Taking Time with Jesus

Standing in God’s grace (Rom. 5:2), being formed into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), created to do good things (Eph. 2:10)... - Sean Nemecek in The Weary Leader’s Guide to Burnout

In the middle of a list Nemecek paraphrases what the Scripture says about us being in Christ are the three statements above. I didn’t think much about the order he wrote them in (and wondered why some pairs of verses were divided by another verse…) until I was writing down the statements with the verses written out (for which I understand why he paraphrased them instead of writing them all out).

In order to get to know someone we must speak with them. In order to get to know them better we must spend more time with them. Which is why if we want to be more like Jesus we must spend more time in God’s word, reading what Jesus did, and with God in prayer, so that we might better understand the things He does.

Romans 5:2 says: “We have also obtained access through him [Jesus] by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” (CSB) Because we have chosen to believe in Jesus and His death and resurrection, we now stand in the grace - the unmerited favor - of God.

Romans 8:29 says: “For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many believers.” (CSB) Being omnipotent, God knew those who would accept His gift of salvation, and part of His plan is making us like Jesus - making us His children.

Another right we have through faith in Jesus is access to the throne room of God: Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings (Hebrews 10:19,22a NIV). And we are encouraged to draw near, to speak with God, spend time with Him, because He desires a relationship with us and the more time we spend with our Heavenly Father, the better we will understand His will for us.

For we were created by God for God: For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16).

The Greek word for “through” is di’ meaning “through, on account of, because of.” We were made because God desired and chose to make us. And the Greek word for “for” is eis means “to or into (indicating the point reached or entered, of place, time, purpose, result).” He made us in a place, at a specific time, for a purpose, with an end result in mind. God has a plan for you, He has a purpose for you. No one was an accident, no one was born for any other reason than God desired each one of us to be here, now, for this reason, that His plans may be accomplished and His name glorified.

Ephesians 2:10 says: “For we are his [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” (CSB) I love how Psalm 139:16 says how God planned for us and knew each of our days and everything that would happen before there was even one:

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.” (NKJV)

It’s scary stepping out of the norm, the expected, and the cozy corner we’ve nestled down into. Because we can’t see the big picture or the reason God leads us one way or another. But we can take comfort and courage in knowing that what He calls us to do is good.

Have you been taking time to spend with God? What good work or works has God been calling you to do lately? Will you faithfully answer yes when He calls?

While I write these things to encourage others, I need these truths and reminders so much myself. There are times when I struggle to settle to pray and spend time with God. I get caught up in the busyness of work and life in general. Sometimes I would rather play a video game. I have gotten comfortable where I am. I still feel envy creep in when I see others with their families while I am still single.

Yet when I take that time with God, I am comforted in His truth, satisfied by His love, and confident that what He has for me is the best. Even when I don’t understand or can’t see how any good can come from something. And I do this by keeping my eyes on Jesus. Because whenever I start looking at what others have, comparing myself to others, or worrying what others think of me I am blinded by the stress, anxiety, and fears and lose sight of my value and worth in Christ, and that God created me with a purpose.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. - Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

You Are Immeasurably Valuable to God

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” - Matthew 13:45-46 NKJV

In the Gospel of Matthew, the story of Jesus is told in themes (different sections highlighting aspects of Jesus’ ministry), and there is a section with the parables about what the kingdom of heaven is like.

The first is about a sower who sowed good seed, but while he slept an enemy sowed bad seed, and the sower told the harvesters to leave both until it came time to harvest them then to throw the tares (bad seed) into the fire but gather the wheat (good seed) into the barns, and thus it will be at the end of time (Matthew 13:24-30, paraphrasing mine).

Jesus explains this parable at the disciples request and tells them the sower is the Son of Man (a.k.a. Jesus), the good seed are believers, the enemy is the devil, bad seed are sons of the wicked, and the harvesters are angels. (Matthew 13:36-43, paraphrasing mine)

Matthew 13:24 says “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed” (NKJV). So what if in the following parables about “the kingdom of heaven is like …” is Jesus? I found reading the parables this way very interesting and much easier to understand.

In the parable about the merchant above, if the merchant is Jesus, what did Jesus come seeking? The parable says beautiful pearls, but Jesus came to redeem us (Galatians 3:13, Titus 2:14, Revelation 5:9), which means we are the beautiful pearls. And the next words tells us that “when he had found one pearl of great price, [he] went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Emphasis mine).

Jesus saw setting aside his glory to come, being humbly born, living as a man, and dying on the cross, giving up everything he had and was, worth the sacrifice if only one person ever believed in him. He would have died on the cross for you alone. That is how precious each and every one of us is in Jesus’s eyes.

This love is confirmed in the following verses:

•  Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NIV). 

• Psalm 103:4 “who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” (NIV). 

• John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (NKJV). 

