Rest

Acts 10:36 

You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

If you participated in the novel-writing challenge called National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo, then:

Congratulations!

Writing 50,000 words takes a lot of work. You had to have some direction to move forward with an interesting plot. You had to have characters who could handle the conflict you threw at them. You had to have persistence to keep going when it was hard to balance your writing time with all of the other things normal humans do during the month of November.

Now you can take a break. (Don’t worry. It's only a short break. I know there’s all that editing to do.)

It’s important to let your body and your soul take a break from all the energy you used during your writing time. To others, it looks like you weren’t doing much. But we know better.

You can share your excitement with your friends and family who will be proud of you for typing out the beginning to your outstanding piece of literature. But when you rest, you need to pull yourself away from the work and the Christmas shopping and the decorating.

Just rest.

I don’t really mean sleep, but that is part of it.

Resting for a Christian novelist means to find some meaningful and comforting Bible verses to read and relax in while you tell God how thankful you are that he gave you gifts to use and praise him with. When you are writing, you are showing God that you appreciate his gifts. When you are resting, you are reaching for his comfort and refreshing.

Prayer in your Post-NaNo days is about wrapping yourself in the arms of God and letting him speak peace to your soul.

For example, if you read Acts chapter ten, you can see that “peace through Jesus Christ” is why Peter was in that place speaking to those people. It was unlawful for Peter, a Jew, to visit with or associate with a Gentile. He was in a Gentile’s house speaking with great freedom because of the peace God had given him.

You and I can listen to God’s words of peace when we need rest.

Here are five Bible verses to refresh your soul:

• Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
• Psalm 23:3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.  
• Psalm 85:8 I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly.
• Colossians 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
• John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

We Must Help The Weak

Acts 20:35

“…we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

“Home is where the heart is” takes on a different meaning when you don’t actually have a home to go home to.

Plenty of people are in need of help in Florida and Texas after hurricanes have destroyed billions of dollars of property. Depending on where they lived, some people have very little to go home to. Some have saved important belongings because of their ability to prepare for the storm quickly. If they didn’t live in a flood plain, they probably didn’t have flood insurance and will have to repair what they can when they can. 

I know several people whose homes were damaged. Unfortunately, I can’t help all of them. So I’ve been helping my mom. Her home was flooded last year by the same river whose banks overflowed again this year. We knew we had to help her prepare for the storm by putting furniture in a storage facility that would likely stay dry until she can move it all back into her home. We saved what we could, but now we’re helping to remove flood-damaged drywall and flooring that was less than a year old.

Today, help where you can. If you have neighbors struggling with their own hurricane recovery, offer to lend a hand. If you live far away from the disasters, consider praying and giving online. 

Many who live away from the weather-affected areas are checking on friends who live along the Texas Gulf Coast and in Florida. They’re asking two things:

• How can I help?
• What do you need?

Both of those questions are appreciated by those who are overwhelmed with the new To Do list that they weren’t anticipating. Many people in my neighborhood are helping where they can, either by donating supplies or volunteering their time.

During this time of need for so many people, find out what the need is in your local area. Pay attention to the requests for help from your friends and neighbors. Volunteer with an organization that is serving the community.

Use your gifts and help where you can. It is appreciated by those who are overwhelmed by their need. God sees your generous heart and your busy hands. Let him direct your activity.

And let me be the first to say, “Thanks!”

A Powerful Female Merchant

Acts 16:14

One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God.

This woman, Lydia, had a heart for God. She wasn’t homeless or poor, but rather a merchant. We know she sold cloth to rich people because poor people didn’t buy expensive purple cloth. Lydia had to be bold in order to be successful as a merchant. She heard Paul speak about God’s love, and she welcomed the men into her home.

I think “welcomed” is not what she did. She challenged them to stay at her house. She made the men decide whether she was a believer or not. If they considered her a believer in the Lord, they had to stay with her. If they didn’t, then she might consider them hypocrites. Her tenacity in the invitation was an affirmation of her faith. The men, by staying at her house, confirmed to her that God had not overlooked women.

During that period, it was a common thing for men to be important and women to be overlooked. But Lydia was a seller of purple cloth, and she wasn’t going to allow herself to be overlooked. The men accepted Lydia and showed other women that God’s love is big enough for everyone, even bold female merchants.

How do you and I show people God’s big love?

When a friend asked me to pray for her healing, I saw it as a challenge. I’d prayed for others, but this was a new opportunity for me. I’d never prayed for a pastor’s wife before. Not with her standing there waiting on me to start praying. Was my faith big enough for that?

I remembered that God was the one being challenged, not me. I wasn’t able to heal anyone, but God heals people all the time. My friend’s boldness caused me to confirm to her that God’s love is big enough and powerful enough even through my prayers.

And, yes, she received total healing that day. God is enough.

Perspective

Acts 17: 26-27

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

If you stand on the earth and look at the moon, the moon looks small and the earth looks enormous. But if you stand on the moon and look at the earth, the earth looks pretty small.

I like looking at problems from a different perspective. It helps me see the problem as it really is. Sometimes we forget that the problem might not be what it originally seems. When we're intimidated by an angry person, we forget that person's perspective. They've experienced pain in some form. Their pain is the problem, not their anger. We can help them by praying for their healing instead of letting them intimidate us.

You can pray about any problem you have. It might be a problem so big that it weighs you down with stress and worry. You might think you have to handle it all on your own. But many times, it’s too big for you to fix. You might even think it can’t be fixed.

What you really need is a change of perspective.

The problem isn’t big when you put it in God’s hands. If we look at it from God’s view, we’ll see that he can handle it. He’s not sweating.

However, if we see ourselves, our problems, and our God through a worldly (ungodly) perspective, God doesn’t seem big enough to handle what he says he’ll handle. It’s hard to relax and trust God when we see him as being far away.

According to Acts 17, God is not far from us. Sure, there are problems to face, but I challenge you to sit at the feet of God and notice that the world isn’t such a problem when it’s in God's hands.

Seeing God's Message

When we pray, we sometimes ask God to show us an answer. Often without realizing it, we have our expectations set on a certain range within which He should move. We draw a box in the sand and ask God to write the answer in it. In an effort to help us see Him, He lets a wave wash the box away.

I love reading about Peter in the Bible. He wasn't very different from us. He loved God and wanted to obey, but human limitations colored his expectations.

In Acts 10:9-23, we read about Peter's vision. God gave clues to what was about to happen with Cornelius. Peter didn't have all the information yet, but he was warned not to call impure what God has made clean.

When we have clues from God, whether in a vision or from scriptures, we have to do the work of applying God's message to what He sends our way. I say "do the work" because it isn't always easy to do. God asked Peter to do something that was unusual, but had to be done because of Peter's calling.

Do you have a unique calling that requires something unusual? Has God given you clues to help you with your calling - and you feel like you don't have all the information yet?

Be patient. Do the work of applying God's message to what He sends your way. When you see God's message, know that there's a responsibility associated with your calling. And you are able to do what He's asked.

To be successful, you must keep seeking God.