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Respite For the Weary
All too often, we choose to keep our dirty clothes on. We're too comfortable; we're too guilty; we're too passive; we're too self-righteous; we're too afraid to take the risk. If we really knew what it meant to wear his robe we would not hesitate to have Jesus himself wrap us in it. He's holding it up for us to put one arm in, then the other. Will we?
Who needs grace, raise your hand.
My hand is up high. I need grace upon grace!
In my newly released children's book Christmas Morning, a little girl unwraps her final gift. She opens a box to find...a crimson red rode. It's velvety soft, and on the pocket, her name is monogrammed in white. After all the other gifts she has opened (see previous posts) she is humbled that this exquisite robe was hand-stitched, made uniquely for her. When the little girl puts the robe on, she feels like she is wearing love itself.
Symbolically, the name of this gift is the robe of amazing grace and it is meant for each one of us who knows Jesus as Savior.
Can you believe the King of kings took off his royal robe and gave it to you and me? But even before he did this act, he, in his lovingkindness, first took off our own filthy garments. All our sin was removed and placed on him at the cross. He dealt with it there completely. It is finished.
Then he robed us in his righteousness. Now that's amazing grace!
Here are a few verses that speak into this truth:
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness... Isaiah 61:10
Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” Zechariah 3:3-4
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9.
And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants,‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:21-24
All too often, we choose to keep our dirty clothes on. We're too comfortable; we're too guilty; we're too passive; we're too self-righteous; we're too afraid to take the risk. If we really knew what it meant to wear his robe we would not hesitate to have Jesus himself wrap us in it. He's holding it up for us to put one arm in, then the other. Will we?
In the story, I chose crimson red for the robe because it represents royalty. When we accept Christ, we belong to a kingdom that will out last and out shine anything this world has to offer.
Become the little girl in Christmas Morning. Marvel at his amazing grace and humbly wear his robe. It's yours--your name is monogrammed on the pocket.
You are his.
I came across a great passage on prayer through my current devotional book called Forty Days of Prayer by Kit Cummings. Here are the verses and some of my thoughts:
The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
"Alas, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young."
But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young,' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.," declares the Lord.
The the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:4-10In the above passage, God and Jeremiah are dialoging with each other. Before I write about anything else in this post, let us remember that prayer is not merely a one way conversation in which we are the only ones talking; rather, He too has something to say to us. He speaks to us every day through His word and His spirit. So, let's use the words above as His dialogue not only to Jeremiah, but also to our very own hearts today. What is the Lord saying through His living and active words? Here are a few things I "hear" that are for you and for me. God says:
We are today's Jeremiah. (We are also today's David, today's Samuel, today's Moses, today's Ruth, today's Esther...for such a time as this!) Allow God's interaction with these people of old to be the inspiration for His appointed purposes in you TODAY. What He said to them in the past, is now for our hearts in the present. Let's continue to bring all our prayers to Him, big and small, but also, let's hang around long enough to hear His words back to us. What is He asking you to do today for His name sake? Write a note to a friend? Make a meal for a neighbor? Visit a widow?
Reread the list above and walk forward in obedience with great faith. And let me remind you, God is just as pleased with a note of encouragement to one person as He is with someone speaking to the masses. Both are important callings, but He never "keeps count" of what's "more worthy" the way we humans tend to do. He sees the heart and smiles at our devotion to Him. (Think of the widow's mite found in Luke 21:1-4).
Let's all be today's Jeremiah. Dialogue with God, receive His incredible promises, and then do something for Him...today.
I have a friend who expressed how she wished that her family could somehow all be "on the same page" with each other. Oh how I want that for my family as well! I'm sure you may feel this longing about your loved ones, or your co-workers, or even the people you serve with in ministry.
One way to bring about strong unity is through consistent prayer for one another. I have written short Scripture-based prayers for this very purpose. Here are 2 of 365 examples:
Counselor. I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you (Psalm 32:8). Dear Lord, You know the best path for each of us. Keep our eyes fixed on You. Give us willing hearts to trust and obey Your guidance as we step forward in faith each new day.
Peace. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you; do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid (John 14:27). Dear Lord, Your peace is truly the only real rest for our souls. Everything else is a temporary anesthetic. By your Spirit, breathe into us a divine calmness, not to sedate us to inactivity, but to inspire us to share Your incomprehensible peace with the world.
If you would like to receive these prayers in your email, then please subscribe to "Daily Prayers" on my website: http://www.RespitefortheWeary.com. Ask your family members, co-workers, or ministry partners to subscribe as well so that you and "your people" can claim the same name of God and bible verse over each other on a daily basis.
God's name and Word are powerful. Claim it together and receive His blessing.
There's no better place to be than on His Same Page.
