Enter into His rest

 

God created man on the sixth day and the seventh day was a day of rest. All of God’s works were finished for us before the foundation of the world.

 

Yet the Word tells us that we must labor to gain this rest.

 

"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:11,12).

 

Hebrews 4 also tells us that the reason that we can enter this rest is because of the living Word of God. We are to rest in His Word.

 

Question 1. Rest from what?

Question 2. What do we do?

I am glad you asked those two questions.

 

Answer 1. We are to rest from the works of our flesh, or from anything that does not originate in God’s heart and activated by His Word planted in our heart. This includes good and bad things. All works of the flesh are not necessarily immoral. Romans 14:23 says that anything that does not originate from faith in His Word is sin. Everything and anything!

 

Answer 2. In John 6:27-29 Jesus told the people not to labor for food that perishes. The people asked Jesus what kind of work did He expect of them. He told them that their share of the work was to BELIEVE, which of course implies first hearing God speak.

 

We must be diligent to work to hear God speak. This is true work and does not always come easy. It takes time. We must be honest with our sin. We must spend time in His Word. We must take time to be thankful in ALL things, and take time to give the Worthy One the praise due to Him. We must consecrate our will, mind and emotions; i.e. take up our cross. We must do all these things when our flesh is crying out to do the works of the flesh.

 

After we have heard God speak, then we must do the works of faith. "But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" (James 2:18). These works spring from faith and are the result of hearing from God and believing. The word "believe" carries with it the definition of action, doing something.

 

Work hard to rest! Larry Chkoreff - April, 2000