Read and rest

When life goes sideways, our full attention is often required to persevere and get back on track.  If it will take some length of time to get through the trial, then we will eventually find ourselves seeking some sort of “rest”.  We yearn for peaceful sleep, a clear mind, or a calm conscious.

There is a place for study, deep thinking, and mental stretching as we attempt to think God’s thoughts after Him while we read the Scriptures…but it is also good for us to simply read His Word and rest in it.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to dive into Psalm 27…but for right now, and as many times as you can this week…just read it entirely and allow David’s words to strengthen your own relationship with God.

Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation –
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life –
of whom should I be afraid?
When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
Though an army deploy against me,
my heart is not afraid;
though war break out against me,
still I am confident. 

I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord
and seeking Him in His temple.
For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
Then my head will be high above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Lord, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.
In Your behalf my heart says, “Seek My face.”
Lord, I will seek Your face.
Do not hide Your face from me;
do not turn Your servant away in anger.
You have been my help;
do not leave me or abandon me,
God of my salvation.
Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord cares for me.

Because of my adversaries,
show me Your way, Lord.
and lead me on a level path.
Do not give me over to the will of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing violence.

I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be courageous and let your heart be strong.
Wait for the Lord.

Read slowly, breathe, and rest.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Finding strength in joy

Ever notice that feeling “blah” often goes hand-in-hand with feeling “weak”?

I’ve never had a moment where my mood was kinda “eh” and I was also feeling strong, or empowered, or engaged in life.  Instead, when I’m discontented or feeling a little down…it seems like everything takes additional effort – thinking, handling routine responsibilities, or just moving my body all seem to be a chore.

As he opens his letter to the believers in Colossae, Paul tells them what he has been praying for them.  He’s been petitioning God for three specific things – first, that God would fill them with the knowledge of His will; second, that God would strengthen them with His power, so they could have both endurance and patience; and now, we’ll take a look at Paul’s third request.

Paul is still asking God to give the believers strength; however, this time, Paul wants them to find strength in joy.  We can all recognize that a lack of joy usually accompanies a lack of strength, but the idea of joy actually giving us strength might seem a little strange.  To fully understand his reason for connecting both strength and joy, take a look at where Paul says that our joy should come from:

Colossians 1:11-12
May you be strengthened…with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

The Colossians’ joy, and ultimately their strength, was directly tied to their perspective.  If they were looking only at their present circumstances, their own failings, or the hopelessness in the world around them, they would not be able to find any lasting enjoyment. 

Instead, Paul prays that they would recognize the benefits the Father bestows on His children.  He is the one who made it possible for them to share in the saints’ inheritance.  There was no way for any of us to merit eternal life, or to merit becoming part of God’s family.  Eternal life and the opportunity to share in the family inheritance are both gifts of God to us; all because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. 

Think back over the other gifts that God has given you…if He is able and willing to bless His children in so many ways while we still wrestle with our sinful desires, imagine how great our inheritance will be when our sin-natures have been left behind!

Thinking about such big ideas and big topics leads us to wonderment and thankfulness for what the Father has done.  Whenever we stop and honestly thank someone, we are shifting the focus off of us.  We look at the gift and the giver in full appreciation; we stop looking at ourselves.  It is in this attitude of thankfulness that we find joy, because being thankful towards God puts Him in the proper place in our lives.

As we joyfully thank God for who He is and what He has done, we are strengthened.  We can deal with the sin-soaked world that pulls us down, because we see more than just the circumstances and difficulties that are momentarily in front of us.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Finding endurance, finding patience

We’ve all had times when we’re weary.  We tell ourselves that we just need a little recharge – whether it’s good food, or additional sleep, or some relaxation time.  Those things are good, and it is necessary build-in good eating, sleeping, and resting habits into our lives…but if we’re going to live life the way God intended us to, we’re going to need more than just a good night’s rest.

In the first chapter of his letter to the believers in Colossae, Paul continues spell out what he’s praying for them.  He specifically details three things that he is persistently asking God for on their behalf.  The first one was that God would fill them with the knowledge of His will (1:9).  The second request is one that we’re familiar with asking for ourselves…to be strengthened by God.  However, Paul also has a specific application as to where he wants the Colossians to use this gift from God:

Colossians 1:11
May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience

The believers are to receive strength, they are to be empowered, by a God-sized dose of His glorious might.  Paul is not looking for a “little boost” to get them through.  This strength won’t be found in us, or drummed up from within…Paul is asking that God would super-naturally strengthen them by sharing His great power, the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead.

This is no small request!

Large requests, however, must be made with an intentional aim.  We would not walk up to our boss and ask for authority or control “just because”; no, we know better than to make that request without having a plan for how to use the resources we are asking for.

Paul’s desire is that with God’s power, the Colossians would be strengthened…for all endurance and patience.  Having endurance means to not easily succumb under suffering; whereas patience means having self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate.  On the contrary, having a lack of endurance often results in despondency or losing heart; while a lack of patience often leads to wrath or revenge.

In order to have the level of endurance and patience the Colossians needed to represent Christ to the world while navigating the sinful culture around them, they would need God’s power to be their strength.

Reading verses like this one gives us hope, for we now know that God’s power is available to us.  We don’t have to cultivate our own endurance.  We aren’t expected to be our own source of patience.  We can have both as we depend on God for His power to strengthen us.

All we have to do, is ask.

Keep Pressing,
Ken