Melissa Spoelstra is a popular women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher and writer who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. She is the author several Bible studies and two books. Her most recent release is TotalChristmas Makeover: 31 Devotions to Celebrate with Purpose. Learn more at melissaspoelstra.com.
I was talking about rest with a Jewish believer in Christ who mentioned that he observed a Friday evening to Saturday evening Sabbath rest each week. He told me that rest should draw us nearer to God, so he set this time aside for that purpose.
My life would radically change if I set aside 24 hours each week to rest and connect with Jesus. I reflected on some of the ways I tend to unwind after the hustle and bustle of the holidays or even just at the end of a long week. Rather than engaging in restful activities to draw me close to the Lord, I often turn to modes of escape. It can be easy to give ourselves permission to indulge our flesh after the intensity of holiday preparation and celebration. After all, we baked all those cookies, wrapped all those presents, attended all those gatherings, and put up all those decorations. Don’t we deserve a break? God desires that we get some needed rest, but too many times I’m drawn to things that don’t leave me feeling restored and closer to the Lord. At the end of a Law and Order marathon and several bowls of ice cream, I don’t typically experience a healthier mind and body.
So in the aftermath of the holidays, we must ask ourselves this question: What restful activities will bring us closer to God and be restorative to our souls? The answer to this question for me includes things such as:
Sleep. When I am deprived of bodily rest, I get cranky and short-tempered. I open myself up to temptation when I am tired. Sleeping makes me feel closer to God and more pleasant in general.
Walking. Taking a walk in a park or nature preserve brings me closer to the Lord as I breathe in the fresh air and observe God’s creation. It can be tough to do this depending on the weather, but even ten minutes outside can do wonders for the spirit.
Reading. Whether it’s Scripture, a good novel, or a marriage, parenting, or self-help book, reading is relaxing for me.
Writing. Not everyone enjoys pouring his or her heart out on paper, but journaling is a way that I can reflect on my feelings and concerns and helps me process what God is teaching me.
Your list might be totally different. Organizing a closet, gathering with people, or playing a game might help you rest. Taking time for reflective activities will be a key for us to learn to rest in a way that connects us with God rather than providing a temporary escape. We can use
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
as a good test for our leisure activities. We can ask if this restful endeavor helps us to focus on things that are:
true
honorable
right
pure
lovely
admirable
excellent
worthy of praise
When we find things that fit these criteria, we usually walk away feeling restored and rested. Media and junk food might make us feel good initially, but they will not ultimately leave us with the connection with God that we desire. While we may not be able to devote a full 24 hours to resting every week, we can carve out restorative time on a regular basis.
Lord, help me to learn to rest rather than escape after stressful activities. I want to surrender even my leisure time to You. Guide me to engage in restful activities that help me grow closer to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
A few weeks ago I found myself with some extra time. I had a few hours before I was scheduled to speak at an event in another city. Because I was in a hotel room, there was no laundry to do, errands to run, or chores to complete. I remember thinking how it would be great to spend some time in prayer. While I had dialogued with the Lord here and there, it had been a while since I had taken a chunk of time to spend dedicated to prayer. I piddled around the room, straightening things from my suitcase, and finally settled in on my knees. I felt distracted and wondered if I should answer emails since I had the benefit of Wi-Fi. After all, I could pray on the plane, but I couldn’t work on my laptop. My internal conversation revealed a battle against the discipline of prayer.
Thankfully I talked to myself instead of listening to myself. Even though my flesh didn’t want to pray, I knew my spirit desperately needed some focused time in God’s presence. I began praising God. I confessed sin and thanked Him for so many blessings in my life. Then I poured out my heart with personal requests as well as things for my family, friends, and the long list of concerns written in my journal. The closeness I felt with Jesus as I sat quietly and listened was priceless. There is an intimacy with Christ that only intentional prayer can bring.
So why do I fight spending time in prayer? Why don’t I want to do it? Why do other things seem to crowd out prayer so often? Every time I actually take the time to pray, I am blessed and so glad I did it. I can never remember regretting time spent with the Lord in prayer.
Is there any chance that you struggle alongside me? I’ve met many people who share my struggle to be disciplined in prayer. God tells us to pray. Jesus modeled it in His own life and even taught us in the Gospels how to do it. If I must battle how to spend the time when I’m alone with no distractions, the busy flow of the holidays only compounds the opposition to taking time to pray. Because of this, we must fight to make the time and attention to pray during the Christmas season.
Of course, we don’t have to be alone or on our knees to pray. We can talk to God while driving in the car, exercising, baking cookies, or really doing anything. However, there is a difference in the intensity of focus when we are multitasking and praying. I’d rather pray while doing other things than not pray at all, but I think we should persevere in finding some time to be still in prayer.
