Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 14

Mark 4:35-21

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Slept

Sometimes we are ashamed of our tiredness. We try and stifle our yawns and hide our flu symptoms, sneak some medication and carry on. But we all need physical rest. Sometimes we need a proper Jesus-style nap.

One of the most incredibly human and yet supernatural stories we read about Jesus is found in our Bible story for today. Here, we see Jesus asleep on a cushion in the midst of a furious tempest. The Son of God takes a nap in the middle of a crisis. (Don’t you just love Him?!) He knew He was tired BUT He also knew He was completely safe!

This is a winning combination. The knowledge that I am tired AND safe allows me to rest.

I know that for many people sleep during the day can seem like a weird luxury, even lazy. But it can be just what we need. Denying ourselves rest is not virtuous, but can be an act of pride. And you know what? If Jesus did it, so can we.

I don’t know what you are like when you are tired. When I’m in need of rest I can be short-fused, prone to high emotion and unable to be truly grateful. God knows that I am not that nice to be around when I need sleep! So, He gave me permission, through this simple story, that even in the middle of crazy times in my life, to grab a pillow and REST!

As we come to the end of this devotional perhaps you need to ask yourself some questions:

Am I in need of physical rest right now?

What am I doing about that?

Psalm 62:5 says, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.”

Many of us try and complicate this, but rest is actually pretty simple. It is about waiting quietly and putting our hope where it belongs – in HIM.

As we come to the end of this study time together I will leave you with Hebrews 13: 5 (AMPC):

“…Be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]”

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/14 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 13

Psalm 23:1-6

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Green Pastures

When my husband Jon was in high school, he was in a play. One night, he asked a friend (offstage), which scene they were up to and found out, to his horror, that it was one where he should have been on stage! He had to casually wander through the wings and make it look like he meant it! But then he had no idea where they were up to in the script or whether he was meant to speak. I believe his fellow actors were less than delighted.

There is something dangerous about being on when we should be off and off when we should be on.

We need to know which is which.

Leaving yourself ON constantly will have the same effect. You will burn out and be likely to deeply affect the lives of those around you. So, let me ask you a question: Is your behaviour forcing you, your kids, your family or your employees to stay “switched on” for too long? Have you trapped them into not being allowed to turn off?

As our reading from Psalm 23 reminds us today, God’s desire is that we are led into green pastures, into areas that are productive, fruitful, beautiful and restful for us. But so often we fight against Him. We try and consume food, atmospheres, relationships and life choices that are not healthy for us. We don’t rest well and then need help to sleep. We fill our minds with stressful, chaotic activity and then feel too tired to pray. As the margins around our lives become less, there is a reduced amount of space for fun, compassion, creativity and commitment.

But, as with so much in life, our POSITIONING is so key. Where we lie is vitally important. This psalm reminds us that we are not lying in a place of discomfort or lack, but somewhere connected to provision, blessing and honour. A sheep will not lie down if it is scared. Sheep are skittish, nervous creatures who are easily startled. God is inviting us here into a place where we are content to know He is guiding, providing and caring for us. There is no safer place than this!

Pray: Father, thank you for leading me beside still waters and helping me lie down in green pastures. Teach me what that looks like for me again today. Help me not to be afraid to stop. Amen

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/13 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 12

Luke 10:32-42

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Sitting At His Feet

Martha often gets a bad press. But not from me.

Like her, I am often an activist. I can get frustrated when people just sit about and look holy. Martha is the sleeves-rolled-up girl, grasping her salad servers. I can see her clearly. The grill is on high, the dishwasher is beeping, the washing machine is whirring. The kettle is on. The emails are flying in. The talk is nearly written. WhatsApp messages are pouring onto her phone.

I know what that kind of life is like. Maybe you do too?

But I also understand Mary. She’s been listening to a podcast on the “Ten most beautiful blessings of restfulness”. She has just downloaded the latest worship CD from iTunes. She is booked into a conference on the new spiritual discipline of peaceful contemplative prayer with pilates at a silent retreat centre in a forest – with watercolour painting in the evenings. She hugs strangers on trains. She laughs and cries at adverts. She is joyful. She is little.

