BY JOYCE PELLETIER

​"You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."
(Psalm 139:1-6)

I’ve been journaling since I came to know Jesus. He always knew me! He knew before I was even conceived and that his plan for my life is perfect. He will know me all the rest of my days on earth, then onto Heaven when we will meet face to face.

I love Psalm 139. I don’t reflect on it often enough, but God always calls me back from time to time to some important truths.

David admits in Psalm 139:1-6 “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me, and you know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” David knew that God knew him. He continuously failed, but turned back to God.

Let’s just look at these words for now. If you are like me and journal, then these words give us great starting points for our writing. No matter what we are going through, God is clear, that He knows us completely and is always with us.

A good starting point is to write a reflection on this question. How do I know God knows my every thought, action, and troubling struggles that I face daily? Think about 10 years ago! Where were you then? You hopefully will be able to write a lot. If you don’t keep a journal, then tell God verbally what you have been through.

I recently came across a journal that my mom wrote. It was her very first and only journal she kept. At Christmas of 1988, I had a strong conviction that I should get her started with her journal. I suggested to her that this was for her, no one else.  She should just write as if God is the only one interested in reading it. Don’t hold back anything. Let it out.

Mom did an amazing job in her journal. It was in transposing this journal for my children to read, as well as myself, that I saw a different person than the one I knew and loved. I used to pass onto her the devotionals that we were finished with, and she read every one of them.

Mom struggled with a number of insecurities in her life. She was an alcoholic. At the time of this journal, she was still drinking, but I believe she wrote before she had a beer in her hand. She mentioned numerous times that Bible reading was on the top of her daily to-do list. Each time she shared this, she mentions how faithful God was in seeing to her needs.  Mom was raised in a church-going family; but when she married, she stopped going to church. In the time of this journal, she returned to the truth of the Word. This journal revealed her positive nature in accepting wherever she was in life.

In her original Bible from the 1930’s, the print was extremely tiny, and one that I could not read without a magnifier. I had purchased a Living Bible as it was much easier a read. In her old Bible, I found quotes that were from her original copy. How important those words hold true to her later years.

I was so encouraged by her writings. She stayed with it (not every day), but I have 5 years’ worth of sporadic writing and she wrote about all her physical problems and her positive nature was to remain to God. In 1993, she began the journey of Alzheimer's Disease and never wrote again. But in all that, God knew her and now has her with Him forever.

This journal healed any old disappointments I had with my relationship with Mom as I finally understand her. With the blessing of finally delving into her writings, God showed me that I finally know my “Mom” and what a healing blessing that was for me this past Christmas. I am forever grateful for this. 

BY JORDAN MAYER

"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience."
(Hebrews 4:9-11)

A few weeks ago I came down with the flu. Though the symptoms themselves were no picnic, the most debilitating part was the lack of sleep. For about a week, I struggled to get even a few hours of rest each night. Sleep began to feel elusive, and night time became a source of stress and anxiety at the thought of another sleepless night. No matter what I tried or how badly I wanted to sleep, nothing seemed to work.

Isn’t it interesting how desperately we need sleep, and how quickly our bodies break down when we don’t get any? But as much as our physical bodies need rest, it is dwarfed by our soul's need for spiritual rest.

The Bible introduces us to the idea of Sabbath rest, beginning at the beginning when God rests from His work of creation. This sweet melody of rest plays throughout Scripture and finds its crescendo in the work of Christ on the cross. Just as God’s work was complete in creation, Jesus provides a perfect and complete sacrifice, and He ushers in a lasting rest.

Contrasted with Jesus’ work on the cross is the works of our own hands. Even our best deeds are like filthy rags before a perfect and holy God (Isaiah 64:6). Try as we might, we all fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23).

But, there is hope. Hebrews reminds us that this blessed Sabbath rest still remains. God is extending an open invitation to partake of the rest that He secured on our behalf. It begins by recognizing and acknowledging that our works will never be enough. Like the frustration and anxiety of another sleepless night, our tireless works can never commend us to God. But the good news of the Gospel triumphantly declares that they don’t have to! When we accept Christ, we are able to lay our works aside to experience the peaceful rest of the Savior.

The first night I finally slept through the night, I felt immense relief and joy. In a small measure, it reminds me of what it feels like when we surrender our lives to Christ. The endless toil and the constant working to be "good enough" finally ceases. In the midst of the breaking waves and swirling winds of our restless soul, Jesus lifts up His hands and says, "Peace. Be still."

For us who know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we can rejoice in and look forward to this eternal rest. But the rest that Jesus offers is not only a future promise but a present day reality. We can experience Sabbath rest here and now.

But to experience and appropriate His rest, we are called to strive. The Christian life is one of action; faith is active, not passive. We must hold fast to the hope set before us (Hebrew 6:18) and with confidence draw near to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). We must lay aside every weight and run the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1). So too, we must strive to enter the rest that God provides. 

This striving is not a return to our own works, but rather a resting in the completed work of Christ. It is the active application of the Gospel in our lives. It comes in the daily decisions we must make to decide where we will find our rest. Sabbath is not about what we can do, but resting in what's been done.

