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experience, feeling, God's voice, heart, listening, Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, rest, Satan's voice, the new self, the old self
“One day, Philipp Melanchthon told his friend Martin Luther, “Martin, this day we will discuss the governance of the universe.” Luther answered, “This day, you and I will go fishing and leave the governance of the universe to God.” What allowed Luther to respond in this way? His knowledge and belief that God could take care of things. As we move close to God, we realize that he will take care of things, and we can rest.”
(Quote taken from http://www.pbc.org/system/message_files/10497/heb07.html)
Actually, I read quite a lot of commentaries as for that specific issue and every time while reading another exposition, I bent my brows because I saw that almost everything that was written referred to eternal life AFTER death. Certainly, it is not wrong to say that the rest we will experience after this life full of trials, suffering, and pain will be of another and deeper kind than that rest we might experience right now, BUT…
Suddenly I found a short explanation of Hebrews 4:10 in The Geneva Study Bible that really hit home.
4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his.
(c) As God rested the seventh day, so must we rest from our works, that is, from those things that proceed from our corrupt nature.
Yay!! That was indeed what I was looking for! Not that I had not already guessed that my doing all day long has still been a mixture of listening to God’s leading and to those voices inside my head that still “urge” me to do this and that RIGHT NOW – and by no means later. 😛 However, despite having often been convinced that the Lord wanted me to rest from those works that sprang from my old you-must-do-it-now-self, I simultaneously felt somehow “in bondage” of my old habits of thinking and doing. Although I was recently able to write about how important it is to feel God’s peace whenever we do something (cf. https://enteringthepromisedland.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/peace-be-unto-you/), I lost that peace time and again. And the worst of it all, I knew WHY. 🙄
So, what to do when you know what is right, yet keep doing the wrong things because you think you ought to please others more than God and yourself who rests IN HIM? As an illustration I’ll give you now two examples which seem to be rather similar at first sight, yet one work was God’s doing in me and the other my old self that had listened to Satan.
Earlier this week I picked up my daughter Sarah in the city and we were heading home by foot. It was rather late and we were both hungry. Initially I had thought about buying some pizza so that we could eat earlier than we could have if I had cooked dinner that late. Alas, our Italian pizza baker who sells the best pizza in Fürth – as far as I know – had temporarily closed his shop because of some dusty demolition works from a large construction site nearby. Hmmm… disappointed….and hungry…
Suddenly, while we had been walking at a smart pace, a homeless man who looked rather sad stopped us and asked for a ridiculously small amount of money. At that very moment I only felt compassion and the inclination to weep. Actually, I felt free to give him any amount of money without regret (although I am neither rich nor wealthy), simply feeling deep thankfulness toward God that He had counted me worthy to do something for Him.
Well….not so some years ago.
I remember that it was a sunny summer day and I had gone on errands. Walking down the street while enjoying the presence of the Lord, I only had to buy a few things and not that much money in my purse. Still in a good mood, I felt that an Indian or Pakistani woman (a fortune teller like many here) had been watching me and while doing so, she would approach me from the other side of the street. She was smiling, too, but I immediately felt that her smile was false.
Did I take heed of my first impression? Alas, no.
Instead, as she stopped me and asked me in an undertone of aggressiveness and hatred toward me – though still smiling – whether I would pay her for reading my aura, I answered, “No, I am a Christian and don’t believe that this is a good thing.” Her “smiling hatred” increased. Since I had not dared to leave her, she then began to take control of our rather one-sided conversation. The woman began to complain about how happy I had to be as a Christian who loved all people and who would be able to give to others what they needed. Yes, you can bet that at that very moment some Scriptures were running through my mind.
“But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” (Mt 5:39-42 ESV)
Pheeeeew……
Everything in me screamed, “Susanne – RUN!!!” But Susanne seemed to stand riveted to the spot and kept listening to that woman’s lamenting and whining about her poor life (so many children, no money…blah blah blah) that would be so much worse than mine, while her eyes appeared to kill me.
Do I need to tell you that I felt both “convicted” by her words and the Scriptures I had been reminded of? Finally, as she “asked” me to give her money even though I had refused to accept her service offered, she knew that she wanted at least 10 Euros (11.35 $). However, Susanne felt forced to give her 20 because IT IS WRITTEN.
Actually, after I had eventually dared to leave her, I felt worn out, robbed, and had not enough money to buy everything I needed. I was so sad about not being able to do what God wanted me to do – in my opinion and according to the written Word (!) – that I simply felt like a failure. Of course, another Scripture that made me feel even more “convicted” came to mind,
“…and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” (Heb 10:34 ESV)
I think it’s not necessary to tell anyone which work was one God had prepared beforehand for me (my new self) and which one was a work that had been imposed on me (my old self) through Satan’s deceitful tricks he had instilled into my mind.
So, not every work is a good work in the eyes of God. I believe it is necessary to get more and more accustomed to His still and small voice that is always there to tell us what to do and what to omit. It is His peace and the whole fruit of the Spirit that makes the difference, the difference of entering His rest through obedience toward His voice (cf. Heb 4:7) or losing His rest again by listening to Satan.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10 ESV)
God’s Holy Spirit does not give us rule books or principles we ought to act upon without asking Him before, instead, He challenges us to leave our old ways of thinking and doing and to first rest in Him, exclusively doing these works He planned for us so that we might never leave His rest again and enjoy Him in an ever increasing measure, day by day.
God bless,
Susanne
Thank you for these examples! There is a verse that I sometimes use to determine what the Lord wants me to do in certain circumstances. Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” So, when trying to determine the Lord’s will, in a particular course of action, I think, “Do I have peace in doing such and such? Is there Life in that?” Then, that’s the go-ahead for me. But if I feel “death” in it, or pressure or a sense of being rushed, then I have to back off. I don’t always hear the voice of the Lord, clearly, and then I get myself into trouble! I’m still learning, after all ;-). But when I do follow this guideline, it seems to work.
That woman that accosted you in the street brings to mind a message from a man named, Devern Fromke. He used to speak of “The Tyranny of the Urgent”. Whenever we are pressured to “do it now!”, with a sense of hurry, being rushed, being forced…that’s not the Lord’s way. I often think back to his message when I’m in those circumstances. Of course, it’s always easier to look back in hindsight to see what the Lord was trying to tell us!