• 1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (NKJV)

God’s love is also reflected in the following:

• In how He thinks of us: “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.” - Psalm 139:17-18 NKJV, and really the whole chapter in how it speaks of the care He takes in creating us (verses 13-15) and fashioning each of our days (verse 16).

• In His protection and strengthening of us: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10 NIV

• In how He is with us always: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV

• In His remembrance of us: “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.” - Luke 12:6 NKJV

What evidence do you see in your life of God’s love for you? What verses remind you of God’s love for you and your value in His eyes?

Finding Rest

Good leadership has rhythms of work and rest. Energy out and energy in. Healthy leaders understand that time management is actually energy management and that there are different types of energy that need to be managed. - Sean Nemecek The Weary Leader’s Guide to Burnout

I always thought having good time management meant not wasting any time. Which meant I had to eliminate every pause and break. But this only resulted in me wearing myself into the ground and begrudging myself for the pauses I took.

But Nemecek says we have to have “rhythms of work and rest. Energy out and energy in (bold mine). Because time management is more about managing our energy. That is why later in the book he talks about priorities and core values, because these are the things we will invest the most time and energy into.

Nemecek also says that “healthy leaders look at time management not as a calendar to fill but as an energy budget to spend. They consider the physical, emotional, and spiritual drain of each task.”

However, we live in a non-stop culture that bases its values on bulk production versus single high quality product. A culture that tells us to go, go, go, and “you can sleep when you die.” So we push ourselves past our limits to satisfy bosses, please others, and fulfill the demands placed upon us.

Yet Jesus rested. Nemecek notes “To him [Jesus] the Sabbath was not so much a duty as a delight (Mark 2:27)” which says: Then he [Jesus] said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”. And there are many passages that tell of how Jesus went somewhere quiet and prayed. Both Nemecek and myself noted these were mostly around times that Jesus performed great works or important teachings. Because “Jesus understood the principle of recovery.”

• Mark 6:45-46 Jesus sends off the disciples and dismisses the crowd after feeding the 5000, then goes up a mountain to pray into the night.

• Mark 1:35 Jesus leaves early in the morning to pray after performing many healings the night before.

• Luke 6:12-13 Jesus spends all night praying before choosing twelve of his disciples to become the apostles.

• Matthew 26:36, Mark 14:32, Luke 22:39-44, and John 18:1-2 all tell us how he went to the Garden of Gesthemane before his trial and crucifixion.

Nemecek notes “Jesus’s prayer in the garden of Gesthemane was more than agonizing over the cross. Through relationship with the Father in prayer, Jesus was also gaining the energy he needed to offer himself as a sacrifice… Jesus was simultaneously submitting to the will of the Father and gaining the strength to do that will.”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Nemecek quoted the passage from Matthew and believed “Jesus is giving us a completely different way of understanding work.” He explains how a farmer would yoke a young ox to an old ox so it could learn to pace itself and follow the farmer who sets the pace. And so likewise, being yoked to Jesus we are to learn from Him in how to pace ourselves, and follow the Father who sets the pace.

God didn’t create the Sabbath to be a ritual we had to keep, but to teach us to take the time we need to rest. God also demonstrated this for us after He created everything by resting on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). Nemecek also points out the time and amount of rest we need correlates to the time and amount of output we performed, whether that be physical, emotional, spiritual, or relational.

The things that absorb our energy and energize us are different for each of us. Some things might be more general, while some may vary depending on if we are an introvert or extrovert, and some may be completely unique to us.

Are you making time to rest? What does taking rest look like for you? Are you following Jesus’s example in taking time in prayer so that God might restore your strength? For it is God who strengthens us and by whom we can do all things:

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I Can't, But God So Can

 For this reason I also suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. - 2 Timothy 1:12

The song "I Know Whom I Have Believed" by Daniel W. Whittle and James McGranahan is based on this verse and it came to mind this evening as I sought to ground myself back onto God's truth. The chorus goes:

But "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."

Growing up singing this song I could never really grasp the meaning of these words. I always felt it was worded weirdly. But it comes directly from the KJV and old English can be hard to understand sometimes.

The NIV says "That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day."

Which I think is closer to the Greek. Because the word for "committed" or "entrusted" is parathēkēn "a deposit or trust." And the word for "keep", or "guard" is phylaxai meaning "to guard, watch" which HELPS expands on as "referring to the uninterrupted vigilance shepherds show in keeping their flocks" or the vigilance of a guard.

The idea of committing something to God, entrusting or depositing something into His care means handing it over. Letting go of something so He can take it. I also feel like this applies when we place our trust and faith in Jesus, they're something that we put or deposit in Jesus, and they're something that He will guard and keep vigilant watch over until that "day".

