RSS

Tag Archives: support

My God is…giving me rest Matthew 11:27-29

Matthew 11:27-29 – All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Come to me

Jesus says, “Come to me”. We are to come to Him with all things. He doesn’t tell us to go talk to your best friend, sister, brother or mother. He tells us to come to Him. Why? Because He’s the only one who can actually do anything for us that will have eternal consequences. God is not only concerned with the struggles you’re going through now, but He is also concerned with the condition of your heart and soul. He wants you to come to Him, because coming to Him is a confession of faith. If you come to the Lord, you are showing that you put trust in Him to handle your situation. Coming to the Lord in prayer takes faith. It’s not necessarily a measure of how much faith you have, but when you come to Him, you acknowledge that He exists, and that you think He can change things for you.

All you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens

If you’ve never been weary or carried a heavy burden, this verse is not for you. Read no further. Wait, you’re still reading, I bet you are. No one I know has not gone through a time of weariness. Most have had some very heavy burdens to bear. Some are because of their own actions and some are of other peoples making, but we’ve all had struggles. We’ve all been in pain and hurting. God wants us to come to Him. We don’t need to be hopeless, because we know that God is there for us. He is going to strengthen us and preserve us in all things. He doesn’t get weary or tired, so you know He’ll always be able to help.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted; Isaiah 40:28-30

I will give you rest

I don’t know if any of you have suffered with insomnia. I have only battles with short bouts of it in my life, but even those short lived struggles show you how much you need your rest. In fact, here are 10 Surprising Effects o f lack of sleep. (click on the link for more information)

1. Sleepiness Causes Accidents

2. Sleep Loss Dumbs You Down

3. Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems

4. Lack of Sleep Kills Sex Drive

5. Sleepiness Is Depressing

6. Lack of Sleep Ages Your Skin

7. Sleepiness Makes You Forgetful

8. Losing Sleep Can Make You Gain Weight

9. Lack of Sleep May Increase Risk of Death

10. Sleep Loss Impairs Judgment, Especially About Sleep

Now in our verse above, God doesn’t promise us sleep. He’s not talking about sleep deprivation alone, but also our souls being deprived of rest.

Definition of REST

1: repose, sleep; specifically : a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities

2a : freedom from activity or labor

b : a state of motionlessness or inactivity

c : the repose of death

3: a place for resting or lodging

4: peace of mind or spirit

5a (1) : a rhythmic silence in music (2) : a character representing such a silence

b : a brief pause in reading

6: something used for support

God knows that sleep an rest are necessary for us to function properly, and He wants you to get that kind of rest. Again as we look at the definition of rest, we see so much more to the word than just sleeping or winding down at the end of the day. “The repose of death” is an interesting one. Only in Christ can we truly “rest in peace”, because it is through Jesus that we receive eternal life and know what our future holds. He has provided us with peace of mind about death by saving us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection. I also like “a place for resting”. What a beautiful image that brings to my mind! I picture myself leaning on God, sleeping with my head upon His shoulder (does God get coyote arm?). Of course the “peace of mind or spirit” definition fits here as well. It is the last one that really rounds out the definition for me. “Something used for support” is a reminder that God is going to prop us up and help us face the difficult time in our lives. We’re never alone, we’ve always God Him behind us, propping us up with His Spirit.

What are you using for support?

My God is…supporting you 1 Peter 5:10

27 May

1 Peter 5:10 – And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.

And after you have suffered for a little while

No one likes to suffer. Suffering stinks. It’s not fun, it can be frustrating, and it can even challenge our faith. When believers (and unbelievers too) go through really hard things, you’ll often hear them saying things like, “If there was a God, why would He let this happen to me?”. It’s not a bad question to ask really. Why would He? Maybe to give you pause as to what you’re doing in life. To turn you away from a destructive path you’re on. To point you in a direction you never would have taken without a major life change. Maybe so that you would come to rely on Him fully instead of trusting in your own ways. There are so many things that can change out of tragedy. Sometimes they heal families, sometimes they free us from oppression of our families. Sometimes struggles help us to see God’s hand in things so that we may trust Him more fully. Sometimes it helps us to let go of trying to be in charge of things we cannot actually control. We don’t always understand, but that doesn’t mean that the Lord won’t use it for our good. I also want to remind you that not all suffering comes from God. Some are a result of sin and the devil. The devil wants nothing more than to make you question the Lord and His love for you. That’s the devil’s goal, to separate you from the love of God.

The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ

So the devil’s goal is to separate you from the love of God, but God’s goal is spelled out in this verse. He, the God of all grace, has called you to His eternal glory in Christ. He wants you to spend eternity with Him, and provided His only Son as the way to make that possible. That we might forever give Him the glory. We might always point back to Him in our thoughts and actions. One of the things I love about this verse is that it says “you”. He has called you, not us. You are His focus. Yes, He cares about the rest of us, but if it was only you, He would still feel the same way. You are important to Him. He has called you.

The God of all grace will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you

God isn’t going to abandon you when you’re going through those hard times of suffering. Instead the God of all grace (what a great title) is going to restore you. He’s not going to destroy you, He’s going to build you back up. He’s going to support you. Like a mother on the sidelines of a game, He’s going to be there cheering you on, providing you with snacks and encouragement to keep your spirit and your strength up. He’s going to give you the strength you need to carry on and continue to point to Him in all you do, bringing Him the glory at all turns. Showing a reflection of Jesus to all who you meet. He’s going to establish you. He’s going to set you up. Not to make you rich necessarily, but to make you a man or woman after His own heart. Establishing your place in Heaven for all eternity. He wants only good for you.

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. Jeremiah 29:11-12

Who can you count on to support you?

My God is…the Cornerstone Ephesians 2:19-22

06 Sep

Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The cornerstone determines how the building will be built.

It was the tradition during Bible times, that a cornerstone would be laid when construction began to help give the building stability. The shape and makeup of the cornerstone would determine how the building would turn out. So naturally the builders would try to find a cornerstone that was straight, solid and could take the pressure.

All of the other stones lean on the cornerstone

All of the other stones lean on the main cornerstone as support. If that cornerstone isn’t strong and resistant to the pressure, the building likely won’t stand for long.

Jesus is our cornerstone

Jesus is what we lean on. He is our strength and our foundation. We need to rely on Him for our salvation. We need to lean on Him for our strength. He takes the pressure for us and helps us to build on what the believers before us have built on Him. Our faith is strong only when it relies on the Lord. He is sound. He is unmovable. He is reliable. He is Strong. So when we’re not, we don’t fall apart. He supports us. He holds us up. He strengthens us so we too can take the pressure.

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

As a church, when we lean on the cornerstone, Christ, we grow together in our faith and are continually filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We must lean on Him, our cornerstone, and encourage those in our church, our families and our workplace to lean on Him too. Sometimes we’re able to do that by letting them lean on us. We know our strength doesn’t come from ourselves. We have a strong cornerstone that keeps us upright and pointed in the right direction, Jesus Christ.

What are you building your life on?

God is…

Tag Archives: support

My God is…giving me rest Matthew 11:27-29

Definition of REST

My God is…supporting you 1 Peter 5:10

My God is…the Cornerstone Ephesians 2:19-22

Follow Blog via Email

My God is…