Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

Restlessness is not always a bad thing. That sense that there is better somewhere, that the grass is greener elsewhere is part of the eternal call of God on our hearts.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

As believers we know that we are just passing through this world. Our restless spirit is often the call to focus on more eternal things.

Faith is a steadfast refusal to seek ultimate things – ultimate pleasure, ultimate fulfillment, ultimate purpose, ultimate understanding – where God has not laid them.

We know God calls us to a greater value system. Let that realization anchor your heart with hope.

Rest is mixed with restlessness. Vacations are always too short and less than ideal. Dream homes have problems, some nightmarish with leaky pipes and cracking foundations. Good health is hard to maintain and can be snatched by sudden mishap or stray virus. Community is fragile and even amid close friends we can feel a little lonely.

Delight in the rich things of today that the Lord blesses your life with. Know that when they cannot satisfy you entirely, it is His call upon your heart to look upward. Look homeward to Him and know that the richest treasures are not kept in an earthly bank.

Heavenly Father,
Right now I ask You to train my restlessness in Your ways and help me find the deep treasures of Your Kingdom today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Inspired by “The Rest of God” Chapter 14 by Mark Buchanan

Questions: How do you analyze your restless spirit? How can that restless spirit be satisfied?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Do you feel you can’t be real with anyone? Take this free online  course on the topic of secrets

This Psalm starts out with the familiar verse – “God is our refuge and our strength and very present help in trouble.” (vs. 1)  Later on, it includes another familiar verse, “Be still and know that I am God.” (vs. 10)  The Psalmist tells us not to fear even if the mountains be moved into the sea.

If you have dedicated your life to Christ and have received the Holy Spirit, you are now a temple in which God dwells. He will never leave you. In His steadfast love He remains always with you in good times and in the bad.   It is up to us to acknowledge His presence in our lives and to turn to him for strength and comfort.  He is always just a breath away, there in the midst of your life, your soul and your body whether you realize it or not.

Pretty daunting thought, isn’t it? Yet it is as warm and comforting as a fluffy towel straight out of the dryer.  A missionary once told me to lay my hand very close to my cheek and feel the warmth. That was how near God is always to me, even if I do not feel Him to be near me at the moment.

The next time you pray, try that and feel His presence. You have to be still, but you will feel Him there in the midst of you – your life, your troubles and your joy.  He is steadfast and loving you as His child now and forever more, no matter what you are going through today, or tomorrow.

Question: When was the last time you felt God extra close to you? Do you feel that way now? Tell us about it.

About the Author Julie Cosgrove

They had much in common. They were university professors, both lived in central Europe during the same century and both made astounding discoveries that would later change the world. But, in the end they chose to take separate responses to similar challenges to their faith and religious beliefs and their choices gave us a real life lesson in how to respond to the pressure of the world when our beliefs are challenged.

Galileo Galilei was the first to use a refracting telescope to make important astronomical discoveries. Galileo made a series of profound discoveries using his new telescope. As a professor of astronomy at University of Pisa, Galileo was required to teach the accepted theory of his time that the sun and all the planets revolved around the Earth. Galileo’s observations with his new telescope convinced him of the truth of a sun-centered planetary system. He is often referred to as the “father of astronomy.”

Galileo’s support for the heliocentric theory got him into trouble with the Roman Catholic Church. He was convicted of heresy and forced to recant and publicly withdraw his support of a theory that said the earth was not the center of the universe. He did so to save his life by simply proclaiming that his discoveries were simply untrue.

Martin Luther was a professor at the University of Whittenberg. He became convinced that the Bible was the true Word of God and had been abused by the Catholic Church. He appealed to the Pope to affirm the Gospel and later posted his 95 Thesis (really 95 points of error between the Gospel and its interpretation by the church) on the door of Castle Church. He sought not a breakaway from the church but a reformation from within.

Like Galileo, Luther was tried has a heretic and brought before the Diet of Worms where he was given the opportunity to recant and get in theological line with the church. He declined to do so saying, “On this I take my stand. I can do no other.” At Worms Luther stood for his beliefs. At Worms, Luther stood alone. At Worms Luther was true to his faith.

As I recently stood before the tomb of Galileo at Santa Croce Church in Florence, Italy, only a few days after kneeling at the grave of Luther in Whittenberg, suddenly the contrast of two similar, yet diametrically different men struck me. One stood at risk for his beliefs, while the other renounced truth and betrayed his faith for his personal safety. I was reminded of the admonition of Paul writing to the church at Corinth saying “Stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” I thought of what my church might be like if Luther had wimped on his faith like Galileo did. Luther stood firm in the faith.

The world tells us to compromise for our personal gain, but the Bible tells us to stand firm for our faith not matter what the world says. It is easy to compromise and conform. There is company in a crowd and it is often lonely to stand alone, but our faith tells us to stick to our ground and in the words of Martin Luther, “we can do no other.”

Question: Who would you say is your role model in your own life?

About this Author: John Grant

Ruthless trust in the goodness of our Father, God holds us steady as we navigate the maze of life.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3 & 4).

Prayer to action this in my life:

Heavenly Father,
Thank you that You offer peace to my heart. It is Your gift to me and I desperately need it. Life is filled with so many distractions and disappointments that often rob me of that peace. Your Word says that You will keep my heart in peace as I trust in You for strength and discernment and wisdom in every area of my life.

Active, conscious trusting keeps my thoughts focused on You. Thank you that Your peace will be the result! Father, please help me today to focus on You in all the details of my life, inviting You into each circumstance, conversation and activity. Grow my trust in You. Keep me today in Your perfect peace for I have very little of my own. In You I place my trust today! In Jesus Name, amen.

Questions: Are you facing seemingly insurmountable problems that you are struggling to trust God with? How can God help through this difficult time?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, When We Commit, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog