Posts Tagged ‘God’

The Rest of God

by Susan Fleming

And to whom did He swear
that they should not enter His rest,
but to those who were disobedient?
And so we see that they were not able to enter
because of unbelief.
Hebrews 3:18-19

Therefore, let us fear lest,
while a promise remains of entering His rest,
any one of you should seem to have come short of it…
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest…
Hebrews 4:1, 11a

Paul Harvey popularized the phrase, “… the rest of the story.”  What I want us to think about today is “the rest of God.”

Now this isn’t a deep theological discussion – what I’m about to write probably isn’t even theologically sound.  But words intrigue me, so I’m just going to chase a rabbit today.

This part of Hebrews pulls from the Old Testament, where God swears that the Israelites, because of their disobedience, will not enter into the Promised Land.  Here it is called, “His rest.”  God’s rest… the rest of God. The part they don’t already know.

Everyone, at some point, will know God.  They will finally know Him for Who He is – His holiness, His sovereignty, His fearsome power.  But only Believers will know the extent of His mercy, the reach of His grace, the depth of His love, the delight of His favor… only the Believer will know “the rest of God” – the fullness beyond what those who have been disobedient will know.

And so, when I read that those who are obedient will enter into “His rest,” my mind wanders beyond the concept of resting from work, to imagining what “the rest of God” will be like.  We know He calls us to walk deeper with Him, to know Him more intimately.  I am confident our quest for the rest of God will fill eternity – and we still won’t know Him completely.

For Further Consideration:

1.  What part of God are you looking forward to knowing more?

2.  If our quest for the rest of God will never end… is that a comforting thought for you or not?  Why?

3.  In what ways do you think you need to be more “diligent to enter that rest”?


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An Open Letter to God

by Kim Avery

Precious Christ of God,

You are the love of my life. You have captured my heart, captivated my mind, and consumed my affections. My deepest longing is to love You more.

Jesus, You amaze me – my Sovereign Savior, Redeeming Deliverer, Christ of God. How is it that You, the Eternal One entered time:

  • Creator becoming creation,
  • Spirit clothing Himself in human skin,
  • Breath of life – breathing,
  • Immutability taking shape,
  • Love crucified.

The unimaginable has occurred. You chose the path of death so that I could have eternal life. Why did the Almighty God, who is everything and needs nothing, die to make Kim His friend? There is no greater love than this.

You…

  • guard me,
  • protect me,
  • counsel me,
  • and fix Your eye upon me.

You have…

  • called me,
  • named me,
  • forgiven me,
  • and stamped Your image in my heart.

You continually…

  • desire me,
  • yearn for me,
  • reveal Yourself to me,
  • and delight in me.

You take my breath away!

A simple thank you is but a trite expression coming from a wandering heart, yet today I bow my heart and life in worship before you – my God and my friend.

Your child,

Kim


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Laryngitis!

by Kim Avery

I am on my fourth week of laryngitis. My fourth week. Now math is not my strong suit but I do believe that is 30 long days of no talking, speaking, whining, crying, fussing, encouraging, sharing, regaling, retelling, rehearsing or recounting any of the brilliant thoughts that rent space in my mind.

At first, I assumed it was no big deal.  I’ve had laryngitis once or twice in the past and after a few days it finally went away.

Two days without talking was stressful. But hey, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. (I think that’s found in Proverbs 58:11 if you want to look it up.)

But 30 days, now that’s another story.

Desperation

Thursday, in a fit of desperation, I went to visit the third physician I’ve consulted about this death-defying disease.

Good news. My vocal cords are fine and the laryngitis is simply the result of a nasty virus my husband lovingly shared.

But there’s bad news as well.  Why I am surprised?  This side of heaven, there’s always bad news as well.

The only way for my voice to come back is if I sit in self-imposed, complete, total, absolute, comprehensive, all-embracing, all-inclusive, non-negotiable, broad, wide-ranging, extreme silence for another 10-30 days. Not one word can be spoken!

Ahem.

Just in case you didn’t know, let me elaborate on why this is a complete, total, absolute, comprehensive, all-embracing, all-inclusive, non-negotiable, broad, wide-ranging, unmitigated catastrophe.

Catastrophe

I use my voice for a living. As a life coach, I talk all day, every day on the phone. As a Bible study teacher, I teach weekly. As a public speaker, I speak.  And as an instructor, I instruct.

At home, I enjoy telling my husband about my day each day after work. And isn’t it every mothers sworn duty to remind her son, hourly, to take out the trash?

God has a sense of humor doesn’t He? I mean if I were going to have an infection, why not in my big toe?  I like my big toe. I count on it for lots of things and it looks very cute with its lipstick pink polish, but I could still limp my way through life without it. But not my voice, there’s no way to do what I do without sound.

Hmmm, without a voice, I can’t ‘do’ anything.

However will God manage without me helping Him out in such a wide variety of ways? (I hope you’re worried about this because I sure am.)

