I have an immune system like a fortress, which means I rarely get sick. When a stomach bug or virus tends to land on those around me, I don’t usually fall prey to it.

Except a cold. I usually catch one cold each winter season. Oftentimes this turns into a sinus infection and even bronchitis. And I throw a fit about it. Sometimes I even pout.

Because I want God to just take it away. To just zap my body and wah-lah, I’m healed. But that doesn’t happen. Instead, I have to do what only I can do. I have to do my part. Diffuse the right oils, rest, take plenty of Vitamin C and Elderberry, rest, treat the symptoms, rest, run the humidifier, you know, all the healthy , non-prescription things.

We must do our part and let God do His.

In 2 Kings, chapter 5, we read about Naaman, who is was the commander of King Aram’s army. He had leprosy, and nobody wants to have leprosy. He hears about a potential cure and makes his way to Samaria. Things get a little touchy with the King of Israel and that’s when Elisha steps in. Elisha summoned Naaman and then directed him to wash himself in the Jordan River seven times so that his skin would be restored. Here is Naaman’s surprising response:

But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:11)

Naaman wanted his leprosy gone with the wave of a hand. I wanted my cold gone. But it didn’t work that way for Naaman and it didn’t work that way for me. And chances are, it isn’t working that way for you either.

Are you struggling with an addiction that you long for God to just zap away?
Do you have a strained relationship that you wish God would just mend?
Is there uneasiness in your heart about your future?

Make no mistake about it, our God is the ultimate addiction-breaker, disease-healer, and heart mender. He can alleviate your struggle with one snap of His majestic hand. Yet, more often than not, He wants us to interact with Him, working it out with Him so that we can grow through our trials with Him. Our faith must not be a sideline faith. It must be an active faith.

We must do our part and let God do His.

Today’s Reading
2 Kings 5

Growing weary. Losing heart. Giving up.

Seems to be something that a majority of the world will do at some point in their lives, doesn’t it? It could be something small like ditching a new diet plan on the second day or something not so small like choosing to walk away from a marriage. Big or small, we give up on things more often and way too quickly than we should.

So, how do we stop giving up? Hebrews 12:3 is an outstanding verse and begs us to “consider him (Jesus) who endured such opposition from sinners, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Consider Jesus, and you won’t lose heart.

Consider that He left the majesty of Heaven right next to His Father, the Creator, for you.
Consider that He “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Phil. 2:7).
Consider that He “humbled Himself” and became “obedient to death” on a cross (Phil. 2:8).

For when we consider Jesus, that is what will keep us from growing weary and losing heart. Why? Because we have not experienced what He endured. In fact, the very next verse says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Heb. 12:4).

I have not struggled so much that my blood was shed (Heb. 12:4).
I have not struggled so much that I have been publicly humiliated and mocked (Matt. 27:28-31).
I have not struggled so much that God turned His face against me (Matt. 27:46)

We will confront adversity in our relationships. We will face obstacles that appear insurmountable. We will encounter affliction in our lives. But when we keep Jesus in mind, when we set our gaze directly on Him, when we remember what He endured and overcame, we will have a renewed heart and spirit that will prevent us from giving up. And if we don’t give up, that is when we will “reap a harvest” (Gal. 6:9).

Consider Jesus, and you won’t lose heart.

Today’s reading
Matthew 27, Philippians 2 + Hebrews 12

Praying for our children is instinctual as parents. We are constantly praying for their health, well being and happiness. All of those are great, but let’s go deeper

Make your day great!

This was a first for us.

Chris and I were called into full-time vocational ministry together. We had served heavily in a volunteer role the moment we started dating and this lasted a couple of years until Chris received his first offer for a pastoral role. Because of the nature of our work, learning to rest and vacation well has been paramount.

We are blessed that our leaders at Life.Church encourage regular time off. Our role is not harder than someone else who has a job in a workplace outside the church. Many roles are can be challenging despite the environment. I just know that for us, as pastors and leaders, we have had to learn to navigate the ins and outs of serving the people of our church and staff. 

