Rest

"There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:9-11 NKJ)

Five-year-old Jonathan played in the yard. He was so intent that he wouldn’t stop to go to the restroom or eat. Even at his mother’s urging he wouldn’t take a break. Finally, as dusk settled around him, his energy waned and tiredness took over. As soon as supper was ended, mom would usher Jonathan to the shower then, despite his protests, she would brush his hair and blow it dry. He was usually fast asleep before she was finished. Mom was a wise woman.

At my age, physical rest is essential. Thank God for this invention! Now, I know the issue isn’t whether God gets tired or needs rest. Instead, it is about God’s completed purposes of creation and eternal salvation. Unlike young Jonathan (and most of us), God knew when his task was completed. He knew when to stop and relax.

The author of Hebrews used our text passage to teach me that I should rest from my own attempts to gain eternal life (Heb. 3 & 4). The point is: God is my example, whether I need spiritual or physical rest. He chose to rest from his labors. I should rest in his work, not my own.

God’s example, however, is not so much about physical rest and recreation, although it does apply. Rather, God understood there was nothing else He could do for the salvation of mankind, so he stopped forming it and trusted that human beings would accept his salvation and receive it.

No matter how hard or how smart we work at it, we simply can't deliver ourselves from the evil that enslaves humanity. Intellectually, it is a difficult thesis to accept. Yet, God finished that deliverance work in Jesus Christ, thus making him our salvation rest! Receiving God's finished work is an act of faith, not intellect.

Dear Father, thank you for the comfort of your eternal rest. Enable us with the diligence to enter that rest. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Rest in Christ today,