Rest, My Friend

By: Jenifer Metzger

We are approaching the downhill race as we near the end of the year. Like a bicycle picks up speed on a decline, life picks up speed in these last weeks.

With the holidays and all the craziness that they bring and then trying to finish any goals or plans we made for the year, we can often be left feeling like our head is spinning. We are told to make the most of the holidays. Do it all. Don't miss a party! When you think you're done shopping, no, you need more! Decorate until your house looks like the North Pole! Send Christmas cards to everyone you know! Keep yourself so busy you don't even get to truly enjoy the season!

Then we are told to finish every goal we set for the year. All the goals we are behind on, all the ones we forgot about. Well, you only have a few weeks left so get busy! Finish strong!

By the time December 31st arrives, we are worn to the bone. So I have one question. Why? Why do we stress ourselves out? Why do we push our minds, bodies, and emotions to the brink?

What if, instead of running ourselves and our families ragged, we slow down. We pause. We rest. What if we finish 2025 rested?

Now, I am not talking about being rested from the hustle and bustle, we'll chat more about that in a minute. I am talking about being rested in God. Tim Tebow says, "Biblical rest isn't about resting from things, but resting in Jesus."

Come to me, all of you who are weary

and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 CSB

Jesus doesn't tell us to not do anything. He doesn't tell us to kick our feet up and not put in the work. In fact, if He has called us to it, we need to do the work for it. And the holidays are a beautiful time to enjoy and connect with others. But He does tell us to rest in Him.

So how do we rest in Jesus while still doing all the things?

Make it a priority each day to spend time with God. It is so easy to get busy that our time with God gets pushed aside. Be intentional with sitting down in the quiet to read your Bible and pray each and every day. If you are too busy to spend time with God, you are too busy. Something has to change.

Make sure Jesus is the center and reason for your Christmas celebrating. Read through the Christmas story from the Bible as a family; watch movies about the true meaning of Christmas, Angel Studios and PureFlix have great options; instead of Elf on a Shelf try Finding Jesus; don't miss church, in fact if your church has a Christmas Eve or even Christmas morning service, be sure to attend.

We can rest in Jesus and end the year physically and mentally at rest, while still having enjoyed the holidays to the fullest. Sometimes we just need to prioritize and adjust. Instead of attending all the holiday parties, enjoy a quiet dinner with family or friends or drive around in jammies with cookies and look at Christmas lights. Instead of trying to finish that goal you set aside in March, make one small step toward the goal and add the rest to next year. We don't have to do everything -whether holiday related or goal related.

Friend, rest is important. We were not created to constantly be on the go like the little battery powered bunny. Yet, finding rest in Jesus is vital.

Discussion:
1. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
2. What is one way you can commit to prioritizing resting in Jesus this holiday season?

Names of God Series: The Endlessness of El Olam

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Declan Sun

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.

~Isaiah 40:28

We come now in our series on the names of God to the name El Olam, translated in Isaiah 40:28 as "The Everlasting God", pointing to the fact that God has no beginning and no end. He is (as pictured above) the "Alpha and the Omega", the beginning and the end. He is from everlasting to everlasting, for He has always existed and will always exist. 

This truth carries with it many implications for us, a few of which are mentioned in today's passage.

Because He is the everlasting God, He never becomes faint or weary - which is really good news for us! After all, we often become faint and weary, do we not? Life is oftentimes hard, overwhelming, burdensome, and confusing, and we need an Advocate and a Helper on our side Who never becomes faint and never grows weary.

Secondly, because He is the everlasting God, there is no limit to His understanding. This, also, is good news for us. While we oftentimes have questions, grow confused, and lack understanding, our God never does. Because of this, we have the promise of James 1:5 - "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him." 

It is incredibly good news for us that our God is the everlasting God. And it is also a truth which sets apart the doctrines of Christianity from every single other "religion" on the planet - other religions point to created beings or to mere men as the objects of their worship. Our belief system does not. 

Reflection Questions:

1) How is it good news for you personally that your God is the everlasting God?

2) What stands out to you about the fact that our God has no end and no beginning?

3) How can you rest in this truth today?

Bring Your Complaint

 By: Joanne Viola

Last week my thoughts had turned to Mary and Martha, focusing on our need to make better choices in balancing our time. You can read this post HERE.

As familiar as the story may be to all of us, I kept returning to read the account repeatedly. I began to wonder what more was I to take note of, so I returned to Luke 10:40-42.

Martha, distracted by all she had to do, comes to Jesus and asks,

“Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? 
So tell her to give me a hand.” 
(verse 10, HCSB)

Martha’s nose was a little out of joint as she felt she was doing all the work while Mary did nothing.

The verse brought to mind the word, “complaining.” Mary was complaining to Jesus about Mary.

Complaining as defined by the dictionary is: “to express grief, pain, or discontent; to make a formal accusation or charge” (from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

Martha was complaining but … she knew where to take her complaint.

Scripture gives us no record of Martha saying anything to any of the disciples, nor to Mary herself.

Luke, the author who penned these words, was a doctor who paid close attention to details. It is unlikely he would have missed had Martha been voicing her issue, her complaint, to others. He would recorded every detail. 

Realizing this, it begs the question: “Where are we to take our complaints?

Scripture provides the answer:

“I pour out my complaint before Him; 
I declare my trouble before Him.” 
(Psalm 142:2, NASB) 

“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. 
There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.” 
(Habakkuk 2:1, NLT) 

Martha lodged her complaint to the only One who could change or address the situation. Our complaints are safest when we place them in the hands of our most capable Lord.

