Sometimes we need a fresh perspective from wise counsel. We all can benefit from having a more experienced mentor in our lives, whether it’s for advice on daily matters or for spiritual guidance.
In turn, we can serve as a resource for others who can benefit from our knowledge and experiences. It’s a generational act of paying it forward. We are called to disciple others and to pursue discipleship and accountability within the Christian community.
The idea of discipleship guarantees that faith—and the practical wisdom gained through life—is not lost after just one generation but is repeatedly multiplied and reinforced through intentional relationships.
One notable example of this in the Bible is when Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, visited him in the wilderness and watched Moses judge disputes among the people (Ex. 18:13-23, NLT). Moses served as a mediator. Only Jesus surpassed Moses as an intercessor between God and humans (Acts 17:26; Heb. 3).
Still, Moses took on the burden of handling all cases himself. Jethro advised him on how to organize the people and delegate the minor disputes to honest men who feared God, so that neither the people nor Moses would become exhausted. Moses listened to Jethro (18:12-24). In today’s world, we would call this experiencing burnout.
It’s always wise to step back and evaluate how much we’ve taken on ourselves when others can assist. We also need mental breaks and time with God to reassess our load, recharge, and be filled so we can better serve others. Running on empty isn’t good for us or those we serve. Sometimes, we have to say no to good things in order to say yes to better ones.
Jethro’s wise advice illustrates God’s leadership approach of providence—delegating authority (NLT Study Bible Notes).
Jesus exemplifies a leader who delegates. As Biblehub.com explains, He didn’t hoard all the work; instead, He trained others and empowered them to join His mission. The Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:14-15; Luke 9:1-6) are an example: Jesus chose twelve disciples, gave them “power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases,” and sent them out to preach the kingdom of God. This was His initial delegation of ministerial duties. Later, He appointed seventy-two more disciples who went out two by two to all the towns and places He planned to visit. This helped spread the message more widely and quickly.
Jesus consistently emphasized the importance of rest, solitude, and spiritual renewal—concepts often called withdrawal or retreat. He balanced demanding ministry work, like teaching, healing, and feeding crowds, with intentional times away from people’s demands (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12; Mark 6:30-32; Luke 22:39-44). This biblical pattern highlights the need to avoid burnout, devote time to God, and prioritize rest and renewal.
Please tune in next week for Part Two of “Paying It Forward,” when we will explore the other side of the relationship and how Moses helped Jethro.
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27, ESV, Emphasis added).
Have you taken time to ponder this? The Sabbath is a day of rest that God created as a gift for spiritual refreshment. It is a time to spend with God. God gave us a model for rest after He created EVERYTHING (Gen. 2:2-3). It symbolizes the Heavenly rest to come (Heb. 4:1-11). The day was created to glorify Himself.
There have been many debates over which day of the week is to be considered the “Sabbath” day for rest. Not only that, but Jesus was met with opposition over healing and harvesting food on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28; 3:1-6; Luke 13:10-17). Regulations that were not imposed by God but by religious leaders, who, according to The Holman Bible Dictionary, created their own laws and expanded prohibitions, such as banning the untying of knots, to the point that they lost their original spirit but satisfied legal requirements (Brand, 1396).
Jesus showed us that love for others was more important than the laws. He observed the day as a day of worship (Luke 4:16), but His failure to comply with the minute restrictions brought conflict. Jesus didn’t come to please man, but God.
The first Christians, as recorded in Acts 13:14, met on the first day of the week, which was also the Sabbath, to proclaim Christ on the day of His resurrection (Matt. 28:1; Acts 20:7). They viewed the Sabbath and other matters of the law as a shadow of which Christ is the substance (Col. 2:16-23). It meant more to Jesus to help someone in need than to hold by traditional restrictions, not created by God.
Following the establishment of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, Sunday was officially declared a day of rest. (Brand, 1027).
For many, Sunday is just another day, or just part of the weekend before they must return to work. For others, it is a holy day, set aside for God, and a day they attend church. Others recognize Saturday as the day of rest and worship.
I don’t think the specific day matters as much as the time set aside each week to rest in the presence of an almighty God, praise Him, find spiritual refreshment, and enjoy the gift in honor of Christ. Jesus often escaped the crowds to spend time alone with God.
That can look different for each person, but in my experience, the times I spend it in nature, enjoying God’s creation, are more peaceful and rewarding, bringing a deep sense of rest for body, mind, and spirit than vegging on the couch watching TV.
The challenge is to make an intentional choice to spend time with God, whether it’s in nature, through activities like running, walking, kayaking, hiking, or fishing, or simply sitting quietly in a favorite chair or rocker on the back porch; some may find rest in their garden, digging dirt, or mowing the lawn.