I know what that life is like too. I can be like Mary. Maybe you can too? I am a worshipper at heart. I can spend hours praying and singing and forget my other responsibilities. There is a bit of both of them in me.

I think that there is a bit of both of them in you too. And the reason is because they represent two facets of our divinely-made human nature. We were made for restful worship. We were also made to work.

God is in our worship, the Mary part of us, but he’s also in our work – the Martha part. In fact, the Hebrew word avodah (which sounds like a Star Wars character, I know!) can be translated as worship and work. It means both. Worshipful work.

Let me encourage you to knead those two words together today.

I think being at rest means that our work and our worship naturally intertwine. Like friends. More than this, like sisters.

Our best work, and our most beautiful rest, has to come from a place of space and worship.

Joanna Weaver wrote, “Jesus’ words to Martha are the words he wants to speak to your heart and mine: ‘You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.’ The ‘one thing’ is not found in doing more. It’s found by sitting at his feet.”

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/12 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 11

Proverbs 23:1-12

1 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
    note well what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to gluttony.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,
    for that food is deceptive.

4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
    do not trust your own cleverness.
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
    for they will surely sprout wings
    and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
    do not crave his delicacies;
7 for he is the kind of person
    who is always thinking about the cost.
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten
    and will have wasted your compliments.

9 Do not speak to fools,
    for they will scorn your prudent words.

10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
    or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender is strong;
    he will take up their case against you.

12 Apply your heart to instruction
    and your ears to words of knowledge.

Contentment

We are a generation that needs to look at our contentment levels carefully.

So many of the school pupils and older people I talk with are generally dissatisfied with what life offers them. They want more of everything. Our fast- paced society discourages any kind of contentment. Our eyes are bombarded with adverts encouraging high spending on new products, toys, services and gadgets. We are assured that we need more expensive face cream, a faster car and better internet access in order to be fulfilled, happy and successful. And we all buy into the lie.

Proverbs 23:4-5 (NIV) warns us,

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.”

It is possible to be content with what we have.

In my work, I sometimes encourage anxious pupils to list the contents of their lives – to write an inventory if you like – of all they have. It is incredible that 100% of them start with their possessions. Never their health or their ability to sit, stand, think, move or run. I have to remind them about those things! The truth is that we take much of what we have, or can do, for granted. It is only when those things are pointed out, threatened or removed that we truly notice them and long for them.

It is true that none of us remember to thank God that we can swallow, until we get tonsillitis!

A contented heart is a heart at rest

It is so healthy to take time out to look for the hidden ways God’s goodness is at work in our lives and be intentional about thanking Him for those personal blessings.

• Why not create your own “content” page today?

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/11 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 10

Romans 8:1-8

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

Rest Through Recreation

Recreation is defined as “an activity done for enjoyment when not working”. But for me it is also about allowing myself to be “re-created”. The word comes from an old middle English one that means “mental or spiritual consolation”. I love that definition. Many of us need to re-create ourselves. We need to re- create a sense of fun, enjoyment and play in our lives. We have become too boring, predictable and grown up. The cares of this life have absorbed us and robbed us of our childlikeness.

Winston Churchill thoroughly believed in the strength of hobbies and the power of play. But it was only at the age of 41 that he discovered one of his real passions. His sister-in-law, Lady Gwendoline Bertie, first encouraged him to try painting.

“Happy are the painters,” Churchill later wrote, “for they shall never be lonely…”

It soon became an engrossing hobby that remained a large part of his life for the next 40 years.

It is my theory that many of us carry at least one talent for something creative. It might be cooking, cross-stitch or calligraphy … or ballet, book-binding or birdwatching. There will be something we are capable of that absorbs us and allows us deep, satisfying rest. If you don’t know what your hobby is, perhaps it’s time to do a bit of experimentation?