I rejoice with you for the work that the Lord has done in your heart towards those who are homeless and living in poverty! A person who lived on the streets of Toronto once told me that, although the money they received from strangers was important, what mattered more to them was being looked in the eyes by someone. Most passersby do just that–pass quickly by and ignore the person. To meet them in the eye, with compassion, understanding, and even a smile, validates them and shows some respect for them as a person! As Christians, we want to love homeless people and others in poverty with the LOVE of the Lord. He is full of compassion toward those who are humble, but He resists the proud. May His Life and Love rise up in us and overflow to others, in an ever-increasing measure! Dear Susanne, thank you, once again, for sharing what the Lord has taught you, so we can all learn ♥.
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Dear Brenda,
Romans 8:6 is a great Scripture, indeed. Thank so much for the reminder, my sister!
Yes, “it’s always easier to look back in hindsight to see what the Lord was trying to tell us!”
Feeeeew, it really is, you nailed it! And what you wrote about poor and/or homeless people is so true, too.
“To meet them in the eye, with compassion, understanding, and even a smile, validates them and shows some respect for them as a person!”
Amen to that! Sometimes a heartfelt hug is actually better than a bill.
Love ❤
Susanne
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Susanne, here is one of the best descriptions of what it means to do works from our old natures and to do works that are born from God (rest).
Jesus said, “…Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing…” (John 6:63)
“The Cross simply says that an order, though it be religious, well-motivated, or good-intentioned, but nevertheless proceeding from man in his natural state (not necessarily in defiance of God or in conscious rebellion against Him, but just the expression of man’s natural state as he is), the Cross says that this entire order is set aside. God has judicially judged it and put a ban upon it. In the Cross of the Lord Jesus God has said finally: ‘You in your natural state cannot serve Me, and cannot bear any fruit to My glory! It is possible to go out and work, labor, and die of the strain of trying to serve Me and yet it still remains true that you cannot, out from yourself, by any natural resources whatever, bear fruit unto Me.’ The only thing that can ever get through to God’s end, and that can be in Life – eternal, Divine, heavenly Life – is that which proceeds from the Holy Spirit.”
~ By T. Austin-Sparks from: The Battle For Life – Chapter 3
http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/000704.html
Hebrews defines entering into God’s rest by ceasing from our own labors as He did from His. Man was created to walk in the rest of God for God made him at the end of the sixth day and He rested. Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God– not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 RSVA). It is all about abiding in Christ in HIS rest, not our works. So many of these works that are done in Christendom are of self-effort, based on law (both Old and New Testament). In the eyes of God we are doing nothing (See John 15:5). And they will protest before Him at the judgment, “But Lord! We cast out demons, healed the sick and did many wonderful works in your name!” And He will say to them, “Depart from me, you workers of iniquity.”
The works of God can not come from us reading the Bible and then conjuring up some “good works” we must do based on our own conceptions of righteousness. Only as we rest in Christ will we hear our Father’s voice as to what work HE would have us do which HE has prepared before hand, before HE rested from the foundation of the word! If Paul is correct that Jesus was crucified from the foundation of the world and that WE are crucified in Christs, what works can WE do? All our works must be done IN the resurrected Christ, not the old un-crucifed Adam. Jesus said,
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5 RSVA)
Great article, my sister! I loved your two examples. You definitely have been “laboring” to enter into His rest and I have seen great progress in the short time I have known you. ⭐ ❤
Michael
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Once again I have been blessed by your encouraging and appreciative comment, Michael.
Your exposition on how to enter His rest was really impressive! Thanks so much for sharing, my brother. 🙂
Love ❤
Susanne
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Dear Susanne, your blog title pretty much says it all. We enter the Promised Land of peace, rest, joy, by walking in the Spirit. The problem is, most of the time we don’t rely on His help but do things our own way, even things that seem good in our eyes. My husband and I recently experienced a somewhat similar situation. We got a visit from the father of one of my son’s former classmates and he broke into tears and told us a very heartbreaking story. He didn’t come boldly asking for money like a gipsy, but the fact that he was crying, expressing despair, etc., led us to give him perhaps more than we should have (it had happened previously). At the time I felt sure it was the Lord telling me to help, but after the guy left lots of things didn’t ring true in his tale of misfortune after misfortune. My husband had given him his best pair of pants and good shoes to attend a job interview, and the guy hasn’t come back in a couple of weeks. Well, so be it… I don’t regret having a tender heart, but in the future I will seek the Lord’s counsel regarding everything, including who I help and why. Not only money, but some people rob us of precious time we could be using in better ways. And this brings me to the main point: Have we noticed that Jesus NEVER allowed people to set His agenda? When He needed to rest, He did. When He needed to leave a place, He did. When He needed to say NO, He felt no undue guilt about it. Why? Because His actions were never self-directed or soul-directed. He was always following in His Father’s footsteps. He never did ANYTHING or even say a word of His own initiative. He only did and said what He saw His Father doing. And that’s exactly what we should do. If we are His disciples, we should follow Him and surrender our lives to the Father as completely as He did. We can only rest when we are dead. Dead to our own desires, dreams, projects, wholly surrendered to seek God’s perfect will for our lives.
Believe me, I have several dreams that I’ve had to lay at the altar like Abraham did with his precious son. The second child who has never come, the novel I haven’t yet and will perhaps never write… But what’s the point? If God is not the one who has inspired those dreams, it’s better that they don’t come true even if it breaks my heart and I don’t understand, because my petty personal projects can only deviate me from God’s eternal purpose for my life, which is unspeakably higher and better than mine even if my flesh doesn’t believe that. And if I live a “good” life and do good deeds but they are not the works prepared beforehand by the Father, they will have no eternal value.
I’ve strayed and gone really far… and, honestly, it’s been getting harder and harder to hear the Shepherd’s voice. The still, small voice of the Holy Spirit has been drowned among a sea of screams from the world, the devil and my own soul. I’ve done lots of things that felt right but later actually felt guilty and stupid for doing them (like helping this man) so I’m kind of confused and not quite sure how to come back to the Father’s house. A part of me cries out like David, Why are you cast down oh my soul? Hope in God for you shall yet praise Him! A part of me dreads the encounter, because I have to come to terms with so many painful things that I feel it will be too much. But one thing I know, and it’s that my life without fellowship with God is completely pointless. Yes, I’m blessed with a wonderful family, a decent job, but when I remember the times when I was really connected to the Vine and actually thriving and being fruitful, it breaks my heart to have lost that zeal. I was truly alive back then. Anyway, I understand, at least a part of me understands, that the only way we can be true disciples who experience the peace that goes beyond understanding is to say with Christ, not my will, but yours. If we refuse the cup of suffering, we won’t drink the cup of glory. If we don’t reckon ourselves as sheep to be sacrificed and yield to God allowing Him to tell us what we need to die to every single moment, we will still be frustrated like a child who doesn’t get the toy he wants. We need to be content in whatever circumstance.
