We gathered together, voices lifted in prayer, hearts united in purpose. The prayer meeting was called to intercede for new church plants and mission work. One by one, voices spoke of God’s provision, His calling, His unwavering presence in the midst of difficulty. Ordinary people, just like you and me, testified to how the Lord had used them—broken, weak, yet wholly His.
And as I listened, a deep, humbling awareness washed over me: What a privilege it is to serve the Lord!
Ministry is not a burden to bear or a duty to fulfill. It is a gift—a precious opportunity to be part of God’s redemptive work. He doesn’t need us, yet He calls us. He doesn’t require our efforts, yet He delights in using them. He doesn’t demand perfection, yet He fills our feeble offerings with power and purpose.
I was overwhelmed afresh by the kindness of God. He has been so gentle, so merciful, so patient with me. I have nothing to offer Him except my surrendered heart, and still, He takes it and uses it for His glory.
If you are weary in ministry, if you feel unnoticed or discouraged, may I encourage you with this reminder: serving the Lord is a privilege. Every prayer prayed, every sacrifice made, every unseen act of faithfulness is known by Him. He is working, even when we cannot see it. He is faithful, even when we feel inadequate. He is good, always good.
Let us continue, then, with hearts full of gratitude, trusting that He who called us is faithful. May we never lose sight of the immense privilege it is to serve Him.
Rest is a word interpreted differently by each person. What is restful for me might not be restful for you. For some, rest is a cozy blanket and book, for others, it’s time in the garden working the soil. For me, rest usually involves a home renovation project or some sort of creative outlet.
But Jesus’s invitation to find rest goes beyond engaging in the activities that refill our emotional tanks. He offers us two kinds of rest. One we receive from Him at salvation and one we actively take part in acquiring.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30.
Jesus speaks of rest twice. First, he speaks of a rest from striving. “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” We can rest from striving because Jesus will give us rest. He will carry our burdens all the way to the cross. Second, rest involves striving – not under our weighty concerns, but striving with Jesus. Here we see that rest doesn’t necessarily mean stopping all activity. Rest also means working alongside Jesus in a way that feels light and life-giving. This is where we find the second rest, the “rest for our souls”.
Feeling Restless?
I’ve sat here, on this point, for quite a few weeks, chewing on what it means practically when I feel restless. What does it mean when I lack not actual rest, but when I feel edgy, twitchy, or agitated, and the rest I lack is more like a lack of peace? Sometimes I feel restless in my prayer life. Sometimes I feel restless in my service. Sometimes I feel restless and I don’t even know why. In these moments, I find it helpful to consider if I’ve taken up His yoke. A yoke is a wooden frame used to pair two animals together for work. If the burden isn’t easy or light, perhaps I’ve yoked myself to someone or something other than Jesus.
Charles Spurgeon wrote extensively on the second rest from Jesus in his sermon titled, Rest, Rest. Spurgeon describes this second rest as a treasure hidden inside a box. The Lord Jesus gives all those who have repented a box called the gift of rest. It is covered in gems and gold. Those who receive it and have repented of their sin know its value and know their sin is forgiven. After a while, they begin to examine this box and one day they touch a hidden spring, and out pops a secret drawer with a priceless second treasure they never knew was there.
Jesus gives us the gift of himself and hidden in Him is all the rest we’ll ever need. But we will never know or understand its full value until we begin to examine him and learn of him by the teaching of His spirit. This is the growing and maturing that must happen AFTER repentance. This happens as we are yoked to him. When we do that, out pops the hidden drawer filled with what Spurgeon calls the innermost rest. This rest that makes it possible to glorify God in the depths of a valley, and it’s yours because it’s included in the first gift of forgiveness, but it is not yours enjoyed or understood until you find it in Christ. This second rest, this rest after rest, is a rest coupled with activity and comes only to those who search it out.
Being yoked to Christ in all things is the only way our burdens are easy, and it is the only way they feel light. What steps can you take this week to embrace His rest?
Rest, rest. (n.d.). The Spurgeon Center. https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/rest-rest/#flipbook/
I wake up each morning and remind myself that I have to choose. I can have all the right tools, intentions, and goals, but without making the conscious decision to take action, those things don’t matter.
I Choose Activity
Owning a treadmill will not change a thing if I don’t get on it. It doesn’t matter how much money it cost or how its purchase makes it appear as if I value personal fitness. If I don’t take the time to lace up my shoes and move my body, that treadmill will only gather dust. So, I choose activity and get on that treadmill every day.
I Choose Health
Having fresh vegetables in my fridge and whole grains in my pantry won’t magically transform my health unless I make the effort to cook with intention. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of convenience, opting for fast food or snacks that aren’t doing my body any favours. But I choose to shop with intention, plan my meals, and prepare nourishing food that fuels me.
