Volume 2024: Edition 29
Food for thought: "Remember the Sabbath"
Hello everyone. We would like to thank you for your love and support during this difficult time in our Church and in our family. It has been very hard, but it is also a time of growth in our church and the strengthening of our faith. We strive to bring encouragement and connection through this newsletter that we will be continuing to post every 1st of the month, so we hope you will continue to learn and grow in God's word with us.
This past week I was blessed by my family with a vacation trip to Hawaii. We did the grueling all-day travel there, played on the beach, explored the Island, watched my brothers race, ate some delicious food, then took the same day long travel home. Upon getting home we were absolutely exhausted. This was no ordinary exhaustion. This was an exhaustion I haven't felt since my early college years when I would work all night then randomly pass out from exhaustion during class or lunch. I've never been able to sleep on a plane, but I fell asleep in the terminal, on the plane, then in my own bed for an entire DAY. The following days were followed by more random day naps and long periods of sleep.
I am, like many others, someone who has trouble with falling and staying asleep, and a person who wants to be productive during the day and even into the long hours of the night. This state of rest that happened during our vacation and after with the symptoms of Jet lag made me feel really guilty. I felt that I now needed to play catch-up after having been on vacation for so long, and that my continuing symptoms of exhaustion were unearned and something to be ignored since I had just spent an entire week relaxing.
Like me, many of us treat rest as something to be earned and something that is not beneficial to our culture and world. There may be plenty of media on the importance of rest, finding a balance between work and home life, and fighting off stress and burnout. However, the reality of our world is that there are more people on this planet experiencing restlessness, stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, than those who feel peaceful, joyful, fulfillment, and rested because our world puts more emphasis on working than having time to rest.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."
(Exodus 20:8-11)
As strange as it may seem with how busy bodied our world is, rest is very important in a Christian life just as much as work is. Not only is physical rest an essential part of keeping our bodies healthy and properly functioning, but mental and spiritual rest is important in giving us time to be in God's presence and allowing Him to cleanse and restore us.
God models the importance of rest in Genesis. After He created the world and all the functionalities and minute details that every living thing exists within, He took the seventh day to rest.
"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."
(Genesis 2:2-3)
God even made it a law for there to be a day of Sabbath observed and kept holy on a weekly basis, as seen in Exodus 20:8-11 above. And rest is mentioned over 800 times in the bible. It is not something that can only be observed on the Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, but something we can practice for short periods daily, such as with breaks or the early morning or late evening hours before and after work. It is not an excuse to be lazy, it is a necessary and active practice before and after our daily labors and efforts to make and take time to give ourselves over in prayer and leave our burdens, pain, sorrows, and frustrations to God who can give us physical, mental, and spiritual rest and peace from the troubles of the world. It is a practice of trust in knowing that when you take time to truly rest and lay down your burdens at Christs feet that He can and will handle them; that He can and will make all things work for our good (Romans 8:28) regardless of our own personal efforts because He is a Lord of power, of grace, of promise, of hope, of joy, of peace and of love. We do not need to work for His love or offer our greatest labors as sacrifice to Him, He only asks that we submit ourselves to Him. That we choose to rest within Him.
"The Cycle of Grace operates as a direct opposite to the Cycle of Works. In the Cycle of Works, which is the way most of us operate, and most societies encourage us to operate, achievement comes first, which earns us significance, sustenance, and a sense of acceptance or belonging. In other words, the things we do are the things that give us value. In the Cycle of Grace, however, belonging comes first, and from that springs our sustenance, significance and achievements. The cycle is reversed; our value is guaranteed first, before we have done anything at all."
(Christianity 2019)
"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 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."
(Psalm 23:1-6)
"Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."