A psalm just came to mind which pretty much captures what I’m trying to say. I like how Young’s literal translation expresses this:
131 A Song of the Ascents, by David. Jehovah, my heart hath not been haughty, Nor have mine eyes been high, Nor have I walked in great things, And in things too wonderful for me.
2 Have I not compared, and kept silent my soul, As a weaned one by its mother? As a weaned one by me [is] my soul.
3 Israel doth wait on Jehovah, From henceforth, and unto the age!
Interesting, verse 2 says, “kept silent my soul”. How many times would we do well to tell our soul to shut up and listen to God? We let our emotions, concepts, and self-will rule us, and our heart can be so deceptive and devious! Let us rather, wait on the Lord to guide us through His Spirit. Let us pray for great wisdom and discernment on how He would have us live, not only in the major decisions, but even to the tiniest details! That way, even if things don’t work out the way WE plan, at least we’ll know God meant it for God.
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Dear Carina,
What you wrote was so wonderful that I want to post it once again as a quote.
“And this brings me to the main point: Have we noticed that Jesus NEVER allowed people to set His agenda? When He needed to rest, He did. When He needed to leave a place, He did. When He needed to say NO, He felt no undue guilt about it. Why? Because His actions were never self-directed or soul-directed. He was always following in His Father’s footsteps. He never did ANYTHING or even say a word of His own initiative. He only did and said what He saw His Father doing. And that’s exactly what we should do. If we are His disciples, we should follow Him and surrender our lives to the Father as completely as He did. We can only rest when we are dead. Dead to our own desires, dreams, projects, wholly surrendered to seek God’s perfect will for our lives.”
Very, very well said, dear sister! 🙂
What you mentioned about dreams, Carina, oh yes, sound familiar…..Our second child died (miscarriage) and the book I wanted to publish (I wrote four, deleted three) is still awaiting the Lord’s ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ (since 2011)…..
As for drowning out the Shepherd’s voice, sometimes we indeed MUST shut out everyone and everything that might disturb our time ALONE with Him. The problem for me is often that people seem to have the best intentions to draw me away from Him. I am still learning, but from day to day I dare to say more often, “No!”
Actually, others will feel hurt in the beginning, however, they must learn that we all have our human boundaries and it is good to point to them if they tend to neglect our needs.
Thanks so much for your great comment, Carina! ❤
Love you in Him,
Susanne
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Meant to say God meant it for good. But it’s also true that when we live the way He wants us to, He gets all the glory. When we live self-ruled lives, don’t we want to retain part of that glory for ourselves? Like, we do good deeds and we feel so proud of ourselves? I see that also in the psalm. When the flesh rules, even the good things we do are ultimately impure in motive. WE want to be great. But if we rest in Him and understand that we’re loved by God like a child is loved by his mother (only infinitely more), and if we’ve drunk enough of the unadulterated milk of His Word (and I don’t only mean the Bible but the very presence of Jesus) to be satisfied and can actually be weaned and start eating solid meat, then there’s no need to prove anything to ourselves or others. When you KNOW without a doubt that you’re accepted in the Beloved (and I used to have that unshakeable conviction back in the good ol’ days) it doesn’t matter where He takes you… No request from Him seems grievous. Pouring out your alabaster jar is just the natural thing to do. I pray we’ll all get there, to the point that it’s the anointing in US that teaches us all things and reminds us of everything the Lord once said to us and we’ve forgotten because we heard so many voices of strangers. May the deaf find their ears opened and the blind begin to see.
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Carina,
I will be praying that you’ll get that unshakeable conviction of being fully accepted in the Beloved BACK – as soon as possible!!!
Much love,
Susanne
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Carina and Susanne! Wow! What a wonderful exchange filled with the wisdom of the Lord. YES, Jesus said that HIS yoke is easy and HIS burden is light.. it is so easy to get surrounded by needy people and take on a burden that He has not given us to carry, but we are learning to listen to our Daddy’s voice and only do what HE has for us to do and say NO to the rest. just as Jesus did. like the time He took the disciples away from the crowds for a rest.
Bless you two!
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Spot-on, Michael! Or in other words,
If we want to enter His rest
We need to “say NO to the rest”
Which God had not in view
For all AND me and you
😉
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That was really lovely! I’ve felt something similar a few times. I think of some of those old self things as filthy rags. When God leads, it is smooth and joyous.
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Thank you so very much for your encouragement, Gabrielle! 🙂
You are absolutely right,
“When God leads, it is smooth and joyous.”
And when Satan leads, it is really “hard work” . 😛 To me, it seems that those things I do without His guidance rob me of my energy and leave me somehow empty. Although I know the difference, I have realized that I cannot free myself from those old and filthy rags without Him helping me to say, “No!!” when it is appropriate.
Love ❤
Susanne
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BOTH YOU AND MICHAEL :REST IN GOD. HEB 4 V 11; DILIGENT TO ENTER REST! MY COMMENTARY: DEVOTE YOUR TIME TO MEDITATE ON GOD’S NATURE. GREATEST THING ABOUT HIM IS HIS LOVE FOR US.
chorus of song:
LOVE OF GOD IS MEASURELESS (NOT ABLE TO COMPREHEND ALL OF IT) JOHN 13 VS 34-35. NEW COMMANDMENT: LOVE ANOTHER LIKE I LOVE YOU! RESULT.DISCIPLE OF CHRIST. AS WE CONTINUE TO SHARE GOD’S TRUTHS
WITH ONE ANOTHER, I BELIEVE I AM BEGINNING TO LOVE YOU IN THE LORD!
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Thanks for your great comment, Bernie!
Yes, His LOVE is the greatest of all “loves” on earth and we may share it with one another because of His grace given to us.
Love you in HIM,
Susanne
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Dear Susanne, I am new to reading your blog, and find it delightful and inspiring. I love this reminder of God’s rest. I wrote about it once pertaining to the relationship of Solomon and the Shulamite in the Song, http://intimatekingdom.com/come-home/, impressed with how reproductive it is in the Spirit to be in rest. There’s a lot more than can be said about that, but I love your examples that illustrate this. You were filled with God’s emotions, and those emotions were an impetus to do His will. Yes, when we barrel through that inward work to do our own work, we feel grieved. But we can quickly come back to that place of rest. It is ours NOW, not later. Yay! 🙂 Love!