What have you always longed to have a go at, but never allowed yourself time for? Perhaps this is the season for photography, whittling or floristry?

Romans 12:6 says:

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.”

What is your “certain thing”? Leo Buscaglia said, “Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.” I hope this makes you think and gives you a nudge to just go for it!

When we are creating something we are copying God, from whom all our creativity ultimately comes. When God made us in His image, He gave us the gene and the desire in order to make things beautiful. For some, this might be designing a relaxing home environment, or a useful spreadsheet, or an item of clothing. We are all so different, but each of us reflects the creative character of God.

• In what areas could you explore your own creativity as you rest this week?

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/10 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 9

Psalm 16:1-11

1 Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Boundary Lines

A keynote speaker from Billy Graham ministries was once speaking at a pastor’s conference in the US. He caused a stir in the audience when he said, “A busy Christian is not a spiritual Christian.” There was a slight buzz around the room as people reacted to his statement. I am sure some of those pastors bristled. Others may have felt a sense of relief. Others may have thought they had heard him wrong.

So much of being in God’s presence is about rest and stopping. But many people I know are breathlessly living in a world of last-minute decisions. Heavily relying on their own resources to get them through things that are half-prepared or poorly-conceived, they feel like they are on a runaway train.

When we allow work to bleed into every other area of life it will disrupt the balance and rhythm we are meant to have. All of what we do for work, both in terms of paid or unpaid activity, needs to have boundary lines. The good news is that Bible tells us in our reading today from Psalm 16:6 (NIV) that our lives can have helpful, clear and even pleasant borders

“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

I think this is really key. When we know what we don’t have to do, it frees us to do the things we are meant to do.

Operating from this place allows us to work better and to rest more effectively.

Psalm 144:14 (CSB) says, “Our cattle will be well fed. There will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity, and no cry of lament in our public squares.”

In a world of terrorism, turmoil and tempestuous politics, this is an amazing prayer and promise! The truth is, when our boundaries are in the wrong place, this brings bondage. We all know people who are working too hard, carrying fear, living with anxiety and wading through stress. They are enslaved, but they can’t see it. We read of nation squaring up against nation, leaders unwisely venting their vitriol on Twitter, others sending out test missiles to show their strength. It can feel like a dangerous world to inhabit. But God can give both meaning and safety to our lives.

Thank Him today for giving you the blessing of boundary lines in your life.

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/9 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 8

Ephesians 2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Being Careful With Your “Yes”

For much of my life I have been a bit directionless. If someone asked me to do something and it even vaguely felt like a good idea, I would do it. I spread myself quite thin. Because I could turn my hand to a number of things (to a certain degree) I was tempted to follow other people’s dreams and even copy their vision because I wasn’t sure of my own calling.

Perhaps you know that feeling?

But a number of years ago, I realized that I needed to say “no” to certain things in order to be more effective at keeping to the revelation God had given me. I think I had been wandering around, keeping manically busy, but not feeling centred or purposeful. It felt like a minor miracle if I managed to avoid clashing all the crazy activities of each day!

I am not meant to support every charity or help to run every event I hear about. I am not supposed to be at every church activity or give my time and energy to every person that asks me for help. I would never get anything done that God HAS asked me to do if I did this. If I spend all my energy on things that aren’t my anointed gifting, I will stop others from stepping into their God-given roles. I will also neglect the tasks God has assigned to me.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) from our reading today helps us here. It says,

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We are uniquely created by Jesus to do certain things which He has already set out for us. If we are not careful, we could miss that calling, trying to do everyone else’s work for them.

God needs to be in charge of our calling and our direction, not other people. And the beautiful promise He gives us when we do this is true REST for us, His loved ones.

Pray today that God would reveal your unique calling to you and enable you to fulfil it.

