AN INVITATION
Part 1

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God”
(Hebrews 4:9).

God does not intend us to live stress-filled lives. Instead, He gives us many invitations to live with Him in His life of rest. Yes, a life of rest. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? God is never in turmoil. Never in a state of tension. He lives in perfect rest and wants us to enjoy it with Him.

LEARN MY WAY

In Matthew 11:28-30 He says to us: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

God knows all the trials and challenges we face each day and He understands we can’t cope with them in our own strength. If we worry and continually mull over them in our brain, we get more and more into a state of anxiety. Therefore He says: “Come to ME.” But when we come, we have to leave behind our own plans and ways. Let go of all worries. All desperate thoughts. All doubting. All our own plans and ego. We have to submit to Him as the oxen submit to the yoke. We have to learn a new way. His way. It’s the only way it works.

When we do this, we find rest. Not a surface rest because everything is turning out okay. But soul rest! Rest in the very depth of our souls no matter what is going on all around us. This rest is possible as we trust in Christ. Don’t yield to your worries. Yield to His life of rest. It’s yours. It belongs to you.

COME HOME

Hosea 11:11 says: “I will settle them in their homes, declares the LORD.” The Knox translation says: “And in their own homes, the Lord says, I will give them rest.” Does life seem too taxing for you? God gives you His answer and His plan. Come home. You will find God’s rest in your home, not out in the career word.

Perhaps you have already come home to care for your children, but you are still stressed out. How much time do you spend at home? Many supposedly stay-at-home mothers spend more time taking their children here and there and to this and that than staying at home! If you are frazzled, cut back on going out so much and settle down in your home. God planned your home for you. Rest in it and make it a home of rest.

Take a ruthless stand against all temptations and every plan and organization that gets you gadding about instead of accomplishing great things in your home. Ask God for the vision of what He wants you to do in your home. You’ll be amazed. You’ll never have another boring moment.

Your home is a birthing center, a mothering/nurturing center, a training and education center, a praise and worship center, a prayer center, an eating center, a cultural development center, a social center, a hospitality center, a counseling center, a health center, an industry center, a garden center, and a convalescent center! Wow, that sounds like a busy life. No, it’s not a hectic life, but a productive life in a state of rest and peace, knowing you are in the perfect will of God.

Proverbs 24:15 says: “Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous, spoil not his RESTING PLACE.” This is the description God uses for your home. Is it a resting place for you? A resting place for your husband? A resting place for your children? And more importantly, a resting place for God?

Psalm 132:8, 13, 14 says: “Arise, O LORD, into thy rest . . . For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” God’s habitation is now your bodily temple. He also wants to dwell in your home. He desires it. The word “desires” it not just a little wish. The Hebrew word is evah and means” to covet, greatly desire, long after.” God longs to dwell in you and in your home. He greatly desires to fill it with His rest.

However, it takes doing it God’s way. It takes being home. It takes time. It takes creativity and thought, and most of all it takes prayer and meditation to make your home a resting place. It doesn’t just happen.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Thank you, Father, for giving me a home to raise my children. You have chosen it to be a place of rest. A home where you dwell comfortably. A home where we live in peace as a family as You designed before the foundation of the world. I want to submit to Your plan, rather than the anxious ways of the world. Please teach me and give me more understanding of Your wondrous ways. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I’m restfully busy in my home.