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Mmmhhh…
I was truly edified to read that you found my blog “delightful and inspiring,” dear Pamela. 🙂
Indeed, the grief after having done the wrong thing only lasts as long as we find ourselves drawn back into His rest. Even here I had to realize lately that I cannot get rid of my own (bad) thoughts until I let the Spirit wind blow through my mind and – Feeeew – the thoughts are GONE. This observation also applies to “good” thoughts that revolve around my old self. It is so relieving to experience God’s power that sets the captives REALLY free!
Your article that you linked was beautifully written, Pamela. ⭐
I love that thought of heaven-born fellowship of “living stones”. True fellowship is never man-made. Either God puts people together or fellowshipping does not work properly. I want to finish my response with a quote from your blog post which I find to be so striking. You wrote,
“Division, striving, unrest. This wasn’t to be the background for building God’s house, and it still isn’t. Is it not remarkable then that the name Solomon or Shelomoh in Hebrew, comes from ‘Shalom’ meaning peace, rest, safety? And the name Shulamite comes from “Shalam” which is a feminine play on the word “Shalom”? The picture is breathtaking, that in ceasing from our works and entering into the rest of Christ together, we are granted the blessing of being a part of the building of God’s house and the resulting “intimate kingdom.’”
Yes and amen to that!! I do hope many will read this great blog.
Love ❤
Susanne
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Suzanne, the rest of your amazing and thought provoking post aside, your choice of pictures was perfect for the topic. The perfect picture of not a care in the world.
These pups will never learn to worry, in the sense that humans do. Or be concerned about tomorrow, because they haven’t anymore capacity to comprehend what a “tomorrow” is than a 2 yr old. They will never feel the need to rush about, except perhaps to chase a ball or to greet their master or mistress upon their return home….or to get to the food bowl at feeding time.
Unfortunately, being far more complicated than these pups, we learn to worry and have doubts and anxieties about everything under the sun. And oh yes, Satan loves to fuel that fire, just as he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness.
I have come to think of”ceasing from my own works and entering into His rest” as developing an unshakable trust in Him, and His care for me, no matter what situation may arise.
It’s true there will be many tests and trials that will come our way, memories that tend to haunt and distress us at times, pain in the body from sickness….and many other facets of just having to be human and complicated. Jesus desires us to be as little children, trusting our Father. I’m getting better at this than I used to be, and I’ve noticed that when I simply trust Him in all things, I can relax, and there is a rest in that, knowing that it’s His job to work things out, not mine. I really liked that quote about Luther. Perfect! 🙂 Yes, amen!
Great post sister.
Scarlett
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I was happy to hear that you liked the pic as well, dear Scarlett. Being able to rest like these cute puppies, even ALWAYS. Oh well… 😉 And thanks so much for your many compliments as to my posting! Am very encouraged! 🙂
Your deliberations regarding dogs and human beings are dead-on, dear sister!! I particularly love THIS. You said,
“I have come to think of ”ceasing from my own works and entering into His rest” as developing an unshakable trust in Him, and His care for me, no matter what situation may arise.”
That sums it up perfectly! Yes, the picture of us as little children who do not know evil and distrust yet, that is something I have always had in mind, thinking the little child might represent the perfection we are longing for.
You see your thoughts have just inspired me, Scarlett! Thank you!
Love ❤
Susanne
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Thank you and your repliers for the informative words. I’m convinced that I need to strive to enter His Rest. My birth into the Kingdom was not restful. However, the scripture is encouraging for it says, “If we harden not our heart, that we can enter His rest- even today.”
Love and gratitude in Him, Pat Orr
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You’re so welcome, dear Pat. 🙂
I have noticed that this “striving to enter His Rest” turns out rather a “more and more letting go of my thoughts and imaginations of how things should be”. Actually, the more I was striving to enter into His Rest – in the sense of wanting to immediately find it – the less I felt peaceful. That made me first angry and then helpless. Finally, I gave up and said, “God, if you don’t give me that rest, I‘ll be eternally without it.” And BOOM, I found myself enwrapped in His peace.
To be honest, I have just been speaking of a walk I made this afternoon. Before I felt fine, but suddenly something happened that was disturbing for my mind and I couldn’t get rid of my thoughts. I felt attacked by the enemy and rather sad. I struggled and struggled to re-enter His Rest until I eventually had to confess,
“My God, I CAN’T!!! I even do not know HOW. I just wrote a post on that very issue and suddenly that rest is gone, again. That is not really funny. Please, help me!!!”
And shortly afterwards, I suddenly felt peace and joy; I was laughing at my own efforts to do what only God can do. However, as long as we find ourselves in that restless condition, it might seem impossible to get out of it ever again. Only in hindsight we might see that all good things come to us from above. Even TODAY, my sister, as you pointed out so well. ⭐
Love ❤
Susanne
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I have been meditating about rest for several weeks now using you scripture from Hebrews. My latest thought was as you said. God entered His rest. So, there is a rest for us. God worked 6 days then rested. What He said about His creation was: IT IS GOOD. So, on Sunday, I left my works then spent the day meditated on the GOODNESS OF GOD.
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I was glad to read that you found some rest on Sunday in meditating the goodness of God, Bernie! 🙂
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Vineyard song: I CRY OUT FOR YOUR HAND OF MERCY TO HEAL ME. I AM WEAK, I NEED YOUR LOVETO FREE ME!
O LORD MY ROCK, MY STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS. YOU ARE MY HOPE. YOUR PROMISE NEVER FAILS ME, AND MY DESIRE IS TO FOLLOW YOU FOREVER. FOR YOU ARE SO GOOD, YOU ARE SO GOOD, YOU ARE SO GOOD TO ME.
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Yes and amen, Bernie. Thanks so much for sharing those lyrics.
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yes Sue that’s what those two trees were in the garden–one was rest and the other was work–we got infected–ok so now we get birthed into Gods life but we still are infected–so we have to be schooled on how to experience rest–welcome to the school.
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Interesting thoughts about the two trees, Kenneth. Never thought about that the way you did, yet it makes sense. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Yes, it’s an everyday struggle to find out when to say YES or NO to other people at any given moment. But His Spirit helps a lot…
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Hi Suzanne, here I am back, thinking that I have overly simplified my comment to your post. It sounds easy to “let go and let God” when we are faced with these spiritual conundrums for which there seems to be no easily resolved answer. But no, there are times when circumstances are thrust upon us when “we” have to make the decision, to say yes or no, and hope like crazy we make the right choice according to God’s will.
