God is Love.
That is how he chose to describe Himself.
Love.
His creation is an incredibly ordered, logical, mathematical, beautiful place. Yet He didn't choose to describe Himself as Reason or as Order or as Logic.
He chose Love.
I think the reality of that choice is astounding, if you truly let yourself pause and ponder it.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
refusing rest
I came upon a surprising scripture a couple of days ago while reading in Isaiah. Until roughly a year ago, this verse would have flown right past my eyes and I wouldn't have been able to comprehend its powerful truth:
The basic context of this chapter is God talking to His people (who have become proud), and then it goes on to speak of judgments that would come because God's people didn't listen to Him when He communicated the above message.
That's when I was hooked. My default to striving, self-sufficiency, and proving my worth were stopped dead, right in my tracks. God was trying to tell them that they could rest, but because they wouldn't believe Him, He had to resort to speaking to them via a much different method. In this particular instance, God's judgment came because they wouldn't believe that He wanted the weary to rest.
He wanted the weary to rest. So much so that He was quite unhappy when they refused to hear Him.
But what about the "learn from the ants who never slumber", and the farmer who reaps only what he sows? I'm a Christian; I'm not supposed to stop. That's irresponsible and unfaithful.
In verse 24 He goes on to talk about how a farmer isn't always sowing his seeds and never reaping the bounty of his harvest, isn't "forever cultivating the soil and never planting the seed". He even says, "The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding....The Lord of Heaven's Armies is a wonderful teacher, and He gives the farmer great wisdom." (v 26,29) Basically, even the busy farmer of his parable knows when to rest.
All of these years and I have completely missed half of the picture. To rest is not weakness. To rest is not irresponsibility. To rest is not failing. To rest is not a sin.
God wants the weary to rest in Him, in the land that He brought them to. I don't think that just means to get a breather on Sundays, either. I think God goes out of His way to bring us restful circumstances, restful moments, restful people, restful settings. He gets it. He cares. Now it's just up to me to listen and actually let my weary bones rest a while.
God has told His people,
"Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest."
But they would not listen.
-Isaiah 28:12 NLT
The basic context of this chapter is God talking to His people (who have become proud), and then it goes on to speak of judgments that would come because God's people didn't listen to Him when He communicated the above message.
That's when I was hooked. My default to striving, self-sufficiency, and proving my worth were stopped dead, right in my tracks. God was trying to tell them that they could rest, but because they wouldn't believe Him, He had to resort to speaking to them via a much different method. In this particular instance, God's judgment came because they wouldn't believe that He wanted the weary to rest.
He wanted the weary to rest. So much so that He was quite unhappy when they refused to hear Him.
But what about the "learn from the ants who never slumber", and the farmer who reaps only what he sows? I'm a Christian; I'm not supposed to stop. That's irresponsible and unfaithful.
In verse 24 He goes on to talk about how a farmer isn't always sowing his seeds and never reaping the bounty of his harvest, isn't "forever cultivating the soil and never planting the seed". He even says, "The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding....The Lord of Heaven's Armies is a wonderful teacher, and He gives the farmer great wisdom." (v 26,29) Basically, even the busy farmer of his parable knows when to rest.
All of these years and I have completely missed half of the picture. To rest is not weakness. To rest is not irresponsibility. To rest is not failing. To rest is not a sin.
God wants the weary to rest in Him, in the land that He brought them to. I don't think that just means to get a breather on Sundays, either. I think God goes out of His way to bring us restful circumstances, restful moments, restful people, restful settings. He gets it. He cares. Now it's just up to me to listen and actually let my weary bones rest a while.
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