I Choose to Abide
Having a Bible in the house will not change me if I’m not reading it. Reading it will not change me unless I’m willing to apply it. Applying it won’t change me unless I depend on the Spirit of God for the wisdom and strength to walk out my faith every day. I can have a stack of books filled with wisdom, truth, and guidance, but if I don’t take the time to actually read, reflect, and apply what’s inside, they’re just pages of ink. So, I choose to open my Bible daily, to seek understanding, to quiet my mind, and to invite God’s Word to shape my thoughts and actions.
We All Have to Choose
Life is filled with countless options, distractions, and decisions. Every day we face moments where we have to decide who we will be, what we will do, and how we will live. Our choices shape us, for better or worse, and sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is show up.
Every day, we have the opportunity to choose a better path, a healthier routine, a more fulfilling life. It may not always be easy, but it’s always possible.
Choose to be intentional. Choose to show up, take action, and be accountable. Whether it’s stepping onto that treadmill, cooking healthy meals, or opening your Bible, take responsibility for your growth and transformation.
Christmas comes with a soundtrack. Some silly songs include snowmen and reindeer, while other melodies rouse deep emotions. We sing of silent nights, a babe in a manger, and the arrival of a King. All the while, the twinkle lights flicker and flames cast a nostalgic and festive hue.
On the same radio, from the same lips, words of adoration and joy rub against busyness and consumerism. It’s a constant tug away from the eternal wonder of Christ.
We come to church and sing to the Lord, bringing Him thanksgiving and songs of praise. We open the Word to hear from God, engaging our mind and applying that knowledge and understanding to our hearts. For a few seconds—maybe even a few minutes—we are overwhelmed in the best possible way. Then the chords of the closing hymn begin, and we gather our belongings and people and head into a new week. Thoughts of Christ and his awesomeness remain, but they move somewhere behind all the things that stuff our day-to-day life.
We sing, “O come, let us adore Him” but live as if we adore ourselves, our ambitions, or the world.
Still, Christ calls us to come. To pause. To adore. Not with a fleeting emotion or a single Sunday moment, but with hearts that live in awe of Him daily. Be thankful because “the Lord is a great God” (Psalm 95:3). He holds the depths of the earth, the heights of the mountains, and formed the sea and dry land. This is our God. Our Maker. We belong to Him, the people of his pasture.
The holiday season holds an invitation to examine our worship and shift our adoration from the distractions of this world to the One who came to save it.
So this Christmas, as we sing, “O come, let us adore Him,” let them be more than words. Let them be a reflection of a life surrendered to the glory of the One who is worthy.
Author Carol James has visited the blog many time in the past. It’s a joy to welcome her back again and learn about her new book, Christmas Lights and Moonlit Nights.
As I sat studying the nearly completed puzzle, some gaping holes stared back at me. No matter how many times and ways I tried, the remaining pieces on the table in front of me wouldn’t fit the empty spaces. They must have been from another puzzle. And to top it off, the box lid had was missing. Despite the hours of diligent work combined with trial and error, I was no closer to knowing what the completed puzzle should have looked like than I’d been before I started.
I’ve always enjoyed jigsaw puzzles. I love finding that singular treasure that has the special combination of “innies” and “outies” and colored designs that make it the one and only piece that fits into the waiting gap. I love the sense of accomplishment and victory gained when each piece is correctly placed, the guesswork is over, and the whole reveals a beautiful masterpiece. In contrast, little is more frustrating to a puzzle solver than lost pieces that leave gaping holes.
Christmas Light and Moonlit Nights
In Christmas Lights and Moonlit Nights, Jed has his life planned. All his pieces are fitting together perfectly. A Navy SEAL, he believes God has called him to be a warrior, to fight evil, and he’s willing to sacrifice his desires for a family and risk his life if necessary to fulfill his calling. He’s decided to never marry or have a family. His work is too dangerous.
Jed’s approach to life was somewhat like working a puzzle. He thought he had all his pieces, everything he needed, in hand. When put together, they’d make the life he wanted and treasured. The life to which he was called.
However, when he meets Leah, some of his pieces no longer fit. So after years of planning and arranging, he realized his puzzle, like mine, was flawed. He was faced with the choice to make this flawed, incomplete puzzle work, or find a new one.
When A + B doesn’t = C
We often approach life like Jed did. We want everything to work out the way we think it should. The way we’ve planned. But life isn’t a math problem where A+B=C. Or a puzzle where all the pieces fit and make a beautiful picture.
In First Corinthians 13:12, Paul tells us, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Paul reminds us that our current ability to understand and perceive the divine is clouded. Yet, that cloudiness doesn’t indicate a flaw or an omission. It simply means that, as solvers, we are limited by our abilities to perceive reality, no matter how badly we want to solve the puzzle.
So what do we do when life presents us with a puzzle we can’t solve? When some of the pieces seem to be missing or the box lid has been thrown away? While we may not be able to visualize the image of the completed puzzle, it exists. The fault is not in the puzzle, but in the limitations of the the solver.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Our job then, like Jed’s, is to trust. To trust the One Who is the Master Puzzle-Designer. The One Who choreographed and knows the solution.
