Resting in His Smile

Meditations for Ragamuffins

August 16, 2023

Resting in His Smile

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””

Matthew 11:28-30 

One of the most precious fruits of the life in Christ is resting in God’s smile of affection. God is quite fond of us and when He thinks of us, God smiles. One of Abba’s greatest hopes and dreams for us, His beloved children, is that we would learn to rest in our own smile of affection for our life. This is why Bernard of Clairvaux could teach that the highest level of love is when we love ourselves for God’s sake.

All of Scripture reinforces God’s love and affection for us. Thus, God is modeling for us how we are to love ourselves. Psalm 56 is a great illustration of God’s love for us. The psalmist is trusting in the wisdom and power of God to be sufficient to help him. He is also affirming the very personal relationship he has with his God of mercy, power, and love; he is resting in the sure knowledge that he is God’s child.

Take a few minutes to contemplate these verses from Psalm 56.

You keep track of all my sorrows.

    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

    You have recorded each one in your book.

This I know: God is on my side!

For you have rescued me from death;

    you have kept my feet from slipping.

So now I can walk in your presence, O God,

    in your life-giving light.

Psalm 56: 8, 9b, 13

This furious longing of Abba for me keeps track of my sorrows, collects my tears in His bottle, is on my side and has rescued me from death. God’s love for me keeps my feet from slipping so I can walk with Him in His light. He will personally go ahead of me and will be with me. He will neither fail me nor abandon me.

My Takeaway: Jesus adds, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Receive this love from Jesus and learn to rest in his smile of affection for you. As you do, you will learn to gaze at yourself in a mirror and rest in your smile of affection for your life in Christ.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.