From Religion to Rest

Thank God that Christianity is more than doing good works and having to follow a routine of religious duties; rather, it is about having a personal relationship with Jesus. How releasing and freeing to be able to follow Christ instead of a list of rules.

Not only can we get tired and worn out from the pressure to always do the right thing, but we can also be loaded down with a weight of guilt for all the wrong things we have done – or the things we didn’t get done.

The following words of Jesus from Matthew chapter 11bring us good news and hope. As you read it you will see that it is an invitation, not a “to do” list.

Matt 11:28-30 (The Message)
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

I love this section of scripture, and this Message translation is awesome… “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace”, what a releasing and liberating truth. This means we can flow with Jesus and follow His lead. It is up to Him, not us. He does the heavy lifting and we simply follow His lead – what good news!

Jay Becker

Delighting in the Lord

Those who choose His way and press into the Lord in relationship find new life and blessing. When they read and meditate on the God’s Word it causes them to grow in Him – to put down roots and become more grounded and stable.

Psalm 1:1-3 (NLT)

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

What a beautiful description of relating with the Lord – the more we seek Him and delight in Him and meditate on His words, the more our roots go down, and the more we become grounded in Him.

These words of Psalm 1 are similar to something written by Jeremiah;

Jer 17:7-8 (NLT)

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

In addition to becoming more solid and founded in Christ, there is an additional blessing as we delight in Him – we become free from stress and worry. Even when the circumstances become tough, the promise is that we will not wither or dry up – because our nourishment, our life becomes dependent on Jesus and not what is going on all around us.

Many of us struggle and worry when things get tough, and have a hard time letting go of the stress. Yet, as we delight in Him and start to draw life from Him, the fears and the worries that bad circumstances bring melt away in the peace and confidence that comes from being in His presence – that come from feeding on His promises and His life.

We can then understand when Jesus said to not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, because as we draw life from Him it becomes less important to t try and muster up our own strength. For He becomes our rock and our foundation – we start to experience what Jesus said in Matt 7:24-26. That is where He told us that if we hear His words and do them, we will be like the man who built his house on the rock – for we will have a firm foundation in Him.

What a blessing – what a joy this is. Not only do we experience the wonder of His words and presence when we delight in Him and His word, but He becomes a strong foundation for our lives.

Let us continue to delight in the Lord and His words.

Signs Following

At the end of the book of Mark Jesus encourages and empowers His disciples. In Mk 16:17-18 Jesus shares that signs will follow those who believe and describes powerful things that will happen.

After He shares this, He is received up into heaven as He ascends to the right hand of God

In the last verse of Mark (chapter 16:20) we see the response of His disciples;

“And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.”

Wow – right away they respond – this is hearing and doing. And right away the Lord confirms their words (His Word in them) with signs following.

This same exhortation and promise is to all the followers of Jesus – yes, that is for us today. He is alive and still moving in and through His people. This is not hard, it is not difficult, it is simply believing and acting on that belief.

Just think of how the world can be changed as the followers of Christ today hear and do, pray and obey. For He confirms the words with signs following.

Too often believers today follow after signs, they see things happening and respond to those things. Instead of reacting to or following a situation take Jesus at His Word and step out, initiate, and let the signs follow.

Jesus is poised and waiting for His people to act, for as they do, He jumps into action and makes things happen.

Let’s make a difference, let’s respond to His stirring and let Him start causing signs to follow.

Take Him at His Word and step out and do. It is that simple to start to see signs following.

Being the Light of the World

In John 9:5 Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

 

There is no question; Jesus came into the world to show the love of the Father and to be the light.

 

Before Jesus left the world, in His ascension after His death, burial, and resurrection, He said He would send the Holy Spirit – He promised not leave His people alone.  In addition, He has empowered and equipped His followers to carry on in His ministry.

 

Matt 5:14-16

In these verses Jesus tells His disciples, “You are the light of the world” and finishes this section saying, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

 

This is a simple and powerful truth, if you are a follower of Jesus, then you are part of the light of the world – and you make a positive difference.

 

As believers we have the opportunity to bring His light into the world and help people start seeing the truth of who Jesus is.

