Video Bible Lesson - The Holy Work of Napping by SHALA W. GRAHAM

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

6/2/2020

The Holy Work of Napping

by SHALA W. GRAHAM

“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat — for he grants sleep to those he loves.” Psalm 127:2 (NIV)My heart was racing from exhaustion at the end of the workday. I collapsed into bed at 6 p.m., acutely aware of the many things that demanded my attention — urgent things with unmoving deadlines. I recognized the feeling as my body silently screamed at me. Physically, mentally and emotionally tapped out, the only remedy was a nap, stat!Sometimes, I find myself in a season where rest seems elusive. I remember lamenting to a colleague about how busy I was all the time. When he returned to his office, he sent me an email with a Scripture. He had noticed the Bible on my desk and felt compelled to encourage and challenge me to rethink how I work.“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat — for he grants sleep to those he loves” (Psalm 127:2).Ouch. He barely knew me, but he was right. I had allowed the busyness of life and the worries of this world keep me from resting.I needed to shift my faith. I needed to claim the promise in this Scripture. God will grant me sleep because He loves me. Rest is a precious gift from God, just like the Sabbath is a gift too often ignored. More importantly, I needed to dispel Satan’s lie that the world somehow rises and falls based on whether or not I do all the things. At its root, my heart was prideful and self-sufficient instead of trusting an all-powerful God who holds the whole world in His hands.That’s when I realized naps could be my way of balancing out the craziness of life. Naps are holy work. Naps require faith. Naps remind me of Jesus.In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus spent much of His time preaching to large crowds. At the end of Chapter 4, Jesus and His disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee in a storm.“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’” (Mark 4:37-40, ESV)While the disciples were frantically running around, Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. Jesus knew He needed to rest. So much that He could even sleep right through a storm! The swaying of the boat probably felt like resting in a rocking chair. I would even say Jesus knew there was a storm, but He made the decision to rest.Too often, I’m like everyone else in the boat. I visibly see the storm of my to-do list raging around me, and so I think napping is irresponsible or unloving to others in my life who need me. In those moments, I think Jesus would ask me the same thing: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”Naps are now my jam. Even when deadlines are staring me down, I choose to nap when my body tells me it’s time because I know I’ll be better for it. I’ve learned to be OK with “well done” instead of “perfection.” As I pull the blanket up, I simply ask, “Lord, please love me and grant me sleep!”Father, I confess to You the times when I try to take Your place as God. Help me remember that You have all things well under control and I can trust You in every season of life, especially in the storms. Help me embrace Your gift of rest because You love me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.TRUTH FOR TODAY:Genesis 2:2-3, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (ESV)Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (ESV)

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert 

Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.” Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. — Rom 4:18-19

We shall never forget a remark that George Mueller once made to a gentleman who had asked him the best way to have strong faith.

d“The only way,” replied the patriarch of faith, “to learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.” This is very true. The time to trust is when all else fails.

Dear one, you scarcely realize the value of your present opportunity; if you are passing through great afflictions you are in the very soul of the strongest faith, and if you will only let go, He will teach you in these hours the mightiest hold upon His throne which you can ever know.

“Be not afraid, only believe.” And if you are afraid, just look up and say, “What time I am afraid I will trust in thee,” and you will yet thank God for the school of sorrow which was to you the school of faith.
--A. B. Simpson

“Great faith must have great trials.”

“God’s greatest gifts come through travail. Whether we look into the spiritual or temporal sphere, can we discover anything, any great reform, any beneficent discovery, any soul-awakening revival, which did not come through the toils and tears, the vigils and blood-shedding of men and women whose sufferings were the pangs of its birth? If the temple of God is raised, David must bear sore afflictions; if the Gospel of the grace of God is to be disentangled from Jewish tradition, Paul’s life must be one long agony.”

“Take heart, O weary, burdened one, bowed down 
Beneath thy cross;
Remember that thy greatest gain may come 
Through greatest loss.
Thy life is nobler for a sacrifice, 
And more divine.
Acres of bloom are crushed to make a drop 
Of perfume fine.