To make the most of your time off, I’d like to share three things that we did and four things we learned:

What We Did

1. Solitude. Chris went away alone on day 1 of our sabbatical. This was a game changer for him. Sometimes on vacations it can take a few days to relax and disconnect. But, when you are on a motorcycle riding through the mountains in Colorado, it’s not hard at all. (I stayed home with our sons and met up with him on day 7 in Colorado and we spent the next 8 days there.) If getting away alone does not work for your marriage or family, at least encourage some alone time even if it’s just for 3-4 hours each day for a period of time. I also found ways to get alone myself during our time off even when I was still home with our sons.
2. Disconnect. Chris had no access to email or social media during this time. He removed it from his phone. He even downloaded a texting app for just our family to use so that he wouldn’t see other text messages arriving on his phone. I also chose to stay off social media during this time. And you know what? Neither of us cared one bit that we could not engage on it. We did not miss it AT ALL.
3. Travel. Take a family trip, a staycation and a vacation during an extended time off. Family trips are with the kids – go someplace where they would enjoy. A staycation is just being at home – find your rhythm and enjoy it. Make sure you have a vacation with just your spouse. Make this a 7-day trip at least. Chris and I did not do a vacation during this time because as I said, our kids are older. So, our staycation was like a vacation as well. (However, we do vacation together every year – HIGHLY VALUABLE!)

What We Learned

1. Leave things unplanned. We did not plan our entire 4 weeks away. Two of the weeks for Chris were spent away and two were at home. We felt like planning every bit of it would defeat the purpose of a sabbatical. But trust me, as a planner, I had plans and they were good! However, very few of them came to fruition. So, we encourage you not to plan every bit of yours either.
2. Welcome boredom. Be okay with being bored. Now, I know you may not think you will get bored on your time off. Maybe you won’t. But just welcome it if you can. The biggest decision we had on any given day was whether we were going to eat out at a restaurant or eat at home. Tough life, huh?
3. Take naps. When you get sleepy, sleep. We did this a lot – which many people saw on our oldest son’s Instagram account. Thank you, Noah.
4. Rest deeply. Be still and sit with your Heavenly Father. Listen for his voice. Share your concerns but also just talk to him as you would your spouse or a friend. Even if you don’t sense Him revealing anything new or fresh to you, just stay there. Embrace the quiet.

So, can I describe what we received from this sabbatical in one word or one phrase? I’d say we had a deep soul rest. It was life giving and life rejuvenating. It’s hard to explain but if you’ve read 5 Gears by Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram then you’ll understand this: we were in gear 1 for 98% of our sabbatical. 

Chris and I were not in an unhealthy place at the beginning of this four weeks. Were we tired? Uh-huh. Were we ready to disconnect? Absolutely. Were we ready to rest? For sure. Were we excited to spend time in Colorado with our sons? Strong yes. But the reason we were not in dire need of this time to “fix” us was because of two things:

We spend time in God’s Word every morning
and we have learned to rest well.

We have made it a priority to begin our days in God’s Word. It is our guidebook, our source of all truth. It is strength for the soul, wisdom for the mind and food for the body. In addition to that, we honor the Sabbath each week. And when we do that, we find that we do not get to a place of burnout. 

Wherever you are in your life, full-time vocational ministry or ministry in your own workplace, know that you must stay connected to the Vine through His Word and rest well if you want to be able to say…

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

David didn’t plan to impact someone’s life and change the trajectory of it the day he met John. He simply befriended a man, disheveled in appearance, without an earthly home, and decided to ask him to come to church with him. John said yes. Since that time, John’s life has radically changed.

From the first time he nervously walked into the building we call “church” he’s said yes to Jesus, found a home to reside in, gotten baptized, given his first offering, begun leading a weekly men’s Bible study, and now invites everyone he sees to church. David just talked to a guy and asked him to church. God’s majestic power did the rest. This is what Church should be like. I use a capital “C” on purpose. I’m referring to the ones who follow Jesus, the body of Christ.

Instead of asking what church should be like, ask what should you be like. Because if you’re a Jesus-follower, you are the Church.

Instead of asking what church should be like, ask what you should be like. Because if you are a Jesus-follower, you are the Church. When David saw John and simply became his friend, he was, in that very moment, one of the tools God used to grow His Church. You see, God was already miraculously massaging John’s heart by the power of His Spirit. So, when David entered the scene, John was ripe for the harvest.

We are told in Galatians 6:9 to stay strong, not allowing weariness to set in when our earthly, finite timeframes don’t get satisfied. We’re challenged to “not give up.” When we don’t let feelings of discouragement or frustration set in, we eventually get to be a part of God’s harvest in some way.

What if instead of expecting the pastors and missionaries to be the ones who share the light of Jesus with others, we decided to be pastors and missionaries to those in our part of the world? What if we all looked for our own John? The person who is far from God and needs a touch of hope from the Savior we proclaim to know and follow. How outstanding would it be if everyone just reached out to one person? And then we did it again, and again, and again.

That is what Church should be like.

God is the Master Harvester. He doesn’t need us, but He most certainly desires to use us, His Church. We make the effort to reach someone, and God multiplies it by His mighty hand. We plant a seed, and God nourishes it with His living water. He can’t not. It’s just who He is. It’s just what He does.

