Maneuvers - No. 78
Your Rhythms
of Life
Faithful one, what pace do you live by?
This world will eagerly tell us what pace we should live by. If we want this (a happy life, a successful career, a healthy body, a joyful family), then we have to do this.
And does the world’s pace always bring about the thing we’ve been chasing? In our (Jennifer and Justin’s) experience, when we allow the world to dictate our pace, it often leads to unmet expectations.
But when we allow Jesus to set our life pace, there’s joy, freedom, lasting peace, and hard work that leads to good fruit!
So how do we know if we’re beginning to allow the world to dictate our pace? Here are a few signs…
• We feel anxious, worried, or stressed about things we can’t control.
• We find ourselves fixating on things we want—but perhaps aren’t what God wants.
• We might confuse rest with giving in to things that aren’t good for us.
• We may constantly feel guilty because we haven’t accomplished enough.
Do you notice any of these signs (or others) in your life, friend?
If so, this week’s FLAG Message will be a breath of fresh air—an invitation to let go of the world’s rhythms of life and receive Jesus’ instead.
Because his rhythms are good… so good. Let’s listen:
01.
The Message
“Do not be anxious. You are okay, Treasured One. Are you out there on your own? Come here. Let me ask you: To what rhythm of life do you ascribe? To what ideals? To what messages? What life pace is bringing you stress? What are you chasing—for peace?
“You have been given a life of richness, of goodness. It is here, before you, all around you. But do you see it? Do you notice what is available to you for sustenance? Do you know what your heart needs to feel whole?
“Will you come closer now and ask me your questions? And then, when you ask, will you trust me to answer? You are my treasure, so worth the price I paid to be with you. So worth loving. So precious and wanted by me. Let me tell you again and again how much I love you. Let me lean in and show you—in the way you are meant to receive it—how my love for you is the drink you need more than any other drink, the food you need more than any other food.
“I am the ideas you want most, the wisdom that brings contentment to your soul. I am the treasure you seek most—what lasts and makes what is unsteady feel stable. I make your footing sure. I give your heart rest. I energize your hope, granting you a relationship with me that nurtures you and brings healing to all the hurt places.
“Relax into me now. Let yourself be treasured. And let me show you how I am your greatest treasure. Remember who you are. Remember what is true. Reject worry and fear. Live in the land I’ve given you, one of deep contentment. Let me show you where goodness is, no matter what you face. Stay here with me.”
02.
Listen
Ponder these words again: “You can recognize my presence What line or lines from this week’s message are speaking to you the most right now? Name them, and then let’s write out a prayerful response to the Lord.
03.
Think
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV).
1. What is causing you to worry, stress, or be anxious?
2. Where does your heart need rest? Where does your hope need to be re-energized?
3. Think for a moment about your life’s pace. Are there any areas where God is calling you to align with his rhythms? What would that look like?
04.
Trust
God’s rhythms of life are so different from the world’s. To see this, let’s look at a few Scriptures:
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:9-10, ESV).
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their [the Israelites’] example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:9-11, ESV).
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV).
Did you notice the ebb and flow of God’s life rhythms in these passages? Work and rest. Work in him and rest in him; both are included.
Let’s re-read that last passage again, but this time, aloud and in the first person so that we’re talking specifically about ourselves:
“For it is by grace I have been saved, through faith—and this is not from myself, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that I can’t boast. For I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for me to do.”
What comes to mind as you said those words, friend? Did they describe your current pace of life? What truths did they reinforce in your heart?
The beautiful truth of the gospel is that we don’t—and can’t—earn our salvation or our Father’s love, no matter how hard we try. But because we are loved, saved, redeemed, adopted, and chosen, we can work hard with his energy (and his rest) flowing through us.
Let’s pause here, set a timer for five minutes, close our eyes, and ask Holy Spirit… “Where am I striving out of self-righteousness? Where am I slaving away for things that have no eternal value? What do you want to show me about who I am in you?”
If Holy Spirit revealed anything to our hearts, let’s write it down in our journals and respond in prayer.
05.
Pray
Jesus, thank you for what you did for me on the cross. Thank you for giving me peace with my heavenly Father, adopting me into your family, washing away my sins, and making me holy!
I confess where I have lost sight of those things and have allowed my life to follow the world’s pace instead of yours.
Realign me with your rhythms, Jesus. Show me how to move with you, ask you questions, and wait on your answers. Teach me the simple pace of trusting and obeying you.
You are all I need. I love you.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