My daughter Maggie is due with her first baby any day now. Her sister Emmy came to Chicago for a few days, hoping to be present for the birth, but little Hally Christine isn't quite ready to make her grand appearance... yet.We're all waiting.Waiting is hard, isn't it? I know we all have had circumstances that have brought us to crying out, "I want it NOW!" (whatever it is). This is the thing, while we are waiting for something, we are also waiting with something, and we get to choose what that something is. For example, we can be:waiting with expectancywaiting with frustrationwaiting with hopewaiting with impatiencewaiting with joywaiting with despair.As you are waiting for something, what are you waiting with? Today, as I am waiting for the birth of my first grandchild, I want to wait with expectancy, with hope, and with joy. Just like a little embryo takes time to develop and grow before her right time to enter the world, our faith also has to mature before we receive what we are longing for. It's important to remember that while we are waiting, two things are happening: we are growing in our dependence on the Lord AND God is working out His best plans for each one of us.So, while you are waiting for something, allow God to teach you about Himself. Learn to trust Him more. Believe He is at work. Wait with....you choose. And then, at the divinely appointed time, God will birth exactly what He knows is best for you.Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Psalm 33:20-21In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning, I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3
Not too long ago, I came across one of my favorite Bible stories. It's found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-22. I encourage you to take three minutes to read it.To paraphrase, Judah was being attacked on all sides. King Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:3). He called the people of Judah together and lifted up his voice to the Lord in a desperate prayer, saying, O our God...we do not know what to do but our eyes are on you. The earthly problem and then the divine outcome is remarkable.Tucked inside this story is my theme verse for 2020. The verse's meaning and it's reference (chapter 20, verse 20) is what led me to claim it:... Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets and you will succeed. 2 Chronicles 20:20.These words were powerfully spoken to God's people thousands of years ago, and they are just as alive today. We are called to put our full faith in the Lord our God; and we are called to believe in His word. (Back then God spoke through His prophets; today, He speaks to us through His Son, who is the Word--see Hebrews 1:10). When we do these two things and act on them in faith, we are promised two things: we will be established and we will succeed.So on January 1 and February 17 and April 28 and June 7 and August 22 and October 15 and December 11 and every day in between and after that, remember these two simple things: believe God; believe His word. If you truly believe in both the power and the love of God, you will then truly believe in the Words; therefore, the next logical step is to obey Him wholeheartedly. And just like King Jehoshaphat and his people were rewarded back then, you will be blessed in ways you would not have imagined...all because you lived out your faith.Spiritual "2020 vision" is believing God, and believing His word. Let's look forward to being established and succeeding this year as we live out our faith moment by moment.
I have a collection of manger scenes, some small, some large, all unique. I love getting them out each year and finding a special spot for them. For some reason, as I have looked at these over the last couple of weeks, my eyes have been drawn to the manger bed that holds the Christ-child. How strange to focus in on something so seemingly unimportant. Why not concentrate more on the angels and their glorious singing? Or the wise men and the shining star? Or even Mary and Joseph in their wonderment? Hmmm, the manger bed? What’s the point?
And then, it hit me. We, each one of us, are that simple but unique vessel that cradles Christ. Just as Jesus was laid in the humble feeding trough 2000 years ago, He has poured Himself into our hearts through His Spirit today. This truth is the Good News that the angels sang about! We, through faith in Him, have the opportunity to house His holiness. We are not the point, but we have the incredible privilege of holding the Answer to life so all can admire and behold the Point: Jesus.
This Christmas, and then forward, consider the indescribable gift we have been given: the humbled privilege of cradling the King of kings. Hold Him securely for yourself, and then lift Him up for others so they can behold their Savior.
And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12).
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not ourselves (2 corinthians 4:7).
As we are now in the thick of the holiday season, the propensity to be distracted by so many things increases by the day, so much so that we lose focus of the one thing we are celebrating (see Luke 10:41-42). Let’s face it, we are a frantic and frazzled people, all in the name of Christmas.
Today, I’m hoping to pull you back in with some pleasant and peaceful thoughts about the one thing we are celebrating, Jesus.
The first thought is the lead-in question: If you were asked to describe your core personality with two words, what would those words be? Wholesome and happy? Calm and collected? Eager and excitable? Passionate and powerful? Think about this question for a while, and really answer it.
Now for the second thought, the main question: Do you know the two words that Jesus used to describe Himself? It’s found tucked into some of the most familiar verses that we know as believers:
Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Mt. 11:28-29
Wow, Jesus, King of kings, called Himself…gentle. Jesus, Lord of lords, deemed Himself…humble.
The awesome paradox continues from Isaiah 9:6:
The Wonderful Counselor… left His holy throne room.
The Mighty God…was placed in a mother’s womb, and then into a feeding trough.
The Everlasting Father…walked the dusty streets of Jerusalem, and also washed feet.
The Prince of Peace…was smitten, stricken, and crowned with thorns.
This God-man emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant…and He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Phil. 2:7-8
So today, my friend, think of the one thing that’s important, especially during this season. As you hit the ground runnin’ with your feet, keep the gentle and humble One tucked in your heart. He is the One that we are celebrating. Sing Him a song or two: a song of worship as King of all creation, followed by a song of thanksgiving as Savior of the world.
Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, “God with us.” Mt. 1:22
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:34
Dear Lord,
Cause us to reflect on where we spend our time and our money. Speak to us in a convicting way, if necessary. Please give us a heart that is devoted to you and the things of you. Fill us up and pour us out. In Jesus' Name, Amen.