Sabbath Rest: Spiritual

As spiritual beings, we need spiritual rest. We find spiritual rest when we "power down" and come to the conclusion that it's not about us but rather it's about God. That it's not about what I can do for myself but it's what about what God wants to do for me on the Sabbath. That He is the Provider - period.

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man. That God intended the Sabbath to benefit us and as spiritual beings we need to find rest our souls in the simplicity of who God is - our Provider.

God wants us to slow down enough every seven days and ask ourselves some questions: What am I exchanging my life for? Is there a good return on the investment that I have made with the last six days of my life?

Jesus once asked these questions:
Mark 8:36-37 (NIV) What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Good questions to ask ourselves every seven days as we search for spiritual rest.

Finding Faith to Believe

When tragedy strikes we tend to go searching for answers but it seems that many of those answers are beyond our grasp.

It was a week ago today that the daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman, Maria Sue, was killed. And like always, we ask why? And like everybody else, I don't have the answers. Although I am reminded that faith is necessary to believe and even that doubt is a necessary component of faith. And I am so grateful that God is bigger than both my faith and my doubt.

I ran across this video a few minutes ago in some stuff I was reading and thought I'd share it with whoever wonders through here. Consider taking a couple of minutes to watch it and get to know Maria. May we never forget that life is a precious gift.

Exodus 16:17-25

Any thoughts on today's reading?  Add a comment below.

Sabbath Rest: Emotional

In addition to physical rest, we also need emotional rest.  Again, we are spiritual beings living in a physical world and so much of what we are engaged in on a day-to-day basis touches our emotions and therefore, it's so easy to become emotionally exhausted.

You might try the following prescription for emotional rest:

1) Include time in your Sabbath for quietness.

Psalms 46:10a (NIV)
"Be still, and know that I am God;

It's Ok, Jesus did it:

Mark 6:31 (NIV)
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

We need some quiet space in our lives to recharge physically, emotionally and spiritually and to find rest in God.

2) Include time for family.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 (NLT)
Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you in this world. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil.

3) Include time for fellowship.

Hebrews 10:25 (AMP)
Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

We will be refreshed when we put others above ourselves.

Sabbath Rest: Physical

God is clear to us in scripture that proper physical rest is necessary for a "well rounded" life. Consider these verses:

Psalms 127:2 (TLB)
It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.

Ecclesiastes 10:15 (NKJV)
The labor of fools wearies them, For they do not even know how to go to the city!

Part of God's plan for having a healthy relationship with Him is that we simply need to rest physically.

But if you are like me, you can feel guilty at times when you rest. We don't need to feel guilty because God prescribes physical rest because being rested physically indeed affects our soul and our relationship with others and our relationship with God. Have you ever noticed how difficult is to be in the Spirit when you are tired? I have also noticed that I am much more self-focused when I am tired.

The simple truth is that we are spiritual beings that just so happen to live in physical bodies that get tired. And while the Sabbath is NOT an excuse for laziness, a part of what the Sabbath is for is to find rest for our physical bodies.

Encourage Someone Today

Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV)
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

I was reminded this morning of this verse.  Find a way to encourage someone else today.  A kind word, a smile, a good deed, listening to someone are just some of the ways you can encourage someone today.

Another way is to share what God is teaching you and what difference it is making in your life.  What is God teaching you today?  When we share that with others, it encourages them.  What better way to share what God is teaching you than here on this blog?  Press the "comments" link below and share.

A Sabbath Observation

A good question to seek out in regards to the Sabbath is when should a Sabbath day be observed? Consider the following scriptures:

Colossians 2:16-17 (NIV)
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Romans 14:5-9 (TLB)
5 Some think that Christians should observe the Jewish holidays as special days to worship God, but others say it is wrong and foolish to go to all that trouble, for every day alike belongs to God. On questions of this kind everyone must decide for himself. 6 If you have special days for worshiping the Lord, you are trying to honor him; you are doing a good thing. So is the person who eats meat that has been offered to idols; he is thankful to the Lord for it; he is doing right. And the person who won't touch such meat, he, too, is anxious to please the Lord, and is thankful. 7 We are not our own bosses to live or die as we ourselves might choose. 8 Living or dying we follow the Lord. Either way we are his. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that he can be our Lord both while we live and when we die.

I find it very revealing that Jesus NEVER condemned the Sabbath, but He did condemn how it was being observed by the religious people. Based on the above scriptures, it seems as though the observation of a Sabbath day is a good thing to put into practice and it really doesn't matter as to the specific day of the week. Find a day that works for you and your family.

If you are married and you have kids this would be an awesome topic to sit down and discuss as a family. It should be one of those things that brings your family together as you make this Sabbath journey together.

I would love to hear from you as to when your Sabbath day is - leave a comment and join the discussion.

