When I say "I'm a Christian"...

When I say that 'I am a Christian', I am not shouting that 'I am clean living.
I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!
-Author Unknown

Ezra 3

  "And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
   But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy." Ezra 3:11-12
I got really excites while meditating on this passage. If you've never read the book of Ezra, you wouldn't understand.
The people of Israel were captive in Babylon/Medo-Persia for 70 years. They were out of hope. They had deserted God, and it seemed He had deserted them. Then Cyrus said they could go back , so they went! And in Chapter three, the culmination of their deepest hopes is realized. They gather in Jerusalem to worship their God!  Finally they have a restored relationship in which they can communicate with and worship their God! Can you imagine what it must have been like for them to watch their one link to God go up in flames when the temple was burned? Can you imagine what it would be like NOT to be directly connected to (through Jesus) to God? That is what they had lived with (besides the pressures of being slaves in a foreign land). Then to top it all off The foundation is FINISHED!!!!! Jerusalem! They city of Israel's heart! The city they loved, was being rebuilt. If you've never read about or known any Jews than it may be hard to understand what Jerusalem meant to them. I cannot fully understand it myself. All I know is that this mean so much to them that they were laughing and crying and going crazy with joy! Wow. That's cool! 

Thoughts on the Bible

"The Bible is not such a book a man would write if he could, or could write if he would." 

-Lewis S. Chafer

 "We might as well put our shoulder to the sun, and try to stop it on its flaming course, as to attempt to stop the circulation of the Bible."

-Unknown

 "A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, and committal read. But somehow the corpse never stays put."

-Bernard Ramm

"The Bible presents the highest ideals known to man, ideals that have molded civilization."

-Geisler & Nix

"If he (the biblical critic) tells me that something in a Gospel iis legend or romance, I want to know how many legends and romances he has read, how well his palate is trained in detecting them by their flavor; not how many years spent on that Gospel...I have been reading poems, romances, vision-literature, legends, and myths all my life. I know what they are like. I know that not one of them is like this."

C.S. Lewis

"A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."

-Theodore Roosevelt

"An inspired work, the Bible is also a source of inspiration. Its impact has no equal, whether on the social and ethical plane or on that of literary creation...Its characters are dramatic, their dramas timeless, their triumphs and defeats overwhelming. Each cry touches us, each call penetrates us. Texts of another age, the biblical poems are themselves ageless. They call out to us collectively and individually across and beyond the centuries."

-Elie Wiesel

Rest

"Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

-Jesus in Matt.11:28 (Italics mine)

Rest. What comes to mind at that word? A pillow, maybe, a good book. For some a few minutes in front of the TV. But what is true rest?

Rest for those who have believed in Jesus Christ is a time to draw near to Him, and for Him to draw near to you. True rest cannot be attained unless it is given by its Creator. So you cannot have true rest unless you know Jesus. Also, you must "come away" from the noise and rush of life. Many people have called this coming away a "Quiet Time". "But, you may say, a quiet time is not required to be a christian!" That is correct. But requirements for salvation is not what is being discussed. Though it is not required, to truly grow in Christ there must be fellowship. At its core that is what true rest is, simple closeness to your Creator. It does not require a physical separation from your surroundings (though that does help).  To rest in close fellowship with your Creator is the sweetest relaxation known to man. 

You may at this point be wondering "Is it even possible to be that close to God?" The answer is "YES!" That question brings us to what true rest requires. 

First of all, rest requires that all sin be confessed. Close fellowship with God is always marred by unconfessed or unforsaken sin. 

Second, it requires focus. You must be fully focused on God. That is way being alone and undistracted is important.

What are the results of rest? 

Perfect Peace (John 14:27)

A Closer Walk (James 4:8) 

Rest is essential to the Christian walk. Without rest the follower will simply become burned out, worn down and altogether exhausted.  You cannot effectively serve without rest.