A while back, you may recall, I found my deep Sabbath rest floating in a kayak on a serene lake after a busy week. Whenever and wherever you find yours, the important thing is to escape the busyness of our daily lives and intentionally focus on God, our Creator, thanking Him for the gift of rest and refreshment. The point is that we all need a deep Sabbath rest that connects us to the Creator.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31, Emphasis added). *This may be another message soon.
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24, Emphasis added).
Psalm 23 brings comfort to many, including me. Still, I realized recently that I had never really taken the time to process it on a deeper level. David wrote Psalm 23 out of his own experience as a shepherd (I Samual 16:10:11, Holman Christian Standard Bible). It is a Psalm of confidence and trust portraying God as a caring shepherd and dependable guide (NLT Chronological Bible). We are the sheep, wise enough to follow the One who knows the way.
As it turns out, sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. In the NT Jesus is the good shepherd (John 10:11, HSBC) and the great shepherd (Hebrews 13:20).
When I began researching more about this scenario, I decided to compare different translations to see how the wording varied. Mostly because when I read “I shall not want” in the English Standard Version) I had a little trouble understanding how ‘want’ is being used, because it seemed to me, that someone could misinterpret it to mean David did not want the Lord as his shepherd, even though I knew that wasn’t true.
As I read other versions, the one that stuck with me the most was the Holman Christian Standard Bible, which translated it as, “There is nothing I lack” (v1, emphasis added). I can understand that better, so I wanted to go deeper to see what other words stood out to me. The next one was, “He lets me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters (v2, emphasis added).
I know when I am searching for peace, these words comfort me. I proclaim them as promises. Learning to do this helps defeat the enemies’ tactics of disturbing our peace and dispels his lies. Have you ever sat beside a quiet stream and allowed yourself to relax and enjoy the therapeutic peace that bubbles up inside you? God wants us to have peace, like sheep, He leads our thirsty souls to still waters.
This reminded me of another favorite verse, talking about a person who follows God and meditates on His word, delighting in His instruction: “He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (Ps. 1:3, emphasis added). The HSBC explains that we can learn to follow God by meditating on His word. Jeremiah also mentions this by saying the man who trusts in the Lord and has confidence in Him is like a tree planted by water, it doesn’t fear the heat or worry when a drought comes, but it continues to bear fruit (Jere. 17:7-8).
So, we see that our trust in God to guide us as a good shepherd does, leads to peace and rest. When we have peace and rest, we produce fruit in our lives more abundantly.
Last week, I started a Bible plan by Kyle Winkler entitled, Permission to be Imperfect. One reason is that I realized that I am very hard on myself when I make a mistake. I am in a season where I needed to be reminded about God’s grace in this way. One of the biggest things that stood out to me is that the Hebrew word for Eden is delight. Winkler explains that God established a rest for us and wants us to remain in it. He went on to say that our Eden means “God’s delight” and that there is a perpetual state of rest in God’s delight.
He references Hebrews 4:9-11 to illustrate that just as God rested, there remains a Sabbath rest for God’s people. Paul establishes a connection of obedience and rest emphasizing the need for perseverance. Anything we can do to please God comes from His working in us, not anything we did to earn it on our own (ESV Study Bible). The New Living Translation points out two types of rest, a spiritual rest that benefits us now, in knowing the Good News of our Salvation through Christ, and that we can trust in His finished work. We can also enjoy the blessings of peace with God later – an eternal rest where we will enjoy God’s presence (Is. 26:19; Rev. 14:13, NLT).
Winkler does a spectacular job of explaining how God loves us even in our imperfection. The definition of sin is to miss the mark or fall short of God’s best. The law revealed our need for a Savior. The moment Jesus died, God stopped the clock on counting sins against us, past, present and future. Sinning less is a natural byproduct of loving God and realizing His love for us (Winkler, Permission to be Imperfect).
Jesus says, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28, HSBC, emphasis added). The NLT Study Bible describes this as a complete and perfect rest in Jesus Christ.
What a remarkable realization – we don’t have to carry the weight of our burdens – God does that for us. We can experience peace.
I noticed that when I have less peace, is when I need more rest. Resting on God’s promises and proclaiming them aloud helps me get through my day. Not only does God offer peace and rest, but He also delights in giving us these good gifts. God lets us rest on these promises.
In replacing lies with the truth, Winkler points out that God’s unconditional love means that our weaknesses are meaningless and instills godly confidence (Permission to be Imperfect).
We need godly confidence to persevere. When the enemy tries to snatch our peace, we can use God’s Word and promises to speak life. Try speaking Jesus’ words and promises next time you feel anxious, fearful or stressed. Take it from me, it works.
Here are a few “Jesus says” statements we can proclaim:
Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful” (John 14:27, HSBC, emphasis added).
Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV, emphasis added).
Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (John 11:28, ESV, emphasis added).
Not surprising, as I was working on the research for this message, I heard a song for the first time, entitled, “Still Waters” by Leanna Crawford. Take a few minutes to listen to the words.
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