I’m thinking of such a situation in my own life that I have been dealing with, and comparing it to your dilemma with the fortune teller who was obviously attempting to manipulate you in order to extract some money from you. In my case, when I moved into my new apartment, there was a “very friendly” neighbor who welcomed me and extended what seemed to be simple neighborly friendship. As it happened, very soon this woman was coming over on a daily basis, and this rapidly escalated to her coming and staying for as long as 4 1/2 hours, listening to her complaints about her life, family, finances, calling me, emailing me daily, etc.
I learned that she had been raised as a Catholic, but claimed to be agnostic, She already knew I was a Christian. What was happening was that this woman was inserting herself into my life by stages and attempting to be my “best friend forever, BBF”….., uninvited.
Of course, during this time I had been sharing the gospel with her. The upshot of that was one day she called me and told me hesitantly that, “it made her uncomfortable when I talked about Jesus or the bible”. I explained to her that Jesus and I were a package deal, and that I could not accept her as an unbeliever to define and dictate the terms of whatever “friendship” there was between us, and not only that, but there was not any basis for our having the type of Christ-less friendship that she seemed to want. Did she receive that, and back off? No. She came back with arguments about how SHE accepted people of all faiths into her life, and that I should follow that example. In other words, she, an agnostic; basically an unbeliever, was acting like the fortune teller you encountered, trying to instruct you in the Christian faith, telling you what you should believe and do.
Enter the conundrum. We are confronted with a situation demanding a response. Do we allow the devil to extract money from us? Do we allow the devil to rob us of our time by distractions and insinuating himself into our lives?
Now, I think we have all had the experience of “loosing friends” when we get saved, but as for me, this is the first time I’ve ever had the devil try to pull a fast one on me by sending someone that won’t let go, even to this very day. Believe me, if I could simply give this woman some money, and then go on my way so that I wouldn’t have to be further molested, I would be so very happy.
We know full well we can’t embrace unbelievers as close personal friends. “For it is written”. But, she’s till at it, trying to guilt me into being her best buddy. This woman is simply not willing to accept or comprehend boundaries. I feel just as you did Suzanne, that I am being robbed, violated and manipulated….and stalked. Do I feel I have entered God rest in this? NO! I have absolute confidence in my faith in the Lord, and His care for me. I trust Him explicitly, But I am in a situation that demands a response from me. There seems to be no way out of this dilemma without making an outright enemy of this woman. She’s vexing my spirit and wearing me out with her insistence.
The scriptures say, “there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors”. If you, dear sister, or any of the brethren here have anything to advise on this, I am all ears.
Love,
Scarlett
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Oh, Scarlett, I really wish I had an answer for you. However, you may know that I have been struggling with such situations ever since I can remember. And although I know in my head when I should say ‘No’, my heart won’t let me do it, though. There is still a kind of bondage of which I hope the Lord will set me free – soon. Indeed, in such situations, there is NO peace possible. You nailed it, dear sister!
May our Lord set us both free – as soon as possible!
Love,
Susanne xx
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Am still resting in the goodness of the Lord. Now, JOY; I went thru my concordance for REJOICE. I came across Psalms 5 vs 11-12 LET ALL THOSE REJOICE WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN YOU! LET THEM EVER SHOUT FOR JOY BECAUSE YOU PROTECT THEM. LET THOSE WHO LOVE YOUR NAME BE JOYFUL IN YOU,.FOR YOU, O LORD WILL BLESS THE RIGHTEOUS WITH FAVOR YOU WILL SURROUND HIM AS WITH A SHIELD.
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So wonderful to hear that the Lord keeps you rested in His goodness, Bernie. 🙂
Yes, it is so important to experience HIM as our only shield against any attack from the enemy.
Even for putting our trust in Him we need His help, don’t we?
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Suzanne, the way this was bothering me was giving me no peace. Last night, I came to the conclusion that I was spending more time thinking about this and being vexed by it than I was devoting my time to worshiping and communing with the Lord. This could not be God’s will when we feel so disturbed, used and manipulated by others, being distracted away from God by worldly people and their demands that we conform to their wishes. guilt tripping us into doing their will, not God’s.
The enemy has this sneaky way of trying to make evil seem good or acceptable…on his terms. I’m not buying it.
She again sent me a rather nasty email suggesting that I was too obsessed with my beliefs, and should accept and not exclude others of all persuasions; and those who were “made of goodness, kindness and compassion”, meaning her. Not buying that either.
The scriptures have much to say about choosing our close friendships and I’ve probably looked at most of them several times over in the 7 months I’ve been trying to deal with this and make an escape. Plus, every Christian link on the Internet about Christian friendships.
Finally, just now, I’ve sent a firm but Christian response to her. She is simply going to have to accept it. Will she understand? Probably not. Will she let go now? She will have to. She’s already mad, But that is her choice.
“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Romans 12:18
It does say, “If possible”. That’s all we can do, “what depends on us”, except pray for them and love them…even if it has to be from a distance if necessary.
Finally, I think the Lord gave me the courage in this and I am feeling “set free”, because this time I’m going to say, “I love you, and I’m praying for you, but the answer is no” if she tries another approach.
Love in Jesus.
Scarlett
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Dear Scarlett,
I could only sigh as I read your comment. This is sooo true! You wrote,
“Last night, I came to the conclusion that I was spending more time thinking about this and being vexed by it than I was devoting my time to worshiping and communing with the Lord. This could not be God’s will when we feel so disturbed, used and manipulated by others, being distracted away from God by worldly people and their demands that we conform to their wishes. guilt tripping us into doing their will, not God’s.”
Yes, our whole thought life is what the enemy loves to attack with his toxic insinuations. Finding peace is – for me – something that MUST come from God alone. I cannot stop my thoughts from thinking this or thinking that. I never could do it and I never will be able to do so. And you are right, sometimes it is not possible to live in peace with others and we need to draw boundaries that might hurt the other person at first. But God said we ought love others AND ourselves, just the same. And that is so difficult sometimes, isn’t it? 🙄
I am glad that the Lord helped you regarding that woman and I was just reminded of a helpful quote I found yesterday on Twitter. It reads,
“In a healthy relationship, you can say ‘no’ without fear of hostility or coercion.” (Susie Larson)
Love you in HIM,
Susanne
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You talk about taking a walk. We have here what is called a prayer walk. About daily, I take such a walk. I spend the time praying or singing a Christian song. 1st, I pray like I’ve written you before l”way into the Holy of Holies. At the end, I pray. “Into To Thy presence, I come, not by my works, i’ve done but by grace,alone
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Yes, Bernie, I try to take my prayer walks every other day, too, unless I ride my bike to pray. Even today I was on such a walk for about two hours and, honestly, if you had listened to my prayers to God, you would have wondered. 😉
For me it is so important to tell God everything. If I feel bad as it has been today, I pour my whole heart out before Him, again and again, and again……. Then I must wait until He draws me unto Himself. If He gives me a song to sing – great, then I’ll sing. If I am in the mood to grumble and mumble, I’ll do the same, knowing that He loves me just the way I am. And if I don’t have anything to tell Him, I’ll seek Him in the quietness of my heart. It is never the same with God. Sometimes it’s wonderful, sometimes painful, and sometimes you search Him for a long time and He lets you wait. Not always that easy with God. It is an adventure with Him because His guidance is unpredictable.