Jesus went out to a remote place to pray. Where is a quiet place where you could meet Jesus alone during the holiday season? In the movie War Room, the main character used a closet as a special place to meet with Jesus. Honestly, my living room rug is the location where I most frequently find myself on my knees or on my face with the Lord. As you reflect upon your prayer life, where do you pray most often? The place isn’t as important as the ritual itself, but having a special location to meet with Jesus can serve as a prayer reminder.
This holiday season, consider choosing a new location in your home for prayer. Is there a special chair, a closet, or a window seat that could be a place to celebrate the Savior’s birth in prayer? After you’ve selected a location, next you’ll need to set a time. We aren’t talking about carving out an hour each day. Maybe start with only five or ten minutes. By making the goal manageable, you’ll be more likely to keep the appointment. What if you set your alarm for ten minutes earlier and shared your morning coffee with Jesus? Perhaps you’re a night owl, and before you turn in at night, you’ll stop at your special location to praise, confess, thank, and ask!
Prayer is one of our most powerful ways to stay close to Jesus, and yet it is often neglected during the very holidays we set aside to remember His birth. As you think about one or two small changes you can make in your prayer life this season, consider these verses in Scripture regarding prayer: “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (
James 5:16
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
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Lord, I love talking and listening to You in prayer, but sometimes I struggle to be disciplined in it. Help me to make time with You a priority. Teach me to pray. As I celebrate Your birth this month, I long to know You more. Show me where I can meet with You in a special place. Give me the discernment to see which time of day would be best to be still in Your presence. Help me to be dedicated in meeting You there. Lord, I want to know You and be a prayer warrior for others as well! In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
My friend Elizabeth was the kind of person who went all out for people. At baby showers she didn’t buy off the registry. She made special blankets by hand for each new mom. You could often hear her laugh across the room after church services as she talked about her kids or her Lord. She filled a room with her smile and a contagious energy.
Last Christmas Elizabeth unexpectedly passed away. One day she was her exuberant self, and the next she was gone. Her entrance into heaven has caused me to think a lot about going all out. We serve a God who goes all out for us. I love how He announced the birth of the Messiah. Our Father definitely made a big show with a host of angels on a hillside declaring the good news that He was sending a Savior.
One of the cool things to me is that the Lord went all out for shepherds. They were poor, dirty, and often outcasts of society. These are the ones God went all out for! The lowly shepherds got to hear the news of the Messiah’s birth in an incredible way long before religious leaders or those the world values as important.
As I reflect on God’s extravagant love, I wonder how we can follow His example and go all out for others? Elizabeth did it with homemade blankets and encouraging words. This meant taking extra time and energy to make others feel special. In order to go all out for people in our lives, we’ll need God’s Spirit to guide us in the who, how, and when. We can’t go all out for everyone. In order to love my husband extravagantly, I might need to scale back time with my friends. To go all out for a person in need, I may have to sacrifice in other areas.
My mentor, Deb, has loved me extravagantly for almost twenty years. She is generous with her time and wisdom, and she loves to spoil my family. Going all out doesn’t necessarily mean spending more money. It’s not the American motto of bigger, better, faster, and more. Instead, going all out means sharing God’s love with others in a way that is meaningful to them.
I feel loved by Deb because she knows me. She knows my favorite drinks. She can tell when I’m tired or discouraged. Loving people extravagantly starts with knowing them. When we really are familiar with someone, we can go all out in ways that are meaningful in their situations. God knew what we needed when He sent His Son. We were lost in sin and desperate for redemption. Our sin separated us from an intimate relationship with our Creator. Jesus came to earth to remove the penalty of sin through His blood. God went all out so that our relationship with Him could be restored.
I want to go all out for others, but I often have a tendency to overlook them. My personality tends to be more task-oriented while my husband is more people-oriented. Christmas can be one of those times when we all skim the surface of trying to do so many things at once. Instead, we need to focus on God and seek His help to discern where to spend our time and resources to love extravagantly.
When I think about my friend Elizabeth, I realize that life is fleeting. We don’t know how much time we will have to go all out for people. I reflect back and hope that she knew how loved and appreciated she was. Tomorrow isn’t promised, so we need to go the extra mile in loving people today!
As you think of those whom God has placed in your sphere of influence, who might He be calling you to go all out for? Is there someone in your life who needs to know they are
known,
valued, and
extravagantly loved?
Once you have identified the who, then comes the how. What gift of time, creativity, words, or some material good might cause them to experience a touch from God through you?
Take a few moments now in God’s presence to seek His wisdom on how to “go all out” for one person this week!
Lord, thank You for your extravagant love. Thank You for sending Your Son to earth so that I can know You. Help me to go all out for others! Show me who I can encourage in a special way. Give me Your mind to know who needs a reminder of Your great love, and guide me in going all out in extravagant love. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
