No Rest for the Wicked

"There is no rest for the Wicked, and the Righteous don't need none."

I know it is kind of a regular conversation in the christian community, but it so often needs addressed in my life! The account of Mary and Martha…. and yes, we all feel like Martha and know we should be a Mary. We hear the story, get convicted, vow to change, do a solid week of devotions and then get caught up in the daily chaos of life…AGAIN. I know, I'm not writing anything new….

"Be still and know I AM GOD…." over and over again we here about REST. We hear about WAITING. We hear about BEING STILL. I am not one for sitting still!! Can we review the pieces of my childhood that I have outlined in previous posts??? Let's be honest, if you didn't speak up first, wake up the earliest or run the fastest in my family there wouldn't be anything left! You know the phrase, "the early bird gets the worm?" Ya, that is pretty accurate when you grow up with three brothers! Not to mention, its just not in my nature to sit around. My brother Hunter is opposite of me and I have learned so much from him. He is a more relaxed, laid-back kinda guy. So often when we were younger he would go with the flow while I sat on pins and needles! He would often say, "let's just see what happens…." Inside I would scream and say, "NOOOOO!!! WE NEED A PLAN!" (Ok, so sometimes it was verbal.) Needless to say, in my perspective, if you have a vision, or a goal then PURSUE IT! If there is a purpose then let us ACCOMPLISH IT! It is going to be messy, we don't have to know all the answers but LET'S DO IT! I'm one for ACTION. So, sitting….ya, that's not really my thing. Then again, the older I get in my faith the more I realize it is never suppose to be my thing. It is always GOD's thing. It is so much better when it is His.

But let's get real for a minute… cause the truth is, things need to get done. Deadlines need met, jobs need preformed, dreams need chasing, visions need action, and people need taught to, preached to, counseled and loved. There is a lot that needs done in this world! We can't just sit by and wait for something miraculous….We only have one life on this earth. So many days, so many hours, so many minutes…. We need an urgency. We need a call to action. Ok, I know, it seems like I just wrote the opposite of the first paragraph. The truth is we need both!! Believe it or not, both are found in Scripture. How do we reconcile the Martha/Mary Syndrome??

I think we need look at it from a Heavenly Perspective. Our God is complete. What do I mean by that? Well, just what I said….He lacks nothing. Every part of His character is completely perfect in every way. How do we reconcile Justice and Mercy? How do we reconcile Judgement and Love? The answer is HIM. He is perfectly just and perfectly merciful. He has perfect judgement and perfect love, all at the same time! He is also knows how to balance perfect rest and perfect action. And just as our judgment and love come from the overflow of Himself in us, so should our rest and our actions.

"God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you."  

- Augustine

It is through him that we have perfect rest. He tells us to come to Him because his burden is easy and his yoke is light. When our mind is stayed on him, he gives us perfect peace….peace that passes all understanding! We cannot accomplish true rest without him. After all, he ordained it! On the seventh day of creation, God Almighty rested.

"Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big." 

-Theodore Roosevelt

It is also through him that we can accomplish anything. How prideful is it to sit here and think that the kingdom of God is mastered through my own hands?! The truth is he calls us to action, through the power and working of the Holy Spirit. Some of my favorite verses are Romans 12:1-2 which says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…." What I love about these verses is it depicts a picture. Throughout Scripture we are given commands to obey. As a believer, we are called to action. However, as Romans and other passages tell us, God did not call us to holiness and then leave us to figure it out on our own! He literally says, "Hey Jacque, I am calling you to be holy just like me. But, I know you can't do it on your own so give me your life, let me indwell you, let me work in and through you." As Eric Ludy put it in his video The Gospel, "God, is really good at being God." Isn't that the truth! When you show love, it's HIS LOVE shown through you. When you share the gospel, it's HIS WORDS spoken through you. When you courageously stand for his name, it's HIS COURAGE swelling up within you. IT IS ALL HIM!

So what is the secret to actively resting in chaos? I AM.

"I am the vine; you are the branches….If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is for my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit showing yourselves to be my disciples….You did not choose me, but I choose you and appointed you to go bear fruit…." taken from John 15