Faith and Rest in the Lord

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

This week I’ll be leaving on vacation to go moose hunting.  Yes, a busy fall schedule is upon us.  There are also people and members about whom I am concerned.  I will be praying for them and other concerns on my heart as I wait beside the pond for the moose to appear.  There are some ways in which it is always difficult to leave.

 

However, I also believe what God teaches about the Sabbath.  We actually talked about this in the Church Council meeting this past Sunday night.  Have you read the verses about Sabbath and rest?

·         Exodus 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.

 

·         Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

 

·         Mark 6: 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

 

God calls us to rest in Him.  We can rest because we believe anything really important is accomplished, not by our work, but by God.  We take a day each week to rest in the Lord because we need the Lord and His people in our lives.  But we also take time to rest because we trust Him.  We trust that even when we don’t work, it is God who accomplishes the good we need in life.  Because rest comes from God, I’m not only going hunting, but I’ll also be spending time reading Scripture, and praying, and spending time talking about God’s Word with others in camp. 

 

There is another way God gives rest.  Has your heart ever been troubled because of worries?  Did you ever have trouble sleeping?  Did you ever groan with regret over something you should not have done or said?  In Jesus God forgives our sins and guilt.  He forgives the things that keep us awake.  That is why Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

 

May you find rest in God’s love, and take time to rest and let the Lord bless you.

 

A Child of God, Taking Time to Rest in the Lord,

Pastor Jonathan

 

 

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’    I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.)  However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.

 

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