The Code: Take A Break

“Take a break? I can’t even take a break, let alone take a day off. If I did that, I’d fall so far behind I’d have no chance of ever catching back up.” Sound familiar? It’s no secret that we live in a 24/7, global economy where we are driven to keep pace with it all. We consume ourselves with work and pack our schedules with the business of life. But what if it didn't have to be that way? What if we had a directive from God to build a day of rest into every week? Why did God include the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments and what does it mean for us today?

The Take A Break "Think It Through" can be found here.

Check back throughout the coming week for some "Sabbath tips" and how we can set aside some time to rest in God's peace.

Are you considering integrating a Sabbath day into your week? What might a "Sabbath day" look like for you? We'd love to have you join the dialogue and share your thoughts about the Sabbath. We're going to have to support one another in this way of life.

Volunteering

We got this information from Bob Macbeth and thought we'd pass it along.

In case anyone asks about volunteering in Windsor for cleanup, we got an email from a businesswoman in Windsor that MB knows and she says:

"I just talked with a Larimer County officer and he said the Volunteer center is open. REA is the main Volunteer area and will be open at 8:00 am Saturday. If you want to help they will put you to work."

The REA (Rural Electrification Administration) is located at 7649 REA Pkwy (on the far west side of Windsor, just off of 392, and east of I-25; i.e., south of Ptarmigan Country Club).

Prayer

Be praying for all of the people and families that have suffered the devastation of the tornado yesterday. Pray that God would give them His comfort and that their needs would be met.

Bound to God

The phase that caught my attention in today's reading was "foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD." There is comfort and peace in being bound to God and I can do that by following God and His ways the best I know how. On the other hand, I can be a foreigner who is separated from God by simply choosing to not following His ways.

Either way, I'm a foreigner, but the choices I make either bind me to God or separate me from God. My choice.

Because God is God

I am amazed daily at how God speaks to us through His Word. Today as I read Matthew 21:12-13 I found myself asking: Why is it that making adjustments to what God says never seems to work? It may make all of the sense in the world to us, but if it goes against God's ways then in the long run it's not going to work.

When we submit ourselves to God and put our own ways aside (no matter how brilliant they may seem to us!) then God is pleased - otherwise not so much. It's not that God doesn't accept us for who we are but He also sees us for what we can become and He loves us enough to not let us stay where we are at.

There may be nothing more pleasing to God than our obedience to Him simply because He is God. I was watching a video of a WWII veteran today and he was sharing how obedience to him is following an order even when you don't agree. We'll probably show that video this weekend as we celebrate Memorial Day but also as we are reminded that God is God and we are NOT.

Love God

As I read Exodus 20:1-7 again today, I find comfort in Jesus' answer when He was once asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" And He simply said, "Love God with everything you've got." And God tells us exactly what that means in commandments one, two and three.

1) Put God first by not putting anything above Him.
2) Don't try to manage or manipulate God.
3) Don't try to leverage God or His name for our own benefit.

God wants us to have a healthy realtionship with us and so He simply tells us how to do just that. God is so good!

The Code: Misusing God

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord" (Exodus 20:7). This third commandment isn’t just a warning to not use God’s name in anger, but it is intended to prevent God’s people from intentionally attaching His name to purposes that are not His. Because God’s name represents Him, it has tremendous power and we can be tempted to use His name to advance our own agendas. The danger is that when we misuse the name of God, we are in danger of missing God.

The "Think It Through" for this week can be found here.

Heart, Soul and Mind

When Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders of His day to pick the greatest commandment, He just went with what His Father had already said. To love God with everything you've got. Jesus was simply quoting God's Word that Moses had written down in the book of Deuteronomy, which was just a reiteration of what God had already spoken to the nation of Israel.

It's no coincidence that the first commandment is to put God first - to be fully devoted to God. And then when Jesus was asked what is the most important commandment, He simply quotes Deuteronomy which points to the first commandment!

I just love it when a story comes together!

"little g" gods

After reading 1 Samuel 7:1-13 this morning, I was reminded that I can easily get side-tracked and settle for "little g" gods. And on the surface, they may seem pretty benign, but in reality they get in the way of worshipping the "big G" God.

It's good to be reminded that we can have "Baals and Ashtoreths" in our lives that can come between God and us. And to just acknowledge it and return to God by casting them aside so that our relationship with God can be restored, instead of wasting so much energy trying to figure out how we can have both God and idols.

Then, Now, and Forever

I love Matthew 5:17-30 (our reading for today), because it ties Jesus so clearly and plainly to the Old Testament. Which, for me, means that the Old Testament is still relevant to us as we follow Jesus. Whenever Jesus reaches back into the Old Testament, I can "hear" God saying, 'Don't forget what I have always been about and will continue to be about.'

True, we are under the new covenant of grace that Jesus initiated, but that doesn't mean that the Old Testament is no longer relevant to us. It's relevant because it encapsulates the essence of who God is and what is important to Him.

God has always been, is today and will always be. May we be ones that are thirsty for God and are willing to dig deep into His Word to find His relevancy to our lives.

