I just finished a discipleship time with a young 20 year old guy. He is like many of us, when we first come to Christ. We want to learn as much as we can, as quick as we can. In his case, he wants to put away his old life and be transformed. He wants to be the best believer that he can be for that pretty girl he met who is also a believer.
So that “God” will accomplish a transformed life, we often get involved with as many Bible studies that we can. We run from one conference to the next, and from one worship service to the next. We think that we are doing exactly what God would have us to do, but we forget one very important Scriptural precept: REST!
God created the world and everything in it in six days. On the seventh day, he decided to start on another world… no, He rested! The writer of Hebrews gives us this example just before he writes about the Believer’s rest. “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his work as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:11).
So what do we “rest” in? In God? yes! And in what God has already done in us and for us. He has accomplished everything for us already. Every spiritual characteristic is given to us at the moment He graces us with the gift of life, ie. salvation. We do not have to work for it. We have to just live in His grace. Paul wrote something similar to the Galatians. “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (3:3).
So how do we rest in a spiritual sense? None of this is an excuse to be spiritually lazy. I think the answer is in the following verses: “Let us be diligent to enter that rest so that no one will fall… for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit… able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart… all things are laid open and bare to His eyes (Heb. 4:11-13). God wants us to rest in Him by allowing His word and His Spirit to work in tandem transforming our state into what our stance before Him already is. He already knows us, so we might as well rest in the fact that He is God and He has a purpose for us that will bring Him glory.
We even see the “why?” in this passage. Jesus, the One who loves us, sympathizes with our weaknesses because He too was tempted in all things, except He did not sin (Heb. 4:15) So therefore, “Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need” (4:16). The other day I walked by a bread shop and could smell the fresh baked goodness. It is the type of smell that just draws you in and says, “buy some criollo bisquits and take some home eating one or two on the way.” That is the way grace is.
We had a good little chat about some of these things. As I walked him to the door he gave me a big hug. As I was closing the door, he started running across the street… I hope he was running home to rest. Sweet dreams!
Filed under: Uncategorized