Honestly, if I can’t do anything, what will I, well, ‘do’?

Human Being or Human Doing

All that’s left is ‘being.’  I can only rest and be who I was created to be – a human being instead of a human doing.

Slowly, another brilliant thought rises to the surface of my mind.

Could it be that God allows me to serve Him because He loves me and not because He needs me?

Is there a chance that God’s unconditional love doesn’t depend on my performance, my accomplishments, or the number of words I say?

Do you think that perhaps He’s wild about me just as I am?

Well, I’ll have plenty of time to ponder these thoughts in the days and weeks to come. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think.

How does God remind you that He loves you just the way you are? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below.

~~~

If you would like Living in Love with Jesus quietly slipped into your reader or delivered to your inbox…

~~~



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Posted in *Kim Avery, Daily Living | 3 Comments »

Marriage Monday – Don’t Shift the Blame

By Julie Gorman

Reality is a funny thing because everyone has their own slant on what it is. Faulty information and our fallen nature skews our perceptions. Therefore, in every situation we have a choice. Choosing to believe the best in our spouse and looking for the opportunity to extend God’s grace births His character in us.

Genesis 3:11-19 records the first episode of shifting the blame. God asked Adam, “Where are you?” Adam replied, “I hid because I was naked.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” Adam replied, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

There it is—the first shift of blame. Adam could have said, “Yep, I did it.” But instead points to Eve, “it is her fault.” Eve turns and does the same thing, blaming the snake.

Since The Fall conflict continues within every marriage relationship. And our natural tendency to shift the blame is as old as the Garden of Eden; but it doesn’t matter whether you are right or wrong—shifting the blame won’t excuse consequences for wrongdoing; nor, will shifting the blame heal damaged relationships. Shifting the blame only produces more conflict.

So, rather than shifting the blame, avoid it:

1. Reach a middle ground of understanding. Don’t spend idle time trying to determine who’s right and who’s wrong. Start a new pattern of communication. Always examine a conflict and your actions. Ask yourself, “Did I do everything possible to be a good spouse in this situation?” “Did I love unconditionally like Jesus?” “Did I speak out of emotion and cause further division?” “Did I persist on being heard?”

2. Quit trying to point out faults in your spouse; instead, pray for God’s intervention. We somehow think we have to be the mouthpiece of God. When we stop accusing our spouses, they’ll become more receptive to responding to the voice of God. Learn to remain silent when needed, occurring more often than not.

3. Remind yourself, your spouse cannot meet your every need—only God can. Release your spouse for unfruitful and unrealistic expectations. Avoid the, “Well if he would then I would” or “IF she would ONLY…then I wouldn’t”. You are responsible for your actions.

4. Fall head over heels in love with God. Let him be your provider. He is the only one who will never let you down. Submit your desires to the Lord and ask Him to empower your spouse to “want to” meet your needs, but then release your spouse from “having to”.

5. Entrust your spouse to God. His voice can speak louder and with greater results than you could ever hope to. I use to want to be my husband, Greg’s, Holy Spirit. I would give all the reasons why he should or shouldn’t do something…but no amount of my rationale, no amount of my wisdom or sheer genius stirred my husband to act or live like I wanted him to. When I released him to the Lord, focusing on my life instead of his, God moved on my husband’s heart, stirring him to love me more intimately.

I don’t know your conflict, but I do KNOW my GOD. Avoid shifting the blame; focus on your own life, allowing God to change you; and love your spouse without accusation. The results are amazing!

Shifting the blame may be our natural inclination but never solves our conflicts.


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Posted in Julie Gorman, Marriage, Marriage Monday | 5 Comments »

What Box Have You Put God In?

by Susan Fleming

There’s no rule that says
GOD can only deliver by using a big army.
No one can stop GOD from saving
when he sets his mind to it.
1 Samuel 14:6 (MSG)

Houses don’t sell in just one day. Not in this economy, anyway. But God isn’t limited by the “rules” of selling a house, or by the economy. He has His own rules and His own economy, and by golly if He wants to sell something in one day, then He does it.

And He did. Our place in Pennsylvania has been on the market for about a year and a half. During that time, we’ve had two roller coaster rides through sales that fell through. The market in that area is very sluggish, and our Realtor was not encouraging at all.

Then, last Friday, he called about 9:30 in the morning and said there was somebody interested — they had made an offer.

Yeah, yeah — whatever. Sigh.

He called back at noon and said they wanted to close at 3:30. THAT DAY!

Wow! Really?? Keep me posted!

He called back at 5:15 and said our money was in the bank. Double Wow!

Does God always do things like that? No. But His timing is always perfect (even if we can’t quite see the perfection in it), and His ability to save is unlimited.

What’s hanging over you today? Tell God about it. And tell Him about it again. And again. And again, until HE tells you to stop asking. He loves to hear your voice, and He IS at work, always.

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