“Because of storms that lash the ocean waves, 
The waters there
Keep purer than if the heavens o’erhead 
Were always fair.
The brightest banner of the skies floats not 
At noonday warm;
The rainbow traileth after thunder-clouds, 
And after storm.”

Feasting on the Word.....Dr. Charles Stanley

Feasting on the Word

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Peter 2:2-3

Did you ever watch an infant take a feeding? Hungry little ones clutch the bottle, smack their lips, and make soft contented noises. They thoroughly enjoy their nourishment. But there comes a time when milk isn’t enough to satiate baby’s appetite anymore. That’s when a whole world of culinary possibilities opens up.

Comparing new believers to babies, Peter said that they “long for the pure milk of the word” (v. 2). You wouldn’t feed a newborn steak and spinach, would you? Well, baby Christians must sip scriptural truths that they understand. Then, like a growing child, they shoot up as they feast on Bible passages, gradually taking in more and meatier principles and topics.

Believers are not left alone to make sense of Scripture any more than babies and young children are expected to get their own meals. The Holy Spirit, who indwells God’s followers, illuminates the Word. That is, He makes the meaning clear to those who seek to understand. Moreover, according to Ephesians 4:11-16, God has given gifted Christians to the church to act as pastors and teachers. They are charged with equipping the saints for service (v. 12). These leaders instruct, clarify, and motivate people to grow in their personal faith and to fulfill the church’s purpose of reaching the lost.

God’s Word is a feast for our heart, mind, and spirit. This is one banquet table where there is no such thing as taking too much. In fact, the advice many parents give their children at the dinner table applies to the Christian life as well: “Eat up! Scriptural food makes you grow strong."

Dumpster Diving: Salvaging Relationships We’d Rather Throw Away

Dumpster Diving: Salvaging Relationships We’d Rather Throw Away
MIRANDA JO DAVIS

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17 (NIV)

Every Tuesday morning, my two preschool-aged boys and I waited with excited anticipation as the garbage truck circled our block and made its way to our home. The garbage men were modern-day heroes to my little guys, smiling and greeting us like old friends. Each week, it was the same routine as we watched our family’s waste get picked up and thrown into the massive, smelly dump truck.

One day, as my boys jumped up and down cheering on the task of hauling the garbage can to the street, an image came to mind. Much like an amused observer at a play, my reflection gave way to these thoughts: How many times have I wanted to throw away messy, difficult relationships? Or set individuals on the curb like yesterday’s trash, in hopes they would magically disappear?

Just as quickly as the questions bubbled forth, so did the answer: countless times.

In a world touting the elimination of toxic people, how do we respond when God clearly calls us to “dive into the dumpster” and salvage our broken relationships? Simply put, we respond as Jesus would.

On the days Jesus walked the earth, He leaned in, got close to, showed compassion for, pursued and redeemed countless pieces of societal trash.

He touched the person with leprosy, healed the demon-possessed, gave sight to the blind and had a brood of friends who were the most unlikely of characters. Jesus saved them rather than discarded them, becoming a part of their life, not apart from it. Jesus loves us in our most unlovable state, never telling us to get our act together to receive His faithful presence. Jesus is in the business of upcycling souls, and His arms are open, welcoming everyone!

In our key verse, the Spirit of Christ invites us to “Come,” not to leave or walk away.

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).

Like Jesus, we too can say, “Come” to the untidy, complex and inconvenient people in our lives.* (Of course it’s worth noting that I’m not talking about truly toxic or abusive people.) With a spirit of humility, we can love others despite what we think or feel about their seemingly imperfect, flawed character. Like Jesus, we too can be the refreshing drink of water to our spiritually parched loved ones, freely giving to them what so freely has been given to us.

It’s a leap of faith to “dive into the dumpster” and wade through the stench in hopes of salvaging our relational rubbish. When we open our hearts and give it a go, we gain spiritual treasure more precious than gold: the freedom to love all our relationships “as-is,” just like Jesus did!

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Jesus, as He is the perfect illustration of unconditional love. I pray You would equip me to be a model of His love in all my relationships, especially the challenging ones. I want to be a light and testament of His unfailing grace by standing alongside those You call me to be faithful to. Please reveal to me any relationships You want me to salvage and repair through the power, love and strength of Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” (NIV)

John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (ESV)

What is a Miracle, Really?

