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Wednesday,
February 13, 2008
Under A Rest
Hebrews 4:9-11 There remaineth therefore
a rest to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he
also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. (11) Let us
labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief. (KJV)
You have been issued a cease and desist
order from the Lord, which is what the word rest means. In order to walk
with the Lord you now need to cease from your own works and walk in the
completed work our Lord Jesus Christ has done on our behalf. Another way of
putting it is your labor now is to enter into His rest, or as Paul wrote
keeping our bodies in subjection to the Spirit. Now does this mean that we
as Christians should all check into a rest home and not do anything
anymore? Not quite. However we all need to work out our own salvation with
fear and trembling so that we can find our place in the body of Christ and
carry out the calling He is asking of us no matter what it is or how
trivial we may think it is. A labor of love is another way of putting it;
once you have entered into His rest, or abode, it is vital that we remain
seated in a heavenly place with our Lord and not fall from grace because of
unbelief.
Genesis 1:31-2:3 And God saw every thing
that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the
morning were the sixth day. CHAPTER 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them. (2) And on the seventh day God ended
his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his
work which he had made. (3) And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified
it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created
and made. (KJV)
Was God tired, did He have to take a
breather? Not at all, actually God saw everything that He made, everything
that He planned before the foundation of the world, which by the way
includes you and me the believers, had turned out very good. Everything
that was needed for mankind was put in place, including His plan for
salvation. In fact God knew already, before the foundation of the world,
that man would fall and what it would take to bring reconciliation. God
rested, which again means to cease and desist, everything that needed to be
done was accomplished and put in place. Now the question is, will you find
your place in His calling and cease and desist from your own works?
Psalms 46:10-11 Be still, and know that I
am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the
earth. (11) The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah. (KJV)
When praying about certain situations or
decisions that you encounter, do you stop everything you are doing, cease
and desist from any outside distractions, and take the time to enter into
God’s rest to hear the answer? Maybe the reason you are so worn out is
because you have been chasing the answer instead of letting the blessings
come upon you and overtake you, which will not happen if you are always on
the run. The peace of God you have experienced before is still available,
but only if you are willing to cease from your own works and enter into the
rest of God so that you can hear the rest of His answer. After all, how
many hairs did you count on your head today? You think God isn’t concerned
with your life and yet He has even the hairs on your head numbered; and we
still doubt at times or question Him? Many times people blame God and say
He hasn’t answered their prayers; the truth be known it was that they
didn’t take the time to hear His answer on how the prayers would be answered
and what they needed to do to let it be accomplished. Sometimes people get
ahead of God and rather than being still and knowing God and that God has
heard and answered the prayer, they take off running before they get
directions. Ready, shoot, aim, and guess who gets blamed when things don’t
turn out they way they thought it should, either God or His messengers or
both.
Isaiah 46:10-13 Declaring the end from
the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (11) Calling
a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far
country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have
purposed it, I will also do it. (12) Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that
are far from righteousness: (13) I bring near my righteousness; it shall
not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place
salvation in Zion for Israel my glory. (KJV)
Are you able to accurately declare an
outcome before it happens? All the time? God does, because He has seen it
before the foundation of the world, then created everything the way He
wanted it to be and saw that it was very good. If your life is not very
good and your walk is not where it should be, then somewhere along the way
you got sidetracked and you need to stop and take a breather, cease from
your own dead works and enter into the work of the Lord that He
accomplished for you and your benefit (not the one where you end up
throwing a fit). God saw you personally from the beginning, He then drew up
a plan of salvation and a path of life for you to walk on that would lead
to His everlasting kingdom. God even saw the detours you would make at
times and provided a way of escape so that you could get back on course and
enter into His rest. And yet we still doubt and question our Father’s
ability at times or wonder if He is even concerned with us? Parents, how
easy is it to carry on a conversation with one of your children if they are
always on the go and never stop long enough to talk with you? How sad is
that for you to watch when you see them doing things that are not healthy
or in their best interest, yet they never take the time to ask for your
help or advice, from a loving parent who has experienced the things they
are going through? All you wish for them to do is stop, cease from what
they are doing, take the time to rest and hear your counsel and advice
which would make it much easier for them and a lot healthier. And you as
parents, have you stopped and taken the time to hear from your heavenly
Father as well, before you end up frustrated and entangled with the affairs
of this life by neglecting the things of your spiritual life?
John 6:27-29 Labour not for the meat
which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life,
which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father
sealed. (28) Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work
the works of God? (29) Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work
of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (KJV)
Here is your labor, a labor of love, all
that effort you have put into the things of this life is now being
redirected to things that pertain to everlasting life. This is the work;
the labor of keeping our bodies in subjection to the Spirit, keeping our
minds renewed on a daily basis so that we not only enter into the rest or
the realm of God, but more and more stay seated in heavenly places in
Christ and not be moved away from the hope of the gospel. You are now under
house a rest, you are the temple of the living God and are now living a
life of faith; a belief in the completed work that Jesus Christ has done on
our behalf is much better than any work we think we can do on His behalf.
God bless, and take a time out on a daily basis and see the very good work
God has begun in you and continues to do for your benefit.
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