What should Church be like? Always growing. Always offering hope. Always making a difference in the world. Let’s stop thinking we go to church. Let’s be the Church. We get to live out what Church should be like.

1. Reflect. Think about and meditate on God’s awesome attributes. His faithfulness, sustaining power, presence, and strength helped you climb the mountain you now stand on. Thank God for the mountaintop, and thank Him for the climb that got you there. (Deuteronomy 7:9; 2 Corinthians 12:9)
2. Rest. Soak it up. Allow your spirit to breathe deeply. Don’t busy yourself to fill in the gaps because you aren’t used to the quiet. Sit in silence. Take long naps, long walks, and do things you enjoy. Have yourself a nice, long sabbath after such a long, hard spiritual expedition. (Exodus 20:8; Matthew 11:28)
3. Recharge. Maybe your sense of worry comes from a nagging feeling like you should be working harder than you are. Maybe you think you’re being lazy—but don’t mistake rest for being lazy. This recharging period is to strengthen our spiritual muscles that are sore from the treacherous hike we just finished and to ready ourselves for both the joys and challenges of the future. (Matthew 6:33)

Here’s an example. One day, I was reading the eleventh chapter of John, which chronicles the story of a man named Lazarus. Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick and near death. They fully expected Jesus would run to their brother and heal him because he was such a dear friend. However, his healing didn’t occur because Jesus didn’t come in time. Instead, Lazarus died. And the sisters were devastated.  

Lazarus’ healing was their plan, not Jesus’. In John 11:4, Jesus disclosed that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death but that it was for God’s glory—and that Jesus would be glorified through it. A miraculous healing for Lazarus would’ve been a great thing. But for Lazarus to be raised from the grave would be an even better thing.

That’s when it happened. I could hear God’s voice, in that moment. I knew God was speaking to me in a new way through a passage I’ve read and studied more than I can remember. I heard God’s voice as I felt Him compare Mary and Martha to me. Then, I felt Him gently ask me if I wanted my best plan or His best plan.

When we spend time in God’s Word, we get to know His voice. And when we recognize His voice, we’ll know what He’s leading us to do.

Turns out, the answer to that gentle question positions me to continue to hear from God. How? I will continue to hear God’s voice as I release my white-knuckled grip on my plans and have open palms to receive His best. God can speak to you through His Word. It’s just that simple. When we spend time in God’s Word, we get to know His voice. And when we recognize His voice, we’ll know what He’s leading us to do. You can start hearing God’s voice.

There’s not some tricky method. Maybe, while worshiping Him through a song, someone comes to your mind, and you’re signaled to pray for them. It could be you have a brilliant idea, but instead of taking the credit yourself, you share it with others to encourage them. Or maybe, like me, you hear God’s voice changing, challenging, correcting, strengthening, and encouraging you as you read His Word daily.

We dress up lying with some fancy, intelligent-sounding words that don’t sound too bad. We’ve all lied and most of us feel guilty when we do. However, we tend to put stipulations upon lying. We won’t lie on our taxes, to our spouse or at work. But what about the little, white lies that we tell? When we answer “fine” to keep people from getting too close. When we tell our kids to say we aren’t home when the doorbell rings. Friend, even though the world would deem these “little” and “unimportant,” they are still lies. The Bible is clear about this topic. God hates lying.

Thankfully, He does love us but does not like it when we sin. And in case you wondered…when we lie, we sin. If I asked you if you consider yourself to be truthful, most of you would say yes. It’s easy to look at our intentions that “mean well” instead of our actions. We didn’t mean to lie about something or someone so we’re not really that bad. But friend, a lie is a lie no matter how fat or skinny it is.

We typically lie in three ways. We lie to ourselves because sometimes facing our current reality is more than our hearts can bear. We lie to others because we don’t was the discomfort that accountability brings. And we lie to God. As if. 

Deflate Lies With Truth

All growth starts with honesty. So let’s be honest—all these “little fabrications” are lies. And when I lie, I sin. Here are three common lies and the truths we can use to deflate them.

Lie: We lie to ourselves because we’re afraid reality is more than we can bear.
Truth: Reality is more than we can bear, but He is made strong in our weakness.

Lie: We lie to others because we don’t want the discomfort accountability brings.
Truth: We confess to God for forgiveness, we confess to others for healing.

Lie: We lie to God—maybe because we’re afraid He’ll stop loving us.
Truth: God knows all and sees all, yet He still loves all.

So, let’s turn our good intentions into honest actions. Let’s deflate lies with honesty. Let’s be truth-seekers, truth-lovers, and truth-tellers in all we say and do.