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/8 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 7

Jeremiah 31:23-34

23 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,[a] the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ 24 People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks. 25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

27 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband to[b] them,[c]”
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
34 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”

The Weary Soul

Our schedules are so toxic that we have forgotten what it feels like not to RUSH everywhere. Busyness is not listed in the Bible as a spiritual gift! Yet we celebrate it as if it is. We ask how someone is, and when we get a list of the 10 things they have just done, we can feel awed, impressed and even unworthy. But should we?

C.S. Lewis wrote, “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists of shoving it all back, in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”

I know that feeling well. If I am honest, there are many times in my own life where the demands on my time seem to reach epic proportions. I buy into the lie that I somehow have to achieve 41 things before breakfast.

I love what Paul Maxwell writes:

“Our rest is not measured in minutes or hours, but in proximity. Sabbath is a day, but it is also a place with God — a place he makes, where he pursues us…”

This is beautifully true.

In our reading today from Jeremiah 31, verse 25 wraps itself around my heart. It is where God says to us:

“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” (ESV)

What a wonderful promise that is!

How is your soul today? Are you weary? Do you feel as though you are languishing? That word “languishing” is defined in the dictionary as “to grow weak, to decay or to decline”. Is that you today?

If it is, let me encourage you in the words of Victor Hugo. “Go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”

We don’t need to lose our own peace or sleep because of fear, anxiety or stress. God goes to work on our behalf, fighting our battles and bringing us His life and salvation. Whatever storms we face in life, it is possible to hold on to the truth that God is with us through them.

Pray: Father, thank you for your promise that You will satisfy my weary soul and find the places in me that need Your life-giving touch. Amen

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/7 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 6

Galatians 4:4-7

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Resting As A Child

Imagine your heating system has failed and you call a plumber to come and fix it. You would not expect that guy to make his way to your fridge and help himself to a soda. That man is not part of your family.

But if your child came home and helped themselves to some food, it would be perfectly normal. Your son or daughter has rights and privileges in your home. Why? Because it is THEIR home too. It is where they live and where they belong.

When do we become a son or a daughter? Some might say it is the moment we are born. That very minute you take your first gasp, you have the rights to your father’s estate. You own what he owns. Legally. You have done nothing to earn that, except breathe a bit and test out your lungs. You don’t have to work to secure that right. It is yours already.

There is something very precious about feeling AT HOME and knowing that we fit into God’s family. But I think many of us feel more like a plumber than a prince or princess! We can work so hard FOR God but not do much in relationship WITH Him.

In our reading today from Galatians 4:4-7 we are reminded that,

“We are no longer slaves but God’s own sons. And since we are his sons, everything he has belongs to us...”

Isn’t that a wonderful truth? Spiritually speaking, I am a son. Therefore, I have full permission to do all that God’s child is permitted to do. I have all His authority, all His power, all His resources and all His wealth at my fingertips. This means I also have His permission to rest in total freedom.

I am beginning to learn that living in this kind of freedom doesn’t just free me, but will also affect the people around me. As Peter Scazzero writes,

“We free the people we serve. They see a prophetic sign and wonder that we are no longer slaves to work… Our identity is in God’s love and goodness, not what we do.”

Wouldn’t you like that kind of freedom to happen in your family, your church and your workplace?

• Ask God to enable you to rest today in the knowledge that you are His child and in a way that frees others to be who they are too.

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/6 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 5

Reading: Psalm 127:1-5

Rest Helps Me Function Well

If you deprive any animal of sleep, even for a short period, it will die. There are biological, physiological, psychological, theological and sociological needs for us to rest. In other words, rest is LOGICAL! Scientists used to think that when we slept, the brain shut down. Now we know that when we sleep at night our resting brains are far from idle.

In sleep, our brains go to work consolidating memories, reviewing the events and conversations of the day and looking for creative solutions to the problems we have faced.

Every second of your life you are busy producing antibodies, repairing your-self and adapting. Removing rest damages your ability to remember and learn. You also increase your chances of stroke and heart attack, give yourself a higher chance of getting other illnesses, mess up your skin and even set yourself on a path of weight gain.

