Rest

Jesus rested peacefully as the disciples cried out in panic in the midst of the storm.  He likewise tells us and enables us to rest in the midst of our storms.  

In the midst of life's ups and downs, one consistent word from God is this: rest in Him.  Jesus gave a beautiful illustration in John 15 of how to bear fruit, simply by abiding in the vine.  Hebrews 4:1 speaks of a promise that remains of entering His rest, and a few verses later the exhortation to "strive to enter that rest."  The next verse, Hebrews 4:12, gives us the key: the Word of God is living and powerful.

The children of Israel, through unbelief and disobedience, earned the wrath of God that declared, "They shall not enter My rest."  The explanation states that the Word was not mixed with faith.  Their example is given so we do not make the same mistake, but rather consider and observe God's truth.  

On the seventh day God rested from all His works.  When asked about the work of God, Jesus answered "This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent." (John 6:29)  The reason is simple, Jesus came to do all that was required to bring man back to God, and with that final, "It is finished," the work is already done.   Now the challenge is to be still and know that He is God and rest in the mercy and goodness that His promises declare.  Psalm 132 gives further insight about God's resting place where He abundantly blesses provision, satisfies the poor with bread, clothes priests with salvation and saints shout aloud for joy.  

God wants His children to rest in Him and His accomplished work.  In times of struggle, remembering Jehovah Jireh, "my needs are met according to His riches," gives rest.  In times of physical challenge, we are called to declare by His stripes we were healed and to rest in this truth.  Those who seek the Lord will lack "No good thing."  Faith pleases God and He takes pleasure in any choice we make to stand in the power of His Word rather than live in anxiety, fear, and defeat.  The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  

Therefore, God's Word to you is whatever your challenge, Jesus has already accomplished what is needed, and you can rest in Him.  Instead of worry, give thanks that it is done.  As Philippians 4:6 states, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 

Be still and know He is God.  As we look into His face and His everlasting love for each one of us, we choose to rest in His abundant goodness and enter into His peaceful rest.    

What is Truth?

"What is truth?" was Pilate's question after Jesus stated that He came to bear witness to the truth.  Likewise, in the movie, The Jesus Revolution, the predominate question of the hippie generation was how to find truth.  It is clear that until we have a foundation of truth about life and its purpose that man is floundering in uncertainty and hopelessness.  

On one hand, God has created an awesome universe and rightfully declares in Romans 1:19-20, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."  On the other hand, God has created us in the image of God and given us free will to seek and search for truth.  Proverbs 25:2 says it well, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search out a matter."

Jesus told us to ask, to seek, and to knock.  He pointed out that when we seek Him with all our heart, He will be found.  Proverbs 2:1-5 describes an attitude of desiring and determined seeking that brings great results, concluding in verses 4-5, "If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."  Jesus asked the man with an infirmity at the pool of Bethesda, "Do you want to be healed?" The point is, how much do we really want to know God better and how desperate are we to go after more truth?

Jesus is the truth, and He has given us the Spirit of truth to reveal truth from His Word.  Jesus promised the Spirit would lead us into all truth.  Rather that live by man's worldly standards and understanding of life, we can know the truth about the purpose of life, about God's will and what really matters, about salvation and all Jesus has done to forgive sin and make us a new creation, and finally, eternal judgment and our glorious forever destiny.  We are the most blessed people on earth who know our God and His truth.  

In the third letter of John, John expressed God's heart when he said he had no greater joy than to hear that his children were walking in truth.  The end of the matter is this: seek truth, know truth, walk in truth. 

Let Him Who Has Ears to Hear, Hear

Jesus declared one of the greatest blessings given 

to man, "My sheep hear My voice and I know them, 

and they follow Me."

In John 10, there is an amazing dichotomy between 

Jesus as the door and as the shepherd.  In verse 3, 

He declares, "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the 

sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by 

name and leads them out." A few verses later Jesus 

reveals He is the door., "Most assuredly, I say to you, 

I am the door of the sheep.  If anyone enters by Me, 

he will be saved, and will go in and out and find 

pasture."  Jesus is the door, as the One who shed 

His blood on the cross for all sin that all men must 

enter into as the only way into God's kingdom.  

Nobody can come to the Father except he hear the 

divine call to "Come to me, I will give you rest." 

and responds to His love.  

However, Jesus, the risen Lord, is also the shepherd 

who now by the Spirit of God leads all believers into 

a place of knowing Him and His voice so they can 

follow Him. Once a person has acknowledged His 

call to repent and accept Jesus' death for his sins, 

the believer is now able to walk by faith in response 

to His voice in following Him.  Isaiah talks about 

hearing a voice saying, "This is the way, walk in it."  

Jesus declares that believers know His voice so 

clearly and are so familiar with His voice, that they 

will not know or listen to the voice of strangers.    

My question is how desperately do we desire to 

hear His voice and how do we respond?  Jacob 

wrestled with the angel and refused to let go until 

the angel blessed him.  With that kind of deter-

mination and resolve, we need to come into God's 

presence (through thanksgiving, praise, singing, 

and the truth of His Word according to Psalm 100) 

and then quietly be still until we get a word from 

God. 

Linger.   Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew 

their strength as declared in Isaiah.  How long do we 

wait, how important is it to us to wait, until we can 

receive His voice that quickens our inner man?  It 

may be helpful to continue by declaring Jesus' words,

"My sheep hear My voice" in order to focus your soul 

that you are waiting in faith.   

God told Moses to write a book of remembrance 

and told Habakkuk to write the vision.  Following 

this pattern, wait on the Lord until you hear His voice 

and can write down what you believe He is saying 

to you.  Like Jacob, refuse to let go until you "know" 

His word to you.  He will speak peace to His 

people (Psalm 85:8).  

Hunger enough to take time and ask the Holy Spirit 

to teach you to hear and to know His voice.  Jesus 

said those who hear and do what He says will be 

blessed (Matthew 7:24), bear much fruit 

(John 15:8), and never be led astray (John 10:28).  

Let him who has ears to hear, hear!

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Worthy of It All!

Seek the Lord with your whole heart.  The Word of God, through verses like this one, convert the soul from selfish thinking into choosing to give our all to Jesus.  The reason is simple: He is worthy.  Our soulish part, "I think, I feel, I want", that is self-oriented must be challenged to obey the spirit which is clearly calling us to "present our bodies a living sacrifice and be transformed by the renewing of our mind to prove the perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)  

Many Christians in parts of the world like Korea, China, or some of the Muslim countries have paid dearly to believe in Jesus.  Often their testimonies force us to see how trivial our "trials" really are.  However, regardless of the intensity, there is always a price.  Jesus says count the cost.  Clearly when we see Jesus, the words of Paul that all his sufferings were nothing compared to the glory of God will also be evident to us too.  

Likewise, there are some Biblical truths like "Jehovah Jireh," or "all my needs are met according to His riches in glory" which are only one side of the coin.  Observing the context presents a bigger picture and a much greater opportunity to understand how to apply these principles.   Abraham (in Genesis 22) was asked to give his son, whom he had believed 25 years for, as a sacrifice.  It was because of this awesome act of obeying God that the Lord provided the ram as the sacrifice instead and was revealed as Jehovah Jireh.  Likewise, the promise in Philippians 4:19 that our needs would be met according to His riches in glory was to the Philippi church that had given more than once to support Paul's ministry.  

Sometimes we preach Jesus as meeting our needs.  This is accurate but lacks true depth.  The point is that He is worthy, He is King of kings, He is the one from whom are all things, through whom are all things, and to whom are all things.  Once we receive the truth of the glory and worthiness of Jesus and all God has done for us, we see that it is our joy and privilege to lay down all our rights for Him.  He who loses his life for Him will find it.  The greater invitation is to acknowledge Jesus as Lord of all and surrender all we are and have because He is worthy.  We are asked to step out in faith that as we honor Him, He will take care of us.  He will certainly show Himself more than we "could think, ask, or imagine" in meeting our needs. 

God invites us (you) to lose our life for Him.  Jesus is worthy of all you are asked to give.  In that willing surrender His presence and pleasure will refresh you.  Seek first the Kingdom of God and all else will be added.  He is worthy.