In John 10:28-30 Jesus says: "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one." (NKJV)

The Greek word for snatch is harpasei and harpazein both forms of the Greek word harpazó which means "to seize, catch up, snatch away." The first is implying anytime in the future (no one will ever be able to snatch them out of Jesus' hand), and the latter is currently in the here and now (and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand right now).

Now, while today is today, we are held in God's hands. For every tomorrow, each moment following, we can have confidence in Jesus, "in whom we have believed and are persuaded" of, who will hold on to us and never let us go.

This brings me much comfort as I often fall into the mindset of "God only loves me because I do this" or "because I am good" or "because I say all the right things" and since God loves me (because of x, y, z) then He will save me. So then when I mess up, things don't go perfectly, I say something hurtful then I feel like "I'm a failure", "I'm unlovable", "God doesn't care about me", "now I'll be condemned and live forever in Hell" and because of these things I think "now I have to prove myself all over again", "I have to do this", "I have to act this way", "I have to speak these things."

But this verse tells us no. We place our trust in Jesus and He takes that trust, and He holds onto that trust, and He guards that trust. So when we start to stray, when we mess up, when we sin, Jesus is the one who has already paid for our mistakes and slip-ups, Jesus is the one that calls us back to Him, Jesus is the Word that "is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105 NKJV) and He will guide us back in the way we ought to go, but most importantly He is the one that assures our salvation.

Jesus was the one that died on the cross. Jesus' blood was poured out for us. Jesus' hands and side were pierced. Jesus was the one that experienced God's rejection during the three hours of darkness. Jesus was the one buried in the new tomb. Jesus was the one that descended to Hell in our place. And Jesus was the one that rose from the grave. And Jesus was the one that led the way to the Father. For Jesus is the one that sits beside the Father, making intercession on our behalf, preparing a place for us, and waiting for the day when His enemy's become His footstool and He can return for us His precious bride. For it was for us He suffered all these things and did all these things.

And God's power to save us is not dependent on the amount of faith we have, for "if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" Matthew 17:20 NKJV).

Just before Jesus said this He explained to the disciples that the reason they couldn't cast out a demon was "because of their unbelief" of which some versions say "little faith."

The two Greek words are different. The word for "little faith" is oligopistian meaning "little faith" but HELPS notes "each time [it is used it is] with Jesus rebuking the problem of failing to hear His voice" and "describes someone dull to hearing the Lord's voice, or disinterested in walking intimately with Him."

The word for "faith" is pistin meaning "faith, faithfulness", and HELPS explains faith as a persuasion or coming to trust and that it is always a gift of God.

So the disciples were unable because they were trying to cast out the demon on their own, they weren't seeking God or trusting God's power and ability to cast out the demon.

Because when we turn to God and say "I am going to trust you with this" God gives us the faith we need, even if it feels terribly small at the time. But the more we look to God, and trust in Jesus, and walk alongside Him, growing in a relationship with Him, the more we are willing to trust in His care, and then we receive more faith.

When I seek to do it all on my own like the disciples did or to prove to someone else that I can, I fail, I mess up, sometimes I might get it right for a little bit but in the end it falls all apart.

But when I seek God, trust the Father has a plan, lean on Jesus' righteousness and strength, and follow the Spirit even though I don't understand it at the time, then He gives me the faith to keep following. I am reassured that He is in control and that my future with Him is secure.

And when I look for it, I can see how God wove the last few steps together to get me to where I am standing now. Even how something way in the past, like all the years spent singing this hymn, "I Know Whom I Have Believed", that I could hardly understand, to get embedded in my memory so I could recall it in this moment and make a connection with some new information.

"[God] doesn't need me, but somehow [He] wants me" as The Tenth Avenue band sings in their song "Control (Somehow You Want Me)":

Another note on 2 Timothy 1:12. The Greek word for "suffer" is paschō meaning "to suffer, to be acted on" and again HELPS expands to note "to feel heavy emotion, especially suffering; affected, experiencing feeling."

Because not all suffering is physical. Sometimes it's mental or emotional. Especially here in America. We don't have the physical persecution that is spoken of throughout the Bible or even in other countries - the beatings and imprisonments. But we do get ostracized, bullied, rejected, judged, or even the "oh, that's good for you. You believe what you want and I'll believe what I want" sort of response.

Jesus explains in Matthew 20:21-25 that we will suffer because He suffered because a servant is not above his master (we are not above Jesus). And Paul, in Philippians 1:29, says "it has been granted to [us] on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him" (NIV).

So next time you are struggling or going through a difficult time or experience, lean on Jesus and seek to see the blessing that will come from this, as the beauty of salvation came from Jesus' suffering.

How have you seen God working through your experiences? When you look at where you are now compared to yesterday or last year, can you see the pieces God used from your life to get you there? Will you trust Him with today's events to make something beautiful someday (if not today, then another day)?