Well said, Bernie, He does not need our works – His grace is enough!
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Hi this is jacqui …. I’ve opened a new blog today…. just simple, just poetry for now …. how do I enter His rest? Good question. Still learning 🙂 xx
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Hi dear Jacqui,
I am happy to hear from you again. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know about your new blog, my sister.
Yes, entering His rest IS a struggle and I am still learning too – PHEEEEEEW! 😛
Love,
Susanne xx
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Yes, Susanne and Scarlett, I agree. For the sake of our continuing relationship with our Father, we need time away from everything that stops us from hearing His voice. We can be so quickly consumed “with much doing” like Martha was and be embittered by it, too. But we should remember that Mary who sat at Jesus’ feet has “chosen the better part” and was commended by Him.
This brings to mind boundaries. We all need them. For instance did you know that our spouses can be stalkers? My wife and I took some marriage counseling and the instructor mentioned this.. like when one listens in on all our phone calls or tries to see what we are writing privately on our computers or even opens our mail.. .this is stalking. I don’t care how long we have been married, we all need a place in our life that is OURS and the Lord’s. Jesus had to steal away from everyone on numerous occasions to be alone with His Father so He could only do the works He saw His Father doing and only speak the words He heard His Father saying. This requires intimacy! You can’t have intimacy when everyone is trying to suck the life out of you or is pushing in on your space. This is why we need boundaries and to be able “to just say NO!” Jesus did, “It is not fit that the children’s bread should be fed to dogs.” THAT was harsh! Or Him not coming when Mary and Martha bid Him when Lazarus was dying… Cold and uncaring? they thought so! We need to do as HE did and only do what our Father tells us and let the chips fall along with public opinion. THIS is a great lesson to learn if we are ever to be truly free IN Christ and intimate with the Father.
Bless you two sisters!
Michael
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Amen, we need boundaries, Michael. And although I still feel often insecure as I test out that very thing called ‘freedom IN Christ’, it really feels good to run away from my Martha concerns back into His arms and to recover and regain spiritual strength in His presence in order to get back to my ‘Martha works” afterwards, again, so that my whole life becomes more and more spiritually balanced. Meister Eckhardt once preached about these two women in the 13th century and I thought I could share a quote about that sermon on here with you. It reads,
“Sermon 9 is his famous and controversial sermon on Martha and Mary, which has for its heroine not the contemplative Mary who only wanted to sit at the feet of Jesus but the overworked Martha, whom St Luke tells us was ‘distracted by her many tasks’ [10:41]. Drawing not only on his highly personal reading of the story of Martha and Mary but on his past theologising and doubtless his own experience, he argues that it is possible for a spirituality substantially rooted in an active life to be of even greater value than the traditional life of the contemplative. This is completely contrary to the opinion of St Augustine, St Gregory and St Bernard. He abandons the long-prevailing conviction that there is an irreconcilable tension between the contemplative life and the active life. For the first time since Christianity’s early days we have a spirituality of the active life – an achievement of enormous significance almost forgotten after Eckhart was brought for trial in Avignon. It is now clear that, in spite of his emphasis upon the importance of inwardness and of abandoning materiality, Eckhart’s mysticism is (to quote Bernard McGinn’s phrase) ‘a mysticism of everyday life’.
(Quote taken from http://www.eckhartsociety.org/eckhart/his-teachings)
May God bless you, my brother!
Susanne
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“Mystic of everyday life”.. .not some holy hermit… I like that! Watchman Nee in his book “Sit, Walk, Stand” (a study on Ephesians I recommend) said we cant walk in Christ until we learn to REST IN Christ. I agree. Our activity must be born from above every bit as much as WE must be! Like Jesus said, “I only do the works I see my Father doing.” Thanks for sharing this, dear Susanne!
Michael
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You are so welcome, dear Michael! 🙂
I particularly like this,
“Our activity must be born from above every bit as much as WE must be!”
Yes and amen, my brother.
In HIM,
Susanne
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Michael and Suzanne, during my 7 month trial with my little female stalker, I’ve come to realize “this was only a test”. Boundaries. Yes! I was trying to “win” her to Jesus, and didn’t want to offend her by setting those boundaries firmly enough. It was all off balance, and I even felt it in my spirit…something was so wrong! I had been allowing her, an unbeliever, to run rough shod over me, trying to win me to her worldly convictions. Mission impossible. I escaped OUT of the world, and I have no intentions of going back for any reason. But it had been wearing me out trying to deal with her!
What the Lord has shown me now is that even though we may have good intentions in trying to win the lost over to our convictions, it’s more important to keep our own convictions strong. Otherwise we wouldn’t have our priorities straight and would end up being overwhelmed in these situations.
So, what was the outcome in this. I sent her a loving but firm email. In return, she emailed me back and said that she had been thinking of “religion, God, and spiritual things day and night.” And that, “She didn’t know what it was, but there was just something about me that she couldn’t put her finger on”. Lol! Who me? Well, if that is so, it is surely not me, but Jesus. And I have this good feeling that prayers are going to be answered as He draws her by His spirit.
The upshot so far is that now, she and I have a more proper balance at last in this “relationship” where boundaries will be respected.
Present score:
Jesus 1
Devil 0
Love you guys in His Precious Name,
Scarlett
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This is great Scarlett! So glad that Christ in you took control of the situation out of the hands of Satan. A quick read through the gospels will reveal that as Jesus was obedient to the Father, He was not always “nice.” He did not preach a “seeker friendly” gospel as is the want of church builders today. We will find ourselves also being both loving and kind with some and unmoving and firm with others.. Jesus was both encouraging with Peter letting him know that he could hear the voice of the Father on one occasion and a few moments later with Peter’s swelled head, Satan came in and Jesus was firm and confrontational with him. He wants to teach us to discern with who we are dealing and do the same.
