God’s Rest

Resting in the Routine

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day the Lord sends rain upon the earth.” 1 Kings 17:14 ESV

Few men saw more miracles than Elijah. Fire falling from Heaven, people rising from the dead and parting the Jordan river with his cloak were just a few examples from his resume. But before the fire fell, Elijah spent over three years living in the tiny village of Zarephath. I am sure that to most people watching Elijah’s life seemed pretty routine. But in the middle of that routine, God was working a miracle every morning. Because the fire from Heaven, only fell once, but the flour and oil miraculously multiplied every day! Waters part in our lives when new chapters begin, but only the simple turning of many pages will tell the story that God is writing in our lives. We need to guard our hearts against ingratitude for our daily bread. God gives us mercies every morning to forgive our sins and neighbors in need for opportunities to show His love. So, today, let’s delight in how God stretches our jars of flour and jugs of oil to meet our needs and rest in His routine until a new chapter begins and He sends His rain upon the earth!

Prayer: Thank you Father, for the mercies you give and the daily bread you provide. We trust that you know how to begin and end the chapters of life and that you will keep us safely in the palm of your almighty hand!

Come and Rest

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And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. Mark 6:31-32 NKJV

Jesus’ invitation to rest must have sounded wonderful to his tired and hungry disciples. The busyness of the ministry had denied them even a few minutes downtime to eat. Though Mark doesn’t fill in all the details, it may have been that they set out late in the afternoon and spent a quiet evening sailing across the lake looking forward to a day snoozing on a faraway beach. But in the morning as they approached shore, the sight that greeted them was not at all what they had expected. Let’s listen in on what their conversation might have been:

“Wake up Peter! Hoy smokes! Look at all the people on the beach!” John blurted out. Peter, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, sat up and peered over the side of the boat and groaned.

“Oh no! You better go and wake up the rest of the guys. It sure looks like we aren’t getting the day off after all!”

Remember, these twelve men were just regular, nine to five, working guys. Though they had committed to following Jesus with all their hearts, their everyday mannerisms were not those of professional clergymen, monks, or mystics. That morning, I am sure they wondered what had happened to the rest Jesus promised. It seemed like, the needy crowd had thwarted Jesus’ original plans. Did He somehow get off track? Absolutely not! Instead, Jesus was showing them (and us) that real rest is more than just kicking back in our recliner or peering over the side of a cruise ship. The rest that God invites us to is about resting in the work that He gives us today. Whether visiting a sick friend or listening to a family member venting their hurt and frustrations, Jesus offers us both strength for service and rest for our hearts as we yield to His plans.

So they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. 
Mark 6:42-43 NKJV

Now, as we come to the end of the day, and we need to remember that the disciples had been invited to rest because there hadn’t been time for them to eat, and Jesus surprised them with twelve baskets full of bread and fish! Not only had He supplied plenty for them to eat, but with each bite they could also say: “This is miracle bread! This is miracle fish!” I don’t know what you are facing, but Jesus does, and He calls us to come and rest. But, as we come, we need to prepare for God’s unexpected call to service and be ready for the real rest and the greater miracle, that He has planned for us all along!

Arrival in Heaven

/ pastorpete51 / 21 Comments

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”