Is Rest a Four letter word?

For some of us, everything in the world is grabbing for our attention. Our work, our kids, our friends, our phone, our emails, pretty much 24/7 we have some thing or somebody wrestling for our focus. So when we think of rest, we can often think of no responsibility or turning our focus off our job, which by the way can be very refreshing for the soul. However, have you ever felt you needed a vacation even after a vacation from your job? Rest for some well-meaning Christians can be a four letter word and their vacations can often be busier in focus than their day jobs.

For the new covenant believer, we are invited to learn from Jesus to find true rest. Today vacations are needed and practiced in our marriage and yet as a young believer I thought I could leave behind the responsibility of learning from Jesus while on vacation. I felt too busy relaxing and being entertained to invite Jesus into my jam packed vacation. All along Jesus was inviting me to learn from him even while on vacation, sometimes near the ocean, and ask Him the hard questions. I found the more real questions I asked Him the more I learned, and the more I learned the more I felt peace and rested. What moment in life have you felt the most rest and peace from Jesus? Were you able to give Him your full attention in that moment? Ask yourself, what would it take to go back to that kind of intentionality from distractions to focus on Rest?

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Rebuking Or Resting?

Every season, because you carry God’s calling and purpose, you will face a life storm. Jesus approached two ways to face a literal storm while in the boat with His disciples. During the storm, the first thing He did was rest His physical body by sleeping. So either the waves were hitting him in the face and he still didn’t wake, or the disciples over-exaggerated the drowning part of the storm. Physical rest was important to Jesus when no one else was prioritizing it. The calling and purpose of God on your life will often take you to a place where you are doing exactly opposite of everyone else in a storm. Of course spiritual rest in Jesus is the highest priority of a believer during a storm. To surrender your beliefs and worries and exchange them for God’s thoughts and plans during the storm can be true rest in Christ Jesus.

The second thing Jesus did was rebuke the storm after the disciples pleaded with Him. This is every young disciples dream… “Let’s simply get rid of the storm!” We see it often in young believers poorly advising, “Just rid yourself of the marriage, just rid yourself of the job, just rid yourself of the relationship, just rid yourself of the church…. things will get better because…..you deserve to be happy.” Sometimes ridding ourselves of the storm robs us from perseverance and an opportunity to grow in our faith and learning to rest. “Well Jesus finally rebuked the storm so He must have wanted to do that!” What if Jesus wanted His disciples to rest with Him and trust that what He said about going to the other side would actually happen, regardless of the storm?

Today we have 2 options in our life storm. Rebuke or Rest. I am all for rebuking life storms if you know that God has asked you to rebuke but what if in this season of the storm, you can go to another level of trust with Jesus by resting? Even if your life boat sinks, you can lean on the thoughts/ chest of Jesus who can’t sink or drown but supernaturally rises above the stormy water.

Mark 4:35-41 ESV ³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Finding GOOD ADVICE for a healthy family.

Ever received parenting advice from someone who didn’t have kids themselves? Probably not well received from you as a parent, am I right? Many understand receiving good advice from someone who is just two steps ahead of us can be true wisdom. What if the person giving advice is two steps ahead but is not successful? Should we take their poor advice?

If someone in the business world is selling $1,000,000.00 a year of products or services and you are selling $500,000.00 annually then you will probably attend their workshop or seminar to learn advice how to make your next goals. Same thing is necessary in growing a healthy family, find some people that are successful, just two step ahead, and be intentional to ask how to reach your goals. Some Christians are more intentional to have goals in business and asking advice with their money than they are with their family and suddenly realize it’s too late. Here are three personal goals we look for to receive advice to invest in a healthy family. Today we value good family advice especially with young adults in college.

GOOD ADVICE FOR US:

1. Are their children passionate for Jesus and serve a local church weekly?
2. Is their marriage healthy enough to allow both couples shine in their talent and gifting together.
3. Are they married to the same person and still enjoy the local church, dating, and vacations together.

POOR ADVICE FOR US:

1. Their children are self-centered building their own kingdom not Christ-centered.
2. Their marriage is insecure where one is fulfilling their dream but the other suffers.
3. Remarried and advising us to focus on financial goals while ignoring our church and family.

Again, these are our family goals to pursue good advice and do not have to be yours. Just make sure you know your goals for your family, write them down, and believe in them to pursue good family advice as much or more than jobs and money.

Heal the Home Heal the World

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