I pray that you would grow in the grace and knowledge of God and that the full weight of God’s great love would be made known to you this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas everyone, I will see you in 2014!