May we bring our complaints to the Lord,
and then,
wait to see how He will respond.

 

Reflection: 
Our complaints are safest in the hands of the Lord.Why do you think we voice them in other places?

 

Photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash

 

 

You Can Read the Hard Parts: Bible Prophecy

 By: Lauren Thomas 

Prophetic literature makes up some of the least read parts of the Bible by Christians. With all the symbolism to be confused by, all the timelines to figure out, and all the judgement to get bogged down in, prophetic literature can be challenging to comprehend.

 

And yet, there is so much good content in the books of the Bible we call “prophetic literature”: such that brings a deeper understanding of God’s character, of our sinfulness, a glimpse of Jesus, and incredible hope.

 

What if a few simple points could help demystify prophetic literature for you? Would you give reading it a shot?

First, what is prophetic literature? Prophetic literature is a genre within the Bible and includes such books as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation, and a handful of short books in the Old Testament. This genre does not have a plot line. Just knowing this can help when reading. You don’t have to look for the storyline, because there isn’t one. Rather, these books are often anthologies or compilations of various visions and oracles, sometimes including bits of narrative or autobiographical information. This information is sometimes grouped according to a pattern: judgement against the prophet’s nation, judgement against other nations, and future hope of restoration.

 

I don’t know anyone who gets excited about reading about judgement. But by reading about judgement, we learn some important theology that we could otherwise miss: 1) God is holy and righteous; 2) we are sinners, prone to straying from right worship; 3) our sin separates us from God; 4) judgement is a natural consequence for sin; 5) even God’s judgment is for the purpose of drawing people to Him; and 6) God has a plan for future restoration for those who do repent! When reading judgement oracles, don’t be tempted to think, “God is peevish and mean.” No, God is loving and redemptive towards us. Just keep the context of this theology forefront as you read.

 

Another challenging aspect of reading prophetic literature is knowing when prophesied events did/will take place. While this can be aided by carefully selected commentary, here’s something to keep in mind for more casual reading: prophecy is like a mountain range. From a distance, it looks 2-dimensional. But in reality, mountains are anything but 2-dimensional! Some peaks are closer; some are farther. In reading just a few chapters, you might be reading about multiple events occurring at different times. Just because they are close together in the text, does not mean a single event or date is being covered.

 

Another tip is looking out for formulas that separate oracles/prophecies. They often start with some variant of the phrase “the word of the Lord came to me,” and end with something like “and they shall know that I am the Lord.” This is a recognition formula. One goal of Bible prophecy is to turn people to the Lord, to recognize his glory.

 

Bible prophecy is full of symbolism, and this can be confusing. Don’t get caught up in the symbolism, but look for what the symbols represent. Also keep the context in mind. Is the prophecy addressing a certain country? A certain place? A theme that applies to all people or to a specific people?

 

Two final tips:

1) Get a good study Bible! I recommend the ESV Study Bible. The commentary will help you understand things that are more obscure and reveal connections you might miss.

2) Invite the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scripture during your reading time. He will give you what you need.

 

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

John 16:13 ESV

 

Reflection:

How confident do you feel about reading Bible prophecy?

How might these tips change the way you approach reading prophetic literature in the Bible?

Waiting For Your Prayers

By: Grace Metzger

For you know that the testing of your faith

produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness

have its full effect, that you may be perfect

and complete, lacking in nothing.

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4

Recently my mind has been on patience a lot. I would not call myself a patient person, I can not wait for something for the life of me. But as fall and winter are approaching I’ve started wanting to focus more on slowing down and living a more patient and calm life. One part of my life that I have no patience in is unanswered prayers. I’ve noticed a pattern of praying for something and if my prayer doesn’t get a yes in, at most, a day then I assume it’s God telling me no.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in

tribulation, be constant in prayer.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I think being patient while waiting for a prayer is one of the most difficult things I’ve done. I remember my frustrations and anger when I was praying so hard for something and never seeing that prayer come to life. I think back on my prayer life with my health, as a kid I didn’t really pray to be healed. In fact I didn’t start praying for it until pretty recently in my life. The reason for this is that I prayed probably once or twice when I was younger but as I continued to have my condition I thought that God was telling me I would never be healed and I gave up. I didn’t dig deeper, I didn’t look into His word for an answer, I didn’t fast or seek wise counsel instead I just gave up.

I don’t blame young me for giving up so easily because it can be SO hard to tell the difference between God saying no and God saying not right now. I think as Christians we just jump into assuming it’s one or the other without ever actually hearing from God. Instead, if we don’t see a miracle right away we give up. 

I’ve been reading the story of Hannah, how she was childless for years but was patient in her prayers to God. It didn't take God years to realize that Hannah was praying to Him, instead I believe that He knew when would be the right time for them and used the waiting period to strengthen Hannah. 

The waiting period is hard and painful, some may even see it was a punishment. But God is using this time to prepare you for what is coming! He’s strengthening for what’s ahead so that way when the time comes you’re able to honor Him. Maybe you’ve been praying for that promotion for years and God keeps telling you to wait, only for Him to give it to you once you are strong enough to do that job for His glory. Maybe it’s a healing that you are waiting on and God is using this time to build your testimony and your relationship with Him. 

God has a plan for every minute of our lives and that plan is going to give us a hope and a future. Don’t try to jump ahead in His plan just to get an answer. Instead wait patiently, knowing that this very moment was planned out by God and it will end in glory to Him!

Discussion Question: 

What helps you stay strong in a season of waiting?