Did I hear correctly? Did you say REST? Who has time?

God began convicting me of needing to rest recently.  I have this supermom, superperson mentality that drives me daily as I live in a very busy lifestyle.  Staying busy has always been what I do.  I don't really know how to rest.  I have always had to make every minute count.  I guess this started when I was working 3 jobs and going back to school to get my degree.  I had to learn to be very time conscious so I could get everything done.  So I wrestle with the concept of finding rest. 

God has such a great sense of humor.  Because I have developed such a fast paced lifestyle, my body (so used to running 120 mph every day)... has not learned how to slow down and rest.  Because of that I have many nights that I can't turn off my brain from thinking or I am restless and just can't sleep.  It was during one of these nights when I couldn't sleep that I decided to get out of bed and quit tossing and find a book to read.  Maybe that would help me get sleepy.  So I pick up a new book I had purchased but hadn't had time to start reading.  The book is "Walking with God" by John Elridge.  So I get comfortable on the couch and open the book to a chapter titled "Slowing down to Listen".  As I begin to read the chapter, I find it very amusing.  In this chapter, John is on summer vacation and he had made many plans for activities to do on vacation and it starts to rain that morning and he is on the porch watching it rain.  He is mentally tired and drained from always pushing. Always doing something.  He then realized that God sent the rain so he would "stop".  Stop to listen and stop to rest.   I just start to laugh. Ok, Lord, I get it now.. I am supposed to stop and listen and learn to stop and rest.   Doesn't God have such a sense of humor?  Here I couldn't sleep, pick up a random book to read and there God speaks His truth into my heart about rest. 

So I resolved to get up the next morning and do research on rest.  I wanted to know what God had to say about rest. Because as I began to ponder on the word rest, I realized that I really didn't know what God meant by rest and needed to find out how to rest.  The next morning I get up and looked up the definition of rest, looked up scriptures pertaining to rest and God began revealing many truths about rest and the importance of rest in our lives. 

Here are the truths that God revealed.  First, what is the definition of rest? 
Rest means refreshing quiet; sleep, inactivity, relief, freedoms especially from anything that wearies, troubles, disturbs,mental or spiritual calm. 

As I studied this definition I began to look at these words, and realized my life was full of the opposite of rest.  My life was opposite of inactivity but full of busyness and activities.  Calmness reflects a sense of peace and the opposite of peace is turmoil.  Turmoil is a state of great commotion, confusion, (disquiet).  Now that is definitely the opposite of refreshing quiet.  Turmoil is also feeling unsettled and stressed.  Stress is physical, mental or emotional tension or worry. That seems to be the opposite of finding freedom from anything that troubles or disturbs and finding relief.  Wow!  My life was totally the opposite of rest.  The constant busyness of my life, full of activities to fill my day, left me feeling totally drained, tired, and just worn out.  I realized I was missing the best opportunity to find even a moment of just quietness, just a moment to stop and truly give my body, mind and spirit time to be totally quiet. 

Because I had allowed the sin of busyness to enter my life, my whole body and mind was so tired I couldn't really enjoy life.  I was tired physically and emotionally and was totally drained.  Life did not hold any joy or enjoyment.  There was no pleasure because there were too many tasks to be done and I was just too tired to enjoy life.  How had I allowed that to happen?  I didn't even realize it was happening.  I just knew I was so dead tired that I dropped to bed from total exhaustion.  I had become so good at being busy that I realized I don't know how to rest or relax.  God had alot to teach me!!

God in all his goodness always wants to reveal His truth to us so I began to search scriptures about rest and even surfed the web to see if I could find out "how to rest and relax".  I found some great information.  I was surpised to find so many scriptures relating to rest.
First of all in Exodus 23:12 we find the divine command "Six days do your work but on the seventh day do not work.... so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed." (Isn't it interesting that God even wanted the animals to rest?)  Exodus 34:21 " Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest, you must rest"  God knew us so well... this was a command to rest.  He created our body and knew we needed a time to rest and be refreshed.  There in the scripture God used word "refreshed".  Remember the definition of rest was "refreshing quiet".  Isn't that so awsome?  We even see Jesus giving us examples of rest found in Mark 6: 31,32 " Come with me by yourselves for a quiet place and get some  rest".  We find in Matthew 8, Jesus was found "sleeping" in the boat during the storm. 

What I found on surfing the web regarding rest was interesting for I knew God needed to teach me how to rest.  What I learned:

• Rest is not laziness. 
• We must learn to build breaks into our lives before we collapse. 
• We must take frequent breaks (for example, take 2 to 3 minute break every hour). 
• Learn to take yourself offline
• Learn to find a quiet place with no activity and give yourself a mental break every day.

 Since I was having a hard time sleeping, I decided I needed to learn how to wind down and prepare myself to go to sleep.  I fixed myself a cup of hot chocolate, went to the back bedroom, turned on some soothing calm music and just sat down and let my mind go completely quiet.  I was so amazed that I felt really calm and relaxed.  I also realized I had been missing something really wonderful all these years.  I think I could really like this relaxation!! When I told my daughter this new revelation I had discovered, she just laughed and said "That is what "normal" people do"  So I resolved to try to be like "normal people" because I truly enjoyed this relaxation time!! 