“…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” (Ephesians 4:13-15 RSVA)
Your brother who has been there and done that, 🙂
Michael
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@ Scarlett
All’s well that ends well (Shakespeare). 🙂
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I just completed reading messages and comments. I am blessed again. Wait on the Lord Is 40 31 & ps 27v 14 is part of my prayer life. I am told waiting is not like waiting for a traffic light to change but is active continuing to do what God already has you to do. Also. strengthen is a word I know Ps 27n v 14 And Nehemiah 8 v 10. A minister yesterday reminded of it. Strengthen one’s heart seems to tell me to allow the love and devotion with the love of my emotion to be stronger in my love and devotion to the Lord. Also. Joy. thats why Ps 5 v 11 ministered to me. I know it as a song. so, that helped in worship. also, v 12. Did I send that to you? If not, read it because you and Michael are part of the “all” in my life.
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So happy to hear that you were blessed by the messages and comments above, Bernie! 🙂
And it is a striking observation that waiting on the Lord can be rather active than passive at times. If I am overworked, I finally rejoice when He removes all these disturbing thoughts in my mind and pulls me into His peaceful and quiet presence where nothing is to do than RESTING IN HIM. That is like a spiritual vacation for me! 😉
Not sure whether you sent that song to me since I saved more than 1,000 emails since April last year in my archive. But reading the Psalm you mentioned, I feel honored that you let me know that Michael and I are part of the “all” in your life. Here’s the Scripture.
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” (Ps 5:11-12 ESV)
Thanks so much for sharing your precious thoughts, dear brother!
Susanne
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Yes, thanks you so much, Bernie. I still hope we meet up soon.
Michael
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Thanks. for your comments. I hope this is not a duplicate of the blessing of the Ps. you gave. I ran across a Ps. 84 vs 11-12’…..LORD WILL GIVE GRACE AND GLORY. NO GOOD THING WIILL HE WITH HOLD FROM THOSE WHO WALK UPRIGHTLY.
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Amen, Bernie.
“NO GOOD THING WIILL HE WITH HOLD FROM THOSE WHO WALK UPRIGHTLY.”
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Scripture for today: Psalms 89 vs 15-17a: BLESSED ARE THEY WHO KNOW THE JOYFUL SOUND! THEY WALK, O LORD, IN THE LIGHT OF YOUR COUNTENANCE. IN YOUR NAME THEY REJOICE ALL DAY LONG. IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS THEY ARE EXALTED. FOR YOU ARE THE GLORY OF THEIR STRENGTH.
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Amen, Bernie! 🙂
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I am sending these verses to you because I sing them as part of my praise and worship.Ps.. 92 vs 1-2 &4. IT IS GOOD TO GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD AND TO SING PRAISES TO YOUR NAME O MOST HIGH.: TO DECLARE YOUR LOVINGKINDNESS IN THE MORNING, AND YOUR FAITHFULNESS EVERY NIGHT. …..FOR YOU,O LORD HAVE MADE ME GLAD THRU YOUR WORK.
I WILL TRIUMPH IN THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS.
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Thanks again for sharing these verses, Bernie. Actually, you are the man who proclaims the word of the day on here!
YES – we will triumph in the work of HIS hands. Very well said! 🙂
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Psalms 34 vs 1-4: I will bless the Lord at all times. HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it and be glad. O MAGNIFY THE LORD WITH ME AND LET US EXALT HIS NAME TOGETHER. I sought the Lord and He heard me and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.
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Wonderful, Bernie. Thanks for sharing!
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Another scripture like “LET US EXALT HIS NAME (TOGETHER). (MY EMPHASIS) Ps 133: BEHOLD, HOW GOOD IT IS TO DWELL (TOGETHER) IN UNITY! It is like precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard. Coming down upon the edge of his robe. I…..FOR THERE GOD COMMANDED THE BLESSING, (LIFE FOREVER)!
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Mmmhh….
Very good, Bernie. Thank you! 🙂
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Great piece, Susanne. People, especially young people, often misunderstand the whole concept of rest. Teenagers, and 20 or 30 somethings often think, “I don’t want rest; I want excitement.” In which case, I would tell them that if they want excitement then go bungee jumping or sky diving. Bungee jumping will give them excitement for 1-2 seconds; sky diving will give them excitement for 1-2 minutes, depending on the plane’s altitude at the time of the jump. But what about the rest of life that we live 24/7? God’s rest also refers to a life with reduced stress. If we follow His Word and His instructions for living, our life will have less stress than any other way. Most of our stress is brought on by ourselves, when we disregard His instructions. What do you think?
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Thanks so much for your encouragement and for sharing your deep insights on here, Lloyd.
Just thinking back….well, I think it really seems to depend on age too whether I felt nudged to seek more or less stress in my life. Did I feel a longing to rest when I was young? Certainly not. Instead, I wanted to feel REAL LIFE – whatever that was. But getting older and with more and more boundaries set through bad mental and physical health beginning in my 30s, God gave me a kind of wake-up call to not seek life in what can be seen on the outside, but only in Him who reigns in the invisible kingdom of God. Not that I would have chosen this narrow path to life through suffering on my own. Never! But even spiritual pain, which is the worst of all, finally enables us to share more and more of His glory as well (cf. Rom 8:17) and to also experience His rest deeper and deeper (the more we share God’s heart, that is).
I remember that my BIL and his wife once went bungee jumping and Jimmy said afterwards, “I will NEVER do such a crazy thing again!” He said that it felt as if his body would burst, esp. his head, and it was more torment than fun for him. Paying money for even being (almost) put to death that does not really make sense, does it… I fully agree with your thoughts above. Nonetheless, I understand young people’s longing for FEELING a bit more than normal life can offer. Actually, God made us in His image and He created man and woman to share His walk which should be both restful and ecstatic. Seeking a kind of ecstasy, this world has many possibilites to offer to young people. Yet none of these possibilites can fully satisfy a human being that was created with a void in his heart which can only be filled by the Creator of the universe Himself.
Thanks again for your thoughtful comment. I really enjoyed reading your response, Lloyd. 🙂
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Lloyd, thanks for sharing your touching story from your own life. Death comes in many forms and it seems that if we are Christ’s, each one of them is designed to take us deeper into a richer realization and inward reality of the Kingdom of God so that He can use us to reach out to others in Spirit and in Truth. God bless you, brother.
Michael
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You referred to the boundaries set by bad health. During the late 90s and early 2000s, I devoted seven years to caring for my late wife 24/7 until she passed away. She had a neurodegenerative condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease. Her disease followed the same progression with the same end result– the end of this life. For me, it was a monumentally life-changing experience. Despite the tragic circumstances, there were an incredible series of blessings along the journey. Later a well-intentioned woman remarked that I had sacrifices a great deal during those years to care for her. I replied that I didn’t feel like I sacrificed anything. Everything I did was an expression of love; it was absolutely the best use of my time during that period. I have never felt the presence of God so strongly before or since. It was as if He was sharing the same sofa with me. it was my seven-year wake-up call!
