Latest / First15 Devotional / Rest in God

Transcript

Rest in God · First15 Devotional

• 0:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: as we continue our week on simple Christianity.
• 0:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: We have the joy today of discovering what it means to truly rest in God.
• 0:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: In all the stress and hurry of life, don't we all need to find even just a few moments of rest today?
• 0:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: May God reorient the way you see him today and show you his purpose and pleasure over his children taking time for true rest in him.
• 0:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the first 15 podcast.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Our Scripture for today comes from Matthew 11, verses 28 to 30, Scripture says,
• 1:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
• 1:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: 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.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
• 1:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: One of the simple core values of restored relationship with our heavenly Father is rest.
• 1:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: From the beginning, God exemplified its importance.
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Genesis 2 verse 3 says, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it, God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
• 2:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: and Hebrews 4 verses 9 through 13 says.
• 2:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
• 2:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: forever has entered God's rest, has also rested from His works, as God did from His.
• 2:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
• 2:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: For the Word of God is living and active.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
• 3:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
• 3:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I fear that we as children of God have allowed the business and stress of the world to influence us in greater ways than the living and active word of our Heavenly Father.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: We are designed for rest.
• 3:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: We are designed to have a full day and various times throughout each day set aside to simply
• 3:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: When we value success and business, over relationship with God and obedience to His commands, our priorities begin to fall out of place.
• 3:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: When we choose business, over rest, we place more value on whatever we are working toward than on our restored relationship with God and the abundant life he died to give us.
• 4:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: We are created to work, prior to sin entering the story of humanity, Adam and Eve labored for God.
• 4:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Work is not a symptom of the fall, but rather an incredible joy and privilege given to us by the hand of our Father.
• 4:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: But our society promotes a lie that resting is directly related to laziness or selfishness and working is always good.
• 4:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Too much work takes us outside of the grace and provision of God for our work and forces us to labor in our own strength.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: God has perfect plans and grace for everything he has laid before you, but it is often in rest that you will be refueled and made ready to receive that grace to accomplish your tasks.
• 5:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's in rest that our souls are restored, replenished, and filled.
• 5:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's in rest that we are able to take time to be thankful and celebrate what God has helped us accomplish.
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Rather than always bearing the burden of the never-ending list of tasks before us.
• 5:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: May we be children who choose to live by the word and systems of God rather than the values and structures of the world.
• 5:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: May we be children who live with the simple core value of rest, as we follow the model of our heavenly Father.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: May God bring you rest today in God's prayer.
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: As we begin, meditate on God's desire to bring you rest, allow scripture to renew your mind and transform the way you make decisions and live.
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Exodus 34 verse 21 says six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.
• 6:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: And next, where have you foregone rest for business and work?
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: In what ways have you allowed society to influence you more than God's Word?
• 8:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: And last, confess to God any ways in which you have forsaken Rest and receive His forgiveness.
• 8:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask God to fill you with a fresh vision for His purposes behind Rest.
• 8:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask Him to guide you into a lifestyle of taking a Sabbath.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Rest in Him right now and allow Him to replenish and rejuvenate you with His presence.
• 9:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Matthew chapter 11 verses 28 through 30 says, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
• 9:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find
• 9:35
  [UNKNOWN]: Thank you.
• 10:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: A large part of being led by the Spirit is following where God's grace takes you.
• 10:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: God has grace and provision for every task he has laid before you.
• 10:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: He will help you accomplish everything you need to do in a timely and productive fashion.
• 10:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't feel grace for whatever task is before you, take time to ask the Spirit
• 10:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes he will replenish you on the spot so you can keep working.
• 10:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Other times he'll have something else for you to do instead.
• 10:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: But often he will guide you into a few moments of rest in finding satisfaction in him so that you can work with proper perspective and his strength rather than just your own.
• 11:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: May you work and rest in the grace and glory of your heavenly father today.
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for taking time to rest in God today.
• 11:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: If there are any times you feel overwhelmed or stressed today, I want to encourage you to take just a moment or two to stop.
• 11:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remember that God has you.
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: May His rest become your foundation as you abide in Him today.
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Have a wonderful rest of your day today and may God bless you as you seek Him.