 

Jesus told us that if He would be lifted up, that He would draw all people to Himself (John 12:32).  He spoke this about His death, and being lifted up on the cross, and it is more – as we continue to lift Him up in the world we live in, we will be a part of His light and others too will discover that they too can have a personal relationship with Jesus.

 

As I started, this is simple – but it is powerful.

 

Each and every day we make a difference.  Each and every day we have the opportunity to shine the light of Christ in the world we live it.

 

You are the light of the world – you are making a positive difference.

Doing Exploits

In Daniel Chapter 11, verse 32, we read the following;

 

…the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

 

This is wonderful verse and one worth getting excited about.  After all, who would not want to be strong and accomplish big things?

 

Many of us can read this verse and get all stirred up to be a strong Christian, to focus on all we can do, and want to demonstrate our strong faith.

 

However, that is not what the point.  It is not about us and our strength, rather it is about His strength in us – and that is a strength that comes through relationship with Jesus.  For it is those who know their God that do exploits, it is not those who have a strong faith that do exploits.

 

Phil 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me

 

2 Cor 12:10 – …for when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

This is Paul explained that it is Christ in us that makes one strong.  In fact Paul explains that it is while we are weak that Christ can be strong in us.

 

The key here is Christ, and being in relationship with Him.  What happens after that is not about us and how great we are in the faith.  For is it is Christ in us that is the hope of glory (Col 1:27), it is not about us.

 

If you read in the scriptures about people who are into themselves and what they have done, or what they can do – you will read in the context about their pride and their foolishness.  I know that when I focus in on who I am and what I do, I can become very proud and will often go out of my way to let people know how much I have done, or get them to agree that I am pretty good.

 

Rather, let us glory in the Lord, let us declare His greatness and all that He has done and all that He is about.  He is magnificent and powerful; He only does wondrous things.  He is the one who moves in people and in situations with miracles and powerful exploits.

 

This is the God we can know, this is the one that we can have relationship with.

 

We all like success and we all want to have significance, and in Christ we are able to be a part of the greatest thing going on in this earth.  The key is knowing Him, being in relationship with Him.  For then we can have the privilege and opportunity to be a part of His Kingdom and what He is doing.

 

Let us press in to know the Lord, to have a close and intimate relationship with Jesus, and let us help other also see (and experience) the greatness of our God.

 

Prayer – a Matter of Relationship

Prayer, in the basic sense, is communication with the Lord.  It is a two way dialog and part of our ongoing relationship with Jesus.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Luke 11:1-4), He focused on relationship with our Heavenly Father and connecting with Him in a vital way on a daily basis.  His teaching begins with the focus on “our Father”, on our “heavenly” Father.  We know that Jesus did not do anything on His own initiative, or His own will, but He only did that which He saw His Father doing

John 5:19-20

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

(See also John 5:30, John 6:38)

Prayer is not a duty, it is not a religious work – no, it is our vital and ongoing interaction and relationship with our Heavenly Father.

When Jesus was on the earth He was always teaching and demonstrating His dependence on and relationship with His Father.  Before He left in His ascension, after His resurrection, He told all that He would not leave them alone, but He would send His Holy Spirit (see John 14 & 16).

He has sent the Spirit of His son into our hearts, and we have been adopted.

Rom 8:15-16

…you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

We have the opportunity and the privilege to pray and be in relationship with our heavenly Father.  Each and every day we are able to relate with Him, because He is in us and we are in Him.  Yes, it is that easy.

God has given us the freedom to relate and commune with Him – what a wonderful opportunity we have each and every day to grow in our relationship and look to Him for what He is doing, even as Jesus did when He walked on the earth.

Shine Your Light

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matt 5:16

Jesus was pretty simple and direct when He spoke.  We learn from Him that there is power and there is help when we do the things He shared.  Too often, too many make life too complicated.

Christ in us is the hope of glory (Col 1:27)

When light shines, the darkness flees.  It is that simple.

It is not about fighting the darkness. It is not about trying to do some special method, or say a certain prayer in a certain way.  The fact is that darkness flees when light shines.

When we declare the Word, we shine the light.

When we reach out in love, we shine the light.

When we respond with grace, instead of reacting in anger, we shine the light.

When we serve others with sincerity of heart, we shine the light.

When we trust the Lord and don’t let fear run our lives, we shine the light.