So where are you finding rest today? Is it in Jesus, or something else?

Are you seeking your rest in career fulfillment? In the absence of family drama? Do you look for it in a pain free life, or try to find it in leisure or alone time? Is your rest found in your circumstances or is it present in spite of them?

Wherever or whatever you find yourself seeking rest in, Jesus is calling after you today. Come to the Savior, lay all else aside, and find rest for your soul.

"'Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'” (Matthew 11:28-30)

BY MARY SPENCE

"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
(Philippians 4:9 NIV)

You know how all the pieces of a puzzle have various shapes?

Some pieces are edge pieces... some have arms or "knobs" and some are indented or have "holes". It strikes me how like the pieces of a puzzle we are in our community.

I was sitting with a friend recently talking about how God arranges people in our lives for a certain time or place. How God will use the most unexpected people in our lives to help us move forward to the next level. How just the right person comes alongside you and offers support, advice or help. Not unlike a jigsaw puzzle. All our pieces are perfectly designed to fit together. In areas where we have a lacking or a deficit God places just the right "piece" alongside us. Where their "knob" fits exactly as it should in our life. And in those places where we have a gifting He will bring along just the right situation for our gifts to be used. I find such comfort in the knowledge that in His perfect plan each of us has a piece of it; that we will be used in our unique shape and gifting to be a part of the larger plan. As we each intersect with one another we begin to complete the puzzle if we are faithful and obedient and respond to His call.

Each of us has our own role to play, our own place in the divine tapestry...Just as in a puzzle where you can't see the complete picture until each piece is in place. As all those differently shaped pieces fill openings we can begin to see the larger picture unfold.

However, if even one piece is missing the image is not complete. We begin searching high and low for the missing piece. It's just not complete without that one lost piece. For without that one specific individual piece to complete the picture it is incomplete. Just as how Jesus searches for the lost one; He looks high and low, until He finds that one soul who was lost.

So if you are feeling lost or disconnected today, I encourage you to reach out. Get back to church, call a friend or accountability person. Or find a place to serve, to bless someone else, because your piece is important in someone else's puzzle. 

Father,
We thank you for our various giftings and that you have a specific individual plan for each and every one of us. That we are each a vital part of you wondrous plan for this world. We are grateful for your everlasting love for us and that you have a personal interest in each of our lives. Guide us each day Heavenly Father to submit to your wonderful plan and move when prompted or to hold our tongue until your timing is right. Give us the wisdom to know when it is your will and not our will. We pray for discernment and patience to wait on you and your timing. In your precious son's holy name. Amen.

BY JORDAN MAYER

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”​
(Psalm 127:1-2)

With a new year comes an endless array of new year’s resolutions. Renewed motivation leads many to try something new, make a change, or chart a new path. There is something exhilarating about looking ahead to 365 new days, fresh with potential and ripe with possibility. Though the specific goals may vary, they usually fall into some common themes.

Health and fitness usually take top billing. Most people want to “eat healthier”, “get in better shape”, “slim down”, “lose weight”, or any number of variations therein. There are career goals like getting a promotion or finally moving into a new role. Some set financial goals to save more money or finally pay off a debt. Others commit to stopping a bad habit or starting a good one.

Resolutions, like goals, can be a great tool for giving us direction and something to work towards. But are our resolutions merely about us? Are they only about what we want to do, be, or accomplish?

Resolutions present an opportunity. They can either be just for our personal accomplishment, or they can be to the praise of His glory. They can make much of ourselves, or they can make much of God.

So we come to Psalm 127. Tucked within these opening verses is a truth about not just what we pursue, but how we pursue it. There is a vanity in which we can strive after the things we are trying to accomplish. They may even be extremely worthwhile pursuits like building a house or keeping a city safe! Noble they may be, the issue lies in the manner in which they are done. If our God is a God of peace, then “the bread of anxious toil” does not sound like the kind of bread He would provide. Instead this is the fruit of our own labor. It comes from a heart that’s trying to do it all and control it all. The anxiety comes in realizing that no matter how much we do, it is never enough. It is what makes the Preacher cry in desperation, “…Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3)

Whatever we may pursue, if the Lord is not in it, the pursuit is in vain. If we merely exercise to look or feel a certain way, we exercise in vain. If we strive to climb the corporate ladder for personal accomplishment, we work in vain. If we take on a new hobby for our own gratification, we enjoy in vain. The same is also true for seemingly “spiritual” pursuits. If our study of God’s Word is for our own theological prowess, we study in vain. If we pray to fill some imaginary quota, we pray in vain. If we sing worship for an emotional experience, we sing in vain.

1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us that all of life - whatever we do, think, or say - can be done for God’s glory. So as we set and pursue the resolutions that are before us, let us do so from a heart of faith. Let us seek God in the things that we pursue. And as we seek Him, we receive His beloved sleep. We enter into the rest that God has prepared for His people (Hebrews 4:9-10). Rather than the bread of anxious toil, we partake in the bread of life (John 6:35)