Laying Down Idols, to Rest and Trust

Friends, I believe many of us are tired, worn, and are in desperate need of rest but we don’t know how to rest.

Listen to what the Message translation of Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy and ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

Girls, do you see it? We spend time with Jesus. We come to Him. We savor our time with Him. We look for ways to have more time with Him. We enjoy just being with Him. We give ourselves this permission. We abide in Him. And it’s from this place of abiding that we will bear much fruit.

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches, abide in me and I in you and you will bear much fruit.”

Girls, just be with Him today. Ask Him to teach you how to as Psalm 46:10 says, to be still and know that he is God and to learn his unforced rhythms of grace. I truly believe as we learn this, we will experience the John 10:10 abundant life that Jesus died to give us.

Here’s one caveat in order to do this, you have to trust Him with your time and schedule and that He is pleased with you because you are His daughter and because of Jesus’s perfect atoning sacrifice not what you do for Him.

Oh girls, this is so hard for me and it does not come natural, but the more I give Him my schedule He gives me time with Him and loving those around me. I don’t do this perfectly by any means, but He is continuing to show me and teach me that as Tara Lee Cobble of the Bible Recap podcast by D-Group says, “He’s where the joy is.”

Daughter of the King, will you choose to come to Him today and ask Him if there’s anything in your schedule or any of your striving or doing that’s trying to earn His love and acceptance.

Friends, the tricky thing is that this can even be good things that He may ask you to lay down that makes no sense to you, such as serving, ministry, or spending time with friends or doing hobbies.

If you are too busy to spend time with God and just sit at His feet as Mary did you are too busy. In His kindness, the Lord may be asking you to lay something or multiple things down so that you can spend time with Him, your first love.

God asked me to lay the one thing down that I thought made Him proud of me as His daughter. In laying it down, I found more joy and life in relationship with Him than I could ever fathom.

Daughter, I believe He is inviting you today to rest in Him. Ask Him right now to teach you His unforced rhythms of grace. I truly believe He will and you will find that He’s where the joy is!