As Believers, as followers of Christ, we make a positive difference when we shine the light.

It is as easy as that – and it is powerful.

We are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

When we look around this world, it does not take long to be amazed at the beauty and majesty.  The natural creation is wonderful and parts of it are simply breath taking.  Whether you are looking at a sunrise, a sunset, a mountain view, looking into the ocean, or just across an area of land – it really can be a moving experience.  God’s creation of the world demonstrates His handiwork and shows forth some of His very nature.

Yes, the beauty of the natural world is wonderful and amazing, yet the pinnacle of a His creation is His people.  When He had created the world and all of the animals, it was only setting the stage.  At that point of process, He started on His masterpiece.  He did not simply speak mankind into existence, but He took time and fashioned Adam – and then in a very powerful and intimate moment He breathed in His life and Adam became a living soul (Gen 2:7).

God is awesome and has invested so much in His people.  We have treasure in us.

1 Cor 4:6-7

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

It is so amazing that we are filled with the light and life of the Lord, that we have been adopted and made children of the light.

The world is His wonderful creation, and His people are the very extension of Himself that He put in place.  Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  We are His special creation, we are His very own.

His Working in Us

Here are some thoughts about the life and light of Christ in us.

2 Cor 4:6 speaks of the light of Christ, and describes how when the light shines into your heart, it is very much like a camera, where the image is captured. This is about the Lord shining in our hearts and us ending up with His image and likeness in us.

Here is the verse (2 Cor 4:6) For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

In reality this is more than just an image, it is His knowledge, it is Him

He will write His word upon our hearts, He will renew us daily in our inner man (Eph 3:16) and we will have the wonder and the inspiration of the Lord in us – which leads right to the next verse;

2 Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

This is His treasure being manifest in us, it is what Paul speaks of in Col 1:27 – Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The hope, which is really the blessed certainty, not the “hope so” – for the hope is the fore taste, the down payment, the earnest of our inheritance, it is in fact Christ in us.  For we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16)

Let me go a little farther here and talk about some of the revelation, some of the reality that Paul experienced about Christ in Him;

1 Cor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Paul worked hard and labored, but he knew it was not him, but it was the grace of God in him – it was Christ dwelling in his heart.  Paul said he worked and labored, but it was not him, rather it was Christ in Him.

If you unpack this verse you see that the inspiration was coming from within Paul – which is what happens to us too.

Col 1;29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Paul continues this thought in Colossians – and as you look at this you will see the phrase, “His working which works in me mightily”.  This is powerful.  If you look at this in the Greek you will see that it means the energy and the power of God in us and it is active – good stuff

Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us

This is speaking of His power which He says is working in us.

If you are a believer, a follower of Christ, then this short discussion is about a reality that the Lord has for you.  When we are in Christ, He is also in us – His life and power.

This is not a theory, this is a fact and one that the Lord wants each of us to experience and to walk in.

I pray this has been a blessing to you and makes you hunger to know more of a reality in Christ.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

This may not be a politically correct statement in the world today – but it is the truth!

Followers of Christ know that He is the greatest gift ever given. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Cor 9:15

The Christmas season is one of the greatest times to share the news and the reality of Jesus and how He came to save us from death and hell and sin.

Each year I enjoy reading Luke 2, which describes the coming and the birth of Christ. We read of the shepherds who were out minding their flocks, and the next thing they know, a mighty and powerful thing happens; “an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

But the experience does not stop there, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

The heavens and the heavenly hosts announced and declared the coming of Christ.

Today that same announcement and declaration is being made, and that same heavenly light still shines. It may not light up the sky in your town and there may not be an angel bringing the message – for today the message and the declaration comes from the followers of Christ, from those who know the reality of the life changing hope that Jesus brought into the world – and into their lives.

That same light shines in the lives of those who believe in Him, it shines in and through the lives of those who have received that love, that greatest of gifts – Jesus Christ.

Those who are Christians have a wonderful opportunity to shine forth and to announce the good news of Jesus Christ. While this message is one for each and every day, there are many people during this Christmas Season who have a renewed interest in the story of Christ’s birth.

Let’s lift up the light and the love of Jesus Christ and let it shine out brightly as we celebrate the season of His birth.

Truly, He is the reason for the season!