Theologically Right But Relationally Wrong

Based on today's reading (Exodus 20:1-6), I started to think about how important relationship is to God. It seems like God's first and foremost desire for us is that our relationships would be right - our relationship with Him and with others.

If we are "right" theologically but we fail to put it into practice relationally, then what have we really accomplished? Being theologically right but relationally wrong impedes God in bringing "up there down here."

How can I be relationally right so that I can be a part of bringing "up there down here?"

Weekend Reflection

What an honor to bless all of the ladies at Day Seven and Summitview with a simple flower as a token of our appreciation of them. God certainly knew what He was doing when He had the idea to create woman because it was not good for man to be alone! For all of us men, let's not forget the precious gift that God has given to us - the ladies in our life.

It is always so amazing to see God at work and to come together each weekend to celebrate what God is doing in our lives and to simply recognize that God is real and He is at work in our lives.

Have an awesome week!

My One and Only Story

Would you please consider sharing your "One and Only Story?"

It can be anything about your walk with the One and Only God. A victory in an area of your life where you have put God first and you have seen His blessing. Or a struggle in an area where you have been challenged with putting God first. Or anything else that you feel would be appropriate that you would like to share.

These can be totally anonymous (by choosing the anonymous option when you go to post your comment) but what you write will be available for others to read in the comments section. This would be a tremendous encouragement to our entire church family to share what God has done in our lives.

Just click on the "Comments" link below to share your "One and Only" story.

The One and Only

The "Think It Through" for this week's sevice can be found here.


Visit the blog on Monday and share your "One and Only Story" by adding a "Comment" to the "My One and Only Story" post. It would be so encouraging to everyone to read the difference God is making in your life.

What's Law Got To Do With It?

The thing that struck me as I was reading today's scripture reading (Psalm 119:162-176), was the overwhelming benefit of God's law. So I thought I'd list a few of them - verse by verse:

God's Law:

1. Causes me to rejoice (162)
2. Leads to a greater relationship with God (163)
3. Causes me to praise God (164)
4. Give me peace (165)
5. Gives me stablility (165)
6. Helps me know where God is so I can follow Him (166)
7. Increases my love for God (167)
8. Makes sure God and I are "on the same page" (168)
9. Helps me understand more about God (169)
10. Delivers me (170)
11. I can grow as a student of God's ways (171)
12. Causes me to proclaim His greatness (172)
13. God blesses me (173)
14. Brings delight (174)
15. I can be sustained (175)
16. God will seek me as I seek Him (176)

God's law has a lot to do with my relationship with Him!

Love Spilling Over

After reading and thinking a little bit on our reading for today (John 14:15-21), I am blown away by the reality of how my love for God is manifested in my simple obedience to Him. My obedience doesn't earn my acceptance by God but it does clearly express my love for Him.

But wait there's more! Our obedience to God doesn't only reflect the love that we have for God today, but our obedience also enriches and develops our relationship with Him in the future. As we learn to trust God and we are able to express our love for Him through our obedience, our relationship with Him gets stronger and built up.

And when that happens, we will no longer be able to contain it and it spills over into the lives of others. May that be our testimony today.

God's Way Is Better Than Mine

So much in today's reading - Deuteronomy 11:1-15. I was reminded that God's way of life is better for me (and everybody else) than anything we could possible come up with. And yet, I have tried and continue to try my own ways before God's ways.

If I could just accept that God's ways are best and not try interject my own stuff in there, I am certain my life would be different and would be more of a glory to God.

If you are reading this, thankfully, God has given all of us yet another chance to put Him and His ways first in our lives today.

The question I am asking myself today, based on this reading, is, "How can I "settle in" and live according to God's ways today?"

Always Has Been - Always Will Be

As I was reading Genesis 2:4-17 today, I was reminded of the consistency of God. Every concept of God can be traced back to His creation and then throughout the entire Bible. Relationship with Him, His love for His creation, relationships with others, God pusuing us, us hiding from God and on and on - what has always been true will always be true. God has told us who He is and what is important to Him.

I take comfort in the fact that God has always been about a relationship with His people. I am grateful that God is God and He always has been and He always will be.

God's Grace

As I was reading the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-21) today, I thought to myself, 'What a relief that I don't have to try to perform or behave my way into God's good grace.' Grace is grace because it's grace. I wonder if I can use the same word 3 times in a 6 word sentence - probably not - oh well!

God sent His Son, Jesus into this world over 2000 years ago because we would never be good enough. Religion says that you have to be "good enough" in order to get to God; God says you never will be good enough to get to me so I'll send my Son to you.

I wonder what would happen this week if we made a point to show grace to others to the same extent that God extends His grace to us? Let try and see.

If God gave you any thoughts from today's reading feel free to leave a comment.

The Code: Confirmation

The "Think It Through" handout for this week can be found here.

Use this blog to help you "go deeper" into the weekend message throughout the week. You can click on the "Read About Its" on the right sidebar to read the daily scriptures.