What is a Miracle, Really?
 by Angela Hunt

What are miracles, and why do they matter?

I recently decided to put together a book on miracles with friend and fellow author Bill Myers. When Bill and I put out the call for miracle stories, we received many stories about how God worked to answer prayers. To those who received these blessings, the events felt like miracles; and perhaps they were, because the contemporary definition of miracle is “a divine act by which God reveals himself to people.” By that definition, a beautiful sunrise could be a miracle if it causes the beholder to look up and marvel at the Creator.

The traditional definition of miracle, however, includes a qualification: a miracle is an act in which God transcends the normal order of things, that is, when He bends or breaks the Law of Nature.

A miracle is more than coincidence. A miracle is more than an odd, spooky occurrence. A miracle is more than God’s answering a prayer through the normal course of events.

Because we wanted these stories to speak to skeptics, we searched for stories that fit the more traditional definition of miracle. We wanted true stories told by those who experienced them. We wanted details about what God did, and most importantly, how He revealed himself to the viewer, and how the experience changed that person’s life.

Mary, a young girl in a small town, experienced a miracle when an angel appeared and told her she would soon bear a child—even though she was a virgin and had never been intimate with a man. That miracle not only affected Mary’s life, but the entire world.

The lame man begging by a pool experienced a miracle when Peter and John stopped and said they didn’t have money to give him, but by the power of Jesus Christ, they could give him the ability to walk. That man’s life changed in that instant, and so did the lives of all who witnessed the event.

Fast forward two thousand years. Cheri and Cody Clemmons’s lives were changed when they stopped to help accident victims on Highway Six in Texas. Unable to reach a man in a burning car, Cheri cried out for God’s help, and two strangers appeared to pull the man from the wreckage. Cheri’s and Cody’s lives were forever changed, and so was the survivor’s.

Dennis Hensley’s life changed the day the doctor told him his unborn daughter had died…and later, as his wife endured labor, the baby began to breathe.

Steve Taitt’s life changed the day he asked God for a sign…and the sign appeared in a newspaper classified ad.

Why are miracles important? Because they testify to the truth that God rules over His creation, and all things are under His control.  Because He is all-powerful and the author of thousands of miracles, we can confidently place our lives in His hands.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Have you been placing limitations on what you think God can do? Ask God to restore your trust in His power and ability to intervene in your circumstance.

Further Reading:

Luke 1:26-38
Acts 3:1-10

How to Not Be Anxious (Philippians 4:6-7)

How to Not Be Anxious (Philippians 4:6-7)By: Kia Stephens

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

I could feel it inside me. Tension in my upper back, shortness of breath, and knots in my stomach all alerted me to the presence of anxiety. It was 3:00 AM and I lay in bed, eyes wide open as I stared up at the ceiling.

My mind was flooded with an endless series of “what if’s” drifting from one area of my life to the next. I tried praying but it only seemed to anchor my thoughts further into panic. I let my mind aimlessly drift through social media images but that, too, proved to be ineffective. Then, in a ninth-hour-effort I turned to the well-known anecdotal verse for anxiety: Philippians 4:6-7.

It reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I read it once, but it didn’t seem to impact my present reality one bit, so I read it again and again. I reasoned repetition might somehow bring about my ability to follow this command from the apostle Paul.

Reciting these words did serve to fixate my mind on something other than my worry, but it simultaneously left me with questions for Paul. What about extremely unfair and difficult circumstances? What if your life is in danger? How are you not supposed to be anxious in every situation?

After all, Paul did not say, “Try not to be anxious… just do your best to not be overcome with anxiety.” No, he gave a straightforward and loophole-less command. Paul was not entertaining sob stories or reasons why there should be a caveat to what he wrote. He simply said, “Do not be anxious.” Maybe you too have been left with some unanswered questions pertaining to Paul’s command.

The word anxiety means to be pulled apart in many directions, leaving a person divided and distracted. Life’s circumstances have a way of doing this to all of us and anxiety seems like a natural response. Here in Philippians, however, Paul is saying we can make a conscious decision not to be this way. He is saying we can choose to do something when anxious thoughts occur.