When I read information like this, I just want to praise God for how wonderfully He has made us! We are intricately built and fabulously designed. But we have a part to play in order to help ourselves function at our best.

Psalm 127: 2 (NLT) says: “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

· Do you recognize your own life in those verses?

· Is “anxious working” something you struggle with?

Perhaps you need reminding again of the truth that God gives rest to His loved ones.

I think one of the problems we face is that we work hard and then wait for the world to grant us the space to rest. But it never comes. I can promise you something: you are not going to magically find a time where your life slows down. Therefore, you need to deliberately practice rest now. It requires discipline and planning. If you want rest, you will have to prioritize it, diary–date-it and be intentional with it.

• Do you recognize your own need for rest?

• Do you plan rest into your diary?

• Do you ever work on your day off because you feel anxious about completing a task?

Take some time today to pray for intentional times this year when you will rest and recover. Ask God to highlight any problems in your sleep patterns that need addressing.

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/5 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 4

Reading: Psalm 62:1-12

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault me?
    Would all of you throw me down—
    this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
    from my lofty place;
    they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
    but in their hearts they curse.[b]

5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
    the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
    together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
    or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
    do not set your heart on them.

11 One thing God has spoken,
    two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12     and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
    according to what they have done.”

Why Should We Rest?

Rest is Biblical. In the book of Exodus, God established rest as a command. Up there with “Do not kill”, it is built into the order of creation. Therefore, we know that our Father God takes it seriously! We read in Exodus 20 that rest is one of God’s priorities for us: “But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work… For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day.”

God designed us to need and take regular rest. He was specific about not working for one whole day a week and taking it as a holy or “holi”-day. But sadly, some of us just blatantly ignore Him. We keep going, doing and being. As a result, we get like a few of the seven dwarfs in Snow White: Grumpy, Dopey and Sneezy!

God commanded that we rest on the Sabbath. Then He blessed it. This means He gave it credence, imbued it with majesty and made it special. When we avoid having a Sabbath we miss out on that life-giving, healing blessing. We also need to remember that our rest connects us back to Him. It is true to say that rest is found IN God. As Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV) says:

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

When we rest, we reconnect with our Father and this makes us both strong and unshakeable. Rest isn’t just about a day off, but a day plugged in to God himself. In Matthew 11:28, we read Jesus’s words, “Come to me… I will give you rest.” In other words, Jesus is saying, “I am the source of rest. I AM rest. Come to me to get it.”

A decent and recent day of rest recharges you, makes you happy, healthy and helps your spirit function at its best.

• Where do you feel shaken and weak today?

• What part of Psalm 62 speaks into that?

Pray: Father, I am sorry for times when I keep working instead of taking a holy day. Please show me how and where to build rest into my life this week. Amen

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/4 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 3

Reading: Genesis 2:1-9

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The Genius Of Genesis

Rick Warren was spot on when he said, “I could imagine God saying to a lot of us, ‘Hey, I'm God, and you're not. You're not the general manager of the universe.’”

Our society so often defines people by what they do. So, when a person is “doing nothing” they can feel a sense of guilt or inadequacy during those periods. Some of us are terrified of people thinking we are slothful.

But the truth is, we are just as loved by God when we are resting. We are just as whole, just as precious and just as saved. These feelings are not what our Heavenly Father intended for us as His creation.

Adam’s first day on earth was not spent at the office printing out spreadsheets or writing projection forecasts. Nor was he busy planting seeds, counting snakes and tending to the animals. He was created, then he and Eve and God all put their feet up! As our reading today reminds us, their first day on was a day off. This tells me that God didn’t define Adam by his usefulness. That gives me confidence that God doesn’t judge me by my productivity or my CV either. God doesn’t value me or love me because of the fact that I can work.

No. He loves me because He made me.

We can see rest as simply an absence of work, but this robs rest of its power and strength. Rest is not just a negative vacuum – a time of counting the hours before work starts again. A person doing this is not resting from work in his/her mind or her body at all.