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Oh, I am so sorry to hear what you had to endure in your life, Lloyd, even the painful loss of your dear wife! 😦
But you are right, when we love, nothing we do feels like sacrifice. It is as if God pours out His strength as soon as we realize that we have none. I like what you said here,
“Everything I did was an expression of love; it was absolutely the best use of my time during that period. I have never felt the presence of God so strongly before or since. It was as if He was sharing the same sofa with me. it was my seven-year wake-up call!!
Sharing the same sofa with God… I will memorize that, sounds fine.
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Hi Susanne, thank you for sharing your insights on this particular topic. (And I apologize for coming in rather late on this one.) Wow, I can relate so much to the second experience you had with the fortune teller woman. There are so many times that I have found myself obligated to give (because of the “it is written!”) and because of the power of persuasion of the person asking and making me feel guilty, that I gave in to that pressure. But afterwards I felt so grieved and violated in my heart, like I had been scammed. I did not like that feeling and I asked the Lord what was wrong with this giving, because I certainly was not that cheerful giver He so desires. How can a seemingly good thing as giving be so BAD???
I struggled through quite a few more episodes of this, to the end of where I had to set a boundary for myself just to maintain some sanity. So, I made up a rule (and no, legalism isn’t the answer, either) to help me pass the time until I would learn to discern His voice more clearly and learn to be led by His peace. I would actually ignore the scriptures for a while and told the Lord, that I would not be giving anything to those who directly asked (begged of) me, and only give where He would lay it on my heart. As I said, this worked for a while and I learned His promptings for giving, and those always resulted in joy and peace.
I have to make a confession here as well, maybe I am seeing this not in the right light but here goes… there is this thought in my mind, that a child of God should never have to beg for anything and they should not be asking anyone but the Father for whatever they need. As a child of God, to beg is shameful and takes away the opportunity for the Father to bless them in the most glorious and unexpected way. I have had a lot of experience in this regard too, and it also leaves my heart in pain at how much these precious ones miss out, when they by-pass the heavenly Father and go begging for the crumbs from under someone else’s table.
For the children of the world, it is another story…. they do not know the heavenly Father and they must beg anyone who can help. God in His infinite mercy allows us to meet their needs and to show them His love – so that they too, might become children of the Most High.
But in summary, there is no hard and fast rule to approaching this issue… except to learn to walk by the leading of His Spirit more and more… confirmed by His peace and rest.
Thank you for your insightful blog, and sharing your heart. 🙂
Elli (formerly aus der Eifel)
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Wow, wow, wow – what a great comment by you, dear Elli! ⭐ Formerly “aus der Eifel”? Really?? Do you have German roots? 🙄
First, thank you very much for your edifying words on this post. And you are not too late. It is always the proper moment if someone was nudged by God to write a response which was Spirit-led. I am glad to hear you can relate to my annoying experiences. It is indeed very difficult to discern His voice from others here, most notably if Satan uses Scriptures to convince us of the opposite to be true. But our hearts felt the truth, didn’t they? 😦
Second, I thought about the issue you mentioned above lately too and I believe you are absolutely right regarding the children of God who should not be in the “begging position”. The children of this world, of course, do not know that we can ask our Heavenly Father at first if we are in need.
You’re very welcome as to sharing my heart in this blog article, my sister. 🙂
Love ❤
Susanne
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Yes, I was born in Germany to very german parents, and we emigrated to Canada 33 years ago. 🙂 What is your heritage, are you german or just stationed there?
But I was just reading your reply above and had a light-bulb (Holy Spirit) moment with what you said most notably if Satan uses Scriptures to convince us – wow, I had totally forgotten that aspect of it. He did TEMPT our Lord with SCRIPTURE to try and get Jesus to do the wrong thing.
Again, another facet of “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” – amazing! So following scripture is not always the right response, but following the Holy Spirit always is.
E.
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Oh, 33 years – sooo long ago already, dear Elli! Amazing! As for me, I am a real German, though with some French roots.
“Light-bulb moment”… that wording was new to me, but I like it. 🙂 It just reminded me of a WordPress emoticon with the very same thing on its head, namely this one: 💡
Yes and amen. Very well put! ⭐
Love,
Susanne
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Elli wrote, “So following scripture is not always the right response, but following the Holy Spirit always is.” Well, this one will get you tossed out of most “Bible believing” churches. BUT if they truly believed in the Bible, they would see the truth in this. They wanted to kill Jesus because He did not follow the Bible and the traditions of the elders and hung out with sinners and people they considered unclean. They wanted to kill Paul for daring to preach that the Old Covenant had been replaced by a NEW dispensation that was no longer under the law. They DID kill Stephen for saying that by clinging to their temple system they did ALWAYS resist God’s Holy Spirit. “HELLO? ANYBODY HOME?” The same system prevails today under the name “Christian.” Then we have Peter calling Jesus His Lord while He argues with Him about eating unclean things and not eating with Gentiles. Of course Jesus rebuked him for being an Oxy-Moron! 🙂
Yes, Elli, you might get in trouble with the self-righteous Bible thumpers, but you do well to listen to the Spirit of God who does not operate inside the theological boxes of men. I love your comments as you share from your heart.
Love in Christ,
Michael
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Oxy-Moron! Hahahaha… XD
You are so funny, Michael.
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Haha, you never know with me, I just make up words and phrases as I go 😉 But you know, in german we would say, “da ging mir das Licht auf”! I am not sure how to use WP emoticons. That little light bulb almost looks like a halo. grin
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Also gut, damit Dir noch ein paar Lichter aufgehen, liebe Elli, zeige ich Dir nun eine Seite auf der die gebräuchlichsten WP Smileys aufgelistet sind. 🙂
[ From German ➡ English: All right, then. In order to increase the light(s) dawning on you, dear Elli, I am going to show you a page now where the most common WP emoticons are listed. 🙂 ]
https://en.support.wordpress.com/smilies/
Regarding the little light bulb, you only need to insert two spaces instead of the opening and closing quotation mark when you write “:idea:”. 💡 Ha! Indeed, the little light bulb reminds me of a halo too. XD
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Cute! I am happy you two sisters have connected. You are both a blessing to me. 💡 ⭐
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Thank you, Michael. You are a treasure! ⭐
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