Beloved.

I recently realized the beauty of the word "beloved." There is no pressure to perform in that word. It's a word that carries the posture of rest and security.

Knowing that we are God's beloved allows us to simply be loved by Him. No stress. No pressure. No striving to earn the affection He so freely gives.

See, we can live in a posture of rest because we know that

We are the beloved of God

One day I was telling the Lord that I felt like I needed to measure up. I was so in awe of His sacrifice for me on the cross, and I wanted to live a life worthy of the terrible price He paid to redeem me.

I said, "Jesus, I want to be worth your suffering!"

He immediately responded, "My suffering was worth you."

I was taken aback.

There I was, having a good desire to live in a way that honored His sacrifice for me, but He totally took the striving out of the equation.

So often we live for rest. We live for the weekend. We push ourselves through the week's grind to get to Friday. But living from rest instead of for rest is actually way more effective in everyday life and in building the kingdom.

A good way to combat burnout is partnering with God in His work. Ministry and life in general, are more enjoyable when we realize that we are partnering with God, because it takes away our pride and the pressure to perform. We have the privilege of abiding in Jesus, knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing of eternal significance.

John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

We have the privilege of abiding in Jesus, knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing of eternal significance.