At Rest

Well, after a long semester in college, I am now able to rest; or am I. Since I have finished college for the year I have joined a Greek Bible study, endeavored to exercise more (which I can gladly say that I have been successful and consistant x 3 mos.) and I am preparing for an independent study for my fall semester history teacher. I am up late every night doing research or studying Greek or just trying to put my head on straight.

But, in Hebrews 4 it talks about entering the rest that God entered into after His 6 days of Creation and that He is still in today. Here is God, Creator of all, and He considers Himself at rest even though He is constantly hearing and answering our prayers, directing our paths, comforting our souls, lifting our burdens and disciplining His children with True love.

This is what He considers rest. The continually upholding of those people and things that He loves. His love will never officially rest and therefore we too should be at rest. Continually striving to know Him that loves us. To understand a little more of what He did for us, who don't deserve even the slightest attention. We too should pour out our energy and time on the ones that we love so that they in turn will want to know Him more and more.

Unfortunately, the way of the world is to forget that we have neighbors. I was speaking to two patients from Germany today and they were reminiscing of early America when they were children. Around the 40's and 50's. They remembered that every year one home in their neighborhood would do a New Year's Eve dinner. It was normal to eat with your neighbors and to share with them and to reach out to them. Now we duck behind our curtains before our neighbors even notice that we are home. We walk on eggshells so that we don't "upset" anyone politically or Spiritually. We need to pour out the energy given us by the Holy Spirit so that we can show God's love to them so that our neighbors my enter into that very rest of "Belief" that God wants for each of us. It was the Israelites who chose not to believe in God so they were condemned to wander in the desert (wilderness) until the whole generation died off. Even Moses himself had a moment of unbelief and so was not allowed to enter into the rest. Only Joshua and Aaron could see God's truth in the situation and so they were given the right to bring the next generation of Israelites up in belief so that they could enter into the Promised land (the rest that God has for us).

We too can enter that rest through the belief and trust of Jesus Christ of His Father. Because Jesus was able to flawlessly trust in God, we can enter into the Promised Land of eternal life through trusting in what Jesus did for each of us. His willingness to trust God even unto death on the cross was sufficient to satisfy the debt of our sin. Jesus was the sinless sacrifice who died in our place. Now that He has risen from the dead we can trust in that FINISHED work and therefore receive the gift of eternal life, eternal rest that none of us deserve but in God's great rest, He has made the gift of His Grace available to each of us.

Please consider entering into that rest by sincerely discussing this with God directly. Trusting in Jesus Christ and asking for His complete forgiveness. If you can do this with a trusting heart, then you can be a child of the Living God and begin an eternity of True, Satisfying rest.

In the Glory of God's Grace,

Jennifer