Category: Some of My Favorite Things

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Love, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Some of My Favorite Things

Finding Rest in God

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“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

~Saint Augustine

How true these words of Saint Augustine are. They certainly ring true in my heart and mind. Raised in a Christian home, taken three times weekly to church, and saved at a young age, I really do not know a time when I didn’t know of God, who He was, and what He had done—though I do confess knowing more of Jesus than of God. – I knew God created the world, split the Red Sea, gave the ten commandments to Moses, and loved the world so much that He sent His Son to save whosoever believed in Him. What I didn’t understand until much later in life was that He made us for Himself.1 It was much later in life that I learned that He created, desired, and sought out His people because He wanted to have a relationship with them.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” 

“All things were created by him and for him.” 

Revelation 4:11 / Colossians 1:16 

From the beginning to the end of Scripture, we read how God made Himself known to His people, how He cared for them, taught them, led them, loved them, and poured out His grace, forgiving them of all their sins. However, until I understood this and removed myself from the hamster wheel of trying to please and trust God in my own strength, I was indeed – restless. The restlessness came from always striving to please Him, and when I failed, there was the unending feat of trying to make it up to Him. “Saved by grace” is not just a winsome phrase but a never-ending characteristic of God and of His love in action. It is a love meant to change us from the inside-out, to make us new creations in Christ🦋 – so that we can live and walk in fellowship with God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • Rest in His love … for there is no greater love than giving your own son to die for the sins of the world.
    • For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. John 3:16-17
  • Rest in His Grace … grace that is greater than all our sin
    • 20 Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 5:20-21
  • Rest in His Strength … the strength that raised Him from death to life.
    • I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Eph. 1:19-20
  • Rest in His promises … for has He not kept all of His promises to this day?
    • For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. 2 Cor. 1:20
  • Rest in His Greatness … knowing that He alone has the power and words of eternal life.
    • “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68

Friends, “‘To whom shall we go?’ wasn’t written by John as a question of despair—it’s a declaration of devotion. Once you’ve tasted living water, nothing else satisfies. Once you’ve heard the voice that awakens your soul, all others fade. The deepest worship may simply be this: staying when it would be easier to walk away.2“

Prayer of Response To God’s Word

Father, what a blessing it was the day I began to understand that You created me for Your pleasure. I wasn’t just one of many that You created – I am known by You, created to be loved by You and to love You. I was created with a purpose and am meant to be dependent on You – and called to find rest in You. Oh, what a good good Creator and Father You are. Remind me daily to cease striving and find rest in You alone. – To You be the glory and honor, amen 💜

The More We Know
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Posted in From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Some of My Favorite Things

Philippians 4:4

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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Philippians 4:4

After reading my morning verse recently, I found myself journaling these words: “Father, You are good. How long ago did You show me this verse? How many years since I sat at my kitchen table reading and rereading it and the verses that followed? How many times and ways since then have you shown me the truth of those verses?”

Sometime in the early nineties, I sat at the table of our newly built home, enjoying the quiet moments of my baby’s nap time. Sometimes, when she slept, I would rest or clean, but most often, I would spend some alone time with God in His Word. As a newly “revived” believer, I was hungry for the Word and eager to build/rebuild a relationship with God.

Today’s verse brought that table and time to mind, as it was there that I first remember beginning to study Philippians 4:4-7, specifically – Paul’s words, “Rejoice in the Lord always. (I will say it again: Rejoice!) 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – note: while verse eight wasn’t included in my early study, it soon followed and has rescued me from more than one battle.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8

God seemed to embed those words in my mind that day. Through the three decades that have followed, He has continued to faithfully ingrain them and use the words to help me through many turbulent days/years of this life/world. These words … have taught me to fix my eyes on God and His will … to ‘rejoice’ even when the days are hard, sad, or downright scary. The words helped me develop a relationship with God, teaching me to spend time in prayer, talking to God, not just at Him. From there, I began learning to trust Him, to fix my thoughts on Him, and to experience the promised peace.

To this day, these words of Paul remind me that God is near, that His return is imminent, and that in and with God, I can have, know, and be filled with peace even in the tumultuous storms of this life! God’s peace is truly a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is a peace that gives strength and hope in both the good and challenging seasons; this strength and hope have led me to “re-joy-cing” in God for more than thirty years of my life.

As I read the words again this morning, they were not new to me but they caused my mind to stop and remember God’s goodness so many years ago and every day since to change my life from the inside-out!

“Joy is the flag flying high above the castle of the hear, announcing that the King is in residence there.”

~Unknown

Loving Heavenly Father, my strength and hope are from You and through Christ in me. Your grace and power fill me with the confident JOY to keep going when hope seems far away and sorrows weigh me down. When I am weak, You are strong! So in my sorrow for this world and despite my concerns – please continue to help me KEEP my eyes and thoughts fixed on You – and let the flag of JOY fly high above the castle of my heart – where You rule and reign – announcing to all that You – my God and King – are in residence here!💜 – And to borrow from today’s devotion from “Our Daily Verse,” “May my life be a testament to the unshakable joy found in a relationship with You. Let this joy be my strength, a light to others, and a reflection of Your constant grace in Jesus’ name, Amen.”