Although he left us with no easy outs, he did tell us what we should replace our anxiety with. Instead of being anxious, in every situation we are to pray, petition and thankfully present our request to God. Although difficult to do, when we feel anxiety in our body, we are to rephrase our anxious thoughts as prayers and petitions with thanksgiving.

If my anxious thought is, “I am worried about the loss of income.” I could choose cast that anxious thought on God by praying, “God, thank You for being a provider and more than capable of meeting my every need. I believe that you are able to direct me to a new source of income for my family and I ask that in the meantime, you would provide for our needs.”

Rephrasing our words so that they are in line with Philippians 4:6-7 is an act of faith. Choosing to pray like this forces us to intentionally place our faith in God, whom we cannot see, rather than our circumstances, which are often overwhelmingly visible.

Although this is difficult to do, as believers we have not been given an option. This is how we have been commanded to deal with anxiety. We govern ourselves in this way knowing that even if God does not answer our prayers in the way we think He should, He still loves us immensely and is intimately concerned about the details of our lives.

What anxious thoughts are robbing you of the experience of God’s peace? Think of what is making you anxious and decide right now to stop and pray, casting that anxiety to the Lord. Give your worries over to Him today and allow his peace to guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

A Prayer for When You Are Angry

A Prayer for When You Are AngryBy: Maggie Meadows Cooper

"I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart..." - Ezekiel 11:19

Anger. It's an easy subject to discuss because we've all been there. I'm generally a pretty laid-back gal, so I don't get "angry" very often. I prefer to say that I'm "irritated" or "agitated”... something more Southern and ladylike. But my friends who know me well will call me on it. Sometimes I'm just flat out mad.

Jonah was a man who knew something about being angry. He ran from God in disobedience, but the Lord saved him out of the belly of a whale and gave him a second chance. He took that chance and went to tell the people of Nineveh that their sin was going to bring the wrath of God. They listened, repented, and God "changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened" (Jonah 3:10).

But instead of being thankful for the lives that were saved, Jonah was angry! He wanted judgment brought on others, in spite of the fact that he was just saved. "The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?” (Jonah 4:4)

Jonah wanted mercy and grace for himself, but was unwilling to give it to others. It has to go both ways. Here are three things to consider the next time we are angry:

1. We need to self-reflect.

2 Corinthians 13:5 says we need to examine ourselves. That's not a fun thing to hear. Or to do. But it is necessary. Paul said, "This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them all." (1 Timothy 1:15)

When we see our own depravity...when we take ownership of our own mistakes...when we can truly realize the depth of our own sin and humble ourselves...we can give mercy and show grace to others...the way Jesus does for us.

2. We need to consider the other person's circumstances.

People say things and do things without thinking sometimes because they are blinded by their current circumstances. Take time to see things from the other person's perspective and put their needs above your own. It's much easier said than done...I know from experience. But it is something to aspire to.

"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3

3. We need to decide what we are going to do with our anger.

Anger in itself is not a bad thing. There are times to get angry. Jesus did (Matthew 21). God does too. It's what we do with it that is concerning. We basically have two choices. We can let it take control of our hearts and lead us into captivity, or we can find freedom through forgiveness. That's pretty much it. This is a visual I use to think about:

Freedom

↑

Forgiveness

↑

Prayers for the Lord’s Strength/Peace

↑

Realization of Our Own Depravity

↑

Anger

↑

Irritation/Hurtful Event

↓

Anger

↓

Resentment

↓

Bitterness

↓

Unforgiveness

↓

Captivity

Many times, anger starts with a minor irritation that makes us mad. But sometimes it is a serious offense that leads to anger. Either way, the question is, which direction will you let your anger take you?

Satan would like nothing more than for you to be eaten up with resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness, until you find yourself in a place you can't escape from. A wise friend once told me that Satan drives us and the Lord guides us. Choose the one you want leading you, my sweet friends.

Dear Lord,

Take my stony, stubborn heart and turn it into a tender, responsive heart that seeks you and your will above all else. Forgive me for any bitterness I harbor in my heart and help me to find release and peace in you alone. I thank you for your grace, mercy, and the work you are doing in my life.

In Your Mighty Name,
Amen