As God began to deal with me about rest, I was convicted about the sabbath day and God's command for us to rest.  Therefore I decided to actually rest on Sunday.  So this past Sunday, after church and after lunch, I didn't want to lay down for a nap and decided to try to sew on my  quilt.  My sewing machine just wouldn't work so out of frustration, I decided to try to embroider something for a friend and started my embroidery machine and it would not allow me to copy the design from the computer to the embroidery machine.  All of a sudden, I chuckle as I hear the still small voice, "It is the Sabbath, a day of rest"  Ok, Lord, I get it.... I need to rest. So I took a nap instead.

Here are a list of books that I found on the web concerning rest that I intend on purchasing and reading.  "Sabbath Keeping: find freedom in the rythmns of rest" by Lynne M Baab and "Permission to Nap" by Jill Murphy Long.

The last scripture I will leave you with concerning rest is found in Lev. 23:21 " On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work.  This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, whereever you live" 

May we truly learn how to rest physically, emotionally and spiritually.  May we recognize the sin of busyness and that Satan wants to keep us busy so we will not have the quiet times to stop and listen to God speaking to us.  He wants us so busy, so that we collapse from total exhaustion and fatigue. But God gives us the opportunity to find rest, peace, calmness, refreshing quiet in order to rejuvenate our physical, emotional and spiritual beings.  Thank you God for commanding us to rest so we may be fillled with your Spirit and find refreshment for our souls!!   

Chosen, Summoned and Witnesses

Isaiah 43:1:  "I have summoned you by name; you are mine."   Isaiah 43:10 " You are my witnesses, declared the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen."

Looking at these 3 words, I searched the dictionary for clarity of their meaning.

Summoned means to call upon to do something specified.
Chosen means "selected"
Witnesses means to see, know by personal presence, to testify, give evidence of

As I look at these scriptures, I am in awe that the God of the universe would summon me by name.  That He would choose me and call upon me to do something specified for Him.  That He would want me to testify and show evidence of what He has done for me personally.  As I reflected on these words, I am reminded that God doesn't want me to preach a sermon to others but just to share with others what God means to me and what He has done for me personally.

 To see the words, "whom I have chosen".  What do those words mean to you? That God would "select" me to do something specific for Him.  Whew!!  What an awesome responsibility but also what a wonderful feeling that God chose me for Him.  What a wonderful Savior we serve!!

 God is so faithful in giving to us.  I must share with you a story from my grandson (out of the mouths of babes, God teaches us)  We were driving back from the Discovery Center and he said, "Nani, God just spoke to me and said, You get and get and get, what are you going to give?"  God gives to us in more ways than we can count.  God has chosen and summoned us to "give" our lives to Him and be witnesses for Him. To give our testimonies of what God has done for us.   What will we "give" for Him?  Will we "give" our testimonies to others? 

Thank you God for choosing us and selecting us to give to others and to share our lives with others.   Thank you God for calling upon us to do the specific tasks you have given to us.  Help us to be open to you and open to share with others about You.  Help us to share the many blessings you give us daily with those who need to hear it today. 

Who has control or influence in my life?

I want to share my heart and my experience with you. When I was younger, I attended a church that did not allow women to wear pants, wear makeup, cut your hair, go to ballgames or movies. These were the rules of the church. To not do these things meant you were holy, set apart and not "of the world". Jesus began to deal with my heart about these things.  He began to speak to me about the "outward appearance".  These things were not what made me holy but the Holy Spirit living in me and my heart being totally surrendered to Him, would I live a holy life.  I am not holy only His Spirit that lives within me is holy.  It was the condition of our "inward" heart that is important to God. How we allow God to help us live holy lives pleasing to Him is what God wants from us .  The church was acting like the Pharises with all their rules and regulations and their hearts were far from God.  I saw many people that "looked holy"  but acted unholy.  Jesus came to the earth to show the people that the rules and regulations from the Pharisees were not what God wanted for them.  He wanted totally committed and surrendered hearts committed to serving Him.  He wanted our "hearts" not our rules and regulations.  God wanted me to learn to "listen to Him and get guidance from Him for my daily living and to set me free from the bondage of rules placed on me by the church.  He wanted to set me free.  To experience His joy and live my life according to what He wanted from me and not from man-made rules.  Only God should have the power to lead and only God should have the power of influence in my life.  If I give that power or influence to someone else or to the church, then I give them power to control and manipulate me and that is NOT from God. 

For example. Only God can give us direction on fasting.  On when and what to fast from. That should come from God only and no one else has the right to do that.  For example when we look at the life of Daniel.  God directed Daniel to fast from the king's rich food and Daniel did not allow the king or the kings servants to influence Him from his conviction placed on him by God alone.  God had control in Daniel's life.  When we allow rules and regulations set upon us by people or a church that are not from God, we are allowing them to become hinderances from what God truly wants for us.  We are living to "comply with man-made rules"  instead of living to comply with God's ways, God's Word and God's leadership in our lives.  He sets us free from man-made rules so we can experience Him. So we can experience Him and  His freedoms from things that hinder us from being totally committed to Him. 

Who and what are we influenced by?  Who are we committed to?  Who do we allow to control us?  Are we allowing God to guide us, to be influenced by Him and Him alone? 

Let us allow God to guide us... Let us allow God to teach us... Let us allow God to show us His truth and be only influenced by Him alone. 

Psalm 25:4 - "Show me your ways o Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth, and teach me, for you are my God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. "

John 8:36 - "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."