(Psalm 37:3-7)
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)
I pray that this week and every day that God gives to you that you remember the sabbath. That you remember that not just on the Sabbath, but on every day of the week that you have God to lean on. That if you feel tired, broken, and or frustrated from the troubles of the world that there is a Heavenly Father who can wrap you up in the safety of His arms and give you peace. That through Him, who bore the weight of our sin and paid the price for us, we can trade our sorrows for joy because He overcame the world. And because in this restless world Christ is the only one in whom you can truly find rest.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30)
As this newsletter continues to grow and expand, please don’t be afraid to let us know if you are in need of prayer or support. And feel free to share your stories, your testimony, or just a quick question in the comments section below any of our links. We truly want to hear from you and do what we can to help because we are meant to be here to love, encourage, and support one another.
We are grateful to have you with us as readers, church members, and interested guests and we are always open to any suggestions and volunteers for our website, newsletter, and future activities. We hope to see you at our Sunday service and stay tuned for our coming newsletters and updates at church, at bible study, on Facebook, on our YouTube Channel, on the Wix App, and the website.
Resources:
“The Importance of Rest - Christianity.” Christianity, 2019, www.christianity.org.uk/article/the-importance-of-rest. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
Upcoming Events:
Special Prayers:
Pray for the Salazar family and the congregation during this difficult transition.
Pray for everyone during this current and coming flu season that the Lord eases our fears and anxieties and that He provides us with healing, rest, and strength.
Pray for Monica and her family for guidance
Pray for the Little Free Library that is under construction that the Lord blesses it and blesses those building it and that the Lord uses it for His good and glory.
Pray for the Bibles we are still trying to send to Kenyan Children and Youth that the lord provides a way for them to be sent.
Pray for our Newsletter that we can continue to write through the Holy Spirit
Pray for our Pastor and our church that we may be blessed to continue to grow and share the word of God.
Weekly Devotional: He Will Carry You
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
(Isaiah 41:10)
The story is told of a pastor who was moving his study to his new home-and therefore had to relocate his library of hundreds of books. But he was not without help. He had brought his four-year-old son along with him to carry some materials up the stairs. Not wanting to overtax the boy's small frame, this father had given his son a sheaf of papers and a couple of magazines to bring up. But as the pastor was coming back down the stairs, having just deposited a tall stack in the study, he heard his boy crying halfway up the stairs.
He rushed over to his little boy and found him struggling with a huge, oversized concordance. The father said to the son, "I never gave you this to struggle with. I never meant for you to carry such a heavy thing by yourself!" He then picked up his boy, picked up his boy's problem, and carried them both up the stairs.
How often we struggle with so much that God never gave us to carry on our own! We decide that we'd rather worry about this or fret about that, when God is not asking us to bear any of our burdens alone. Our Father desires that we cast all our anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7). Whether it is directly through the work of His Spirit or whether it is through the burden-sharing love of His people (Galatians 6:2), He wants to take you and your problems and carry both.
Picture that pastor picking up his son and his son's burden. Isaiah presents us with just such a picture of our God: one who is not only willing but also fully able to help us in our time of need. We have no cause for worry, fear, or dismay. He has committed Himself to strengthen and uphold us. He promises,
"Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear, I will carry and will save"
(Isaiah 46:4)
What burdens are you carrying today? You have a God who is always near and infinitely strong. He will help you. He will carry you. All you have to do is ask Him.
Isaiah 41:5-16
Begg, Alistair. Truth for Life - Volume 2. The Good Book Company, 1 Oct. 2022.
Verse of the Week:
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:6-7)
Announcements:
We would love to send out the newsletter personally to every member as well as pray for and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries together as a church family. We are asking for all of our members to send their birth date, anniversary date, and email to 303-916-3950 or to the church email. You could also write it down on our paper before or after services.
We are in the last stretch of building the little free library to put in the churchyard to encourage community and engagement. If anyone would like to donate children's books, young adult books, or any adult novels we would love the assistance in filling up the little library. If anyone would like to participate in painting and decoration of the little library, please contact Taylor Lambrecht.
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions regarding our newsletter please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com or call (720)466-0951
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