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Believe and Enter into God's Rest
Andrea Lende • April