If we see rest and work as opposites, by very definition they are in opposition to one another. They FIGHT. We have to learn to see them as friends that need one another in order to function. We need to realize that we need to rest well in order to live well. We also need to rest efficiently to work effectively.

• Where do you feel a lack of balance in your work or resting?

• What could God be nudging you to do about that?

Pray: Father, please help me not to try and find my worth in my work. Thank you that I am loved and precious even when I am choosing to be still. Amen

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/3 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 2

Reading: Philippians 4:10-14

10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.

Under A Rest

Anne Lamott said, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

One of my friends is a hugely talented TV presenter. During the first couple of days of shooting a new series, he brought a one-man tent and sleeping bag onto set and put it in a corner of the studio. During breaks he would go in, zip up the tent and have a restorative little nap!

The creative team made a magical, miniature world for him to escape into each day. It wasn’t long before the tent sported a welcome mat, some bespoke bunting, toadstools, fairy lights, artificial grass and a whole garden of flowers and plants!

Our rest is precious. It needs to be taken seriously and built into our days and weeks but – as this story illustrates so well – it should not be without an element of fun and creativity.

Perhaps there is room for more deliberate, intentional rest in your busy life?

I love the pure and wonderful wisdom of what Philippians 4:13 (AMP) says:

“I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]

Is there a need for more deliberate calm and quiet contentment in your week? Do you know the secret of facing life in every circumstance, feeling strengthened and empowered with inner strength and confident peace?

Our personal worlds today are so fast-paced that we can feel as though we are constantly battling fatigue. Not perhaps from the physical labor that our ancestors dealt with, but from the mental gymnastics we endure to try and stay ahead of the game. Sometimes my body can look still, but my mind is far from it. The inner workings of my brain are pacing and racing as the “to do” list in my consciousness urgently scribbles a few more late entries.

Today, take some time to call to mind that you can do ALL the things He has called you to do through Christ.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, that you strengthen me and bring me confident peace. Please help me to come under the banner of that restful comfort today. Amen

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/2 ) and River Publishing for this plan.

Summer Devotional 2021 - The Rest Of Your Life

Day 1

Reading 1 Kings 19:11-14

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The Still Small Voice

You may be reading this because you can’t remember the last time you felt truly “rested”. Could it be that you’ve had that nagging feeling that something is missing from the rhythm and balance of your life and you need to address it?

Whatever has brought you here, you are so welcome! Do your best to shut out all the distractions around you. The dishwasher can wait.

Let me start by asking you something: when was the last time you invested in your soul?

These next two weeks are a soul investment. It is about deep breaths for the very fiber of your being and setting up good patterns to restore the balance of your inner life.

In Scripture, God reveals Himself in many different ways. One of His most striking of personal encounters ended in a “still, small voice” as we see in our reading today.

If God suddenly decided to speak to you in that way, be honest, would you hear it? Or would you have life “on too loud” to even notice?

We were not designed to live with constant busyness and noise! We all need rest and peace. But for many of us rest has become a luxury. It has grown into something we feel we can cope without.

But rest is not caviar or expensive champagne that we can forgo without consequences, it’s a built-in physical, mental and spiritual requirement. Rest is, and always has been, a necessity that we MUST make space for in our lives.

The prince of this world, our enemy, the devil, fights against our restfulness. Why? Because he knows how GOOD it is for us. He knows that rest connects us back to our Father, God. Rest reminds us of joy. It helps us be more creative, taps us back into Heaven’s perspective and allows us to feel wonderfully free. So, our enemy uses some techniques to keep us in a place of exhaustion and stress.

The truth is, I am happier, kinder, more alive and more efficient when I am rested. You are too. But crucially, when we are resting well, we are also more like Jesus.

Still your heart and quiet your soul today and tune in to God’s still, small voice speaking to you.

What is He saying to you now?

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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/1 ) and River Publishing for this plan.