Is there a rest for the People of God? Today? In this time and place? One might wonder when you look around at the burdens some Christians seem to shoulder. In the The Lost Coin, Sam Season walks down Church Street which has seven churches. The first one he hits is the Baptist Church:
The first was a Baptist church. They were already in the mode, sort of. He could hear “Just As I Am” faintly emanating from inside. Could use a little more enthusiasm, he thought. Sam had a soft spot for Baptists. You had to love them. Their heart seemed to be in the right place, but it was just too hard to get to heaven.
Doesn’t that remind you of this old classic?
O land of rest, for thee I sigh!
When will the moment come
When I shall lay my armor by
And dwell in peace at home?
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
We’ll work till Jesus comes,
That song is not an unusual sentiment. Sure doesn’t seem easy. I get tired just humming the lyrics. Or what about Alan Jackson singing his song Where I Come From?
I said where I come from it’s cornbread and chicken
Where I come from a lotta front porch sitin’
Where I come from tryin’ to make a livin’
And workin’ hard to get to Heaven, where I come from
There are many people waiting for the next life to enjoy God. The question is, what are they leaving on the table today?
Jesus said in Matthew 11, “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
I like the sound of that a whole lot more. So let’s answer the question once and for all and the answer is . . . YES! Rest is available right here! Right now! How do we know?
Well, Paul told us in Hebrews 4:9, “ So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, . . .”
The key is how to obtain this rest because, I don’t know about you, but I want it.
Paul gives us the how-to in verse 10: “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
There you have it. Pretty easy, huh? We just need to rest from our own works. Well, easier said than done. This is the part that trips most of us up as we are constantly prodded to work “for” Jesus. We are created unto good works so we frantically start working “for” Jesus trying to force that fruit into existence. The problem is you can’t work “for” Jesus, any more than Jesus could work “for” God. You can only let God work in you, through you, as you.
In John 5:19 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”
The Father has already completed the works. The Son just brings them into manifestation. Jesus could say, “I live, yet not I, but the Father.” Sound familiar? Yes . . . it all circles back to Galatians 2:20:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:”
If you believe this, then your work comes from a position of rest. The tree produces the fruit naturally, without any effort from the tree. It just manifests what it is. So do you.
Lord, we thank you Father that we no longer live, But Christ lives in us. He produces the fruit by those willing to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You.
Read The Lost Coin by Samuel Hayes Sherwood. A young man’s journey takes him on a path revealing Total Truth about the mystery which is Christ in us.
Enjoy what you wrote
I don’t know how I missed this one blog , Sam . But it sure is what I needed to read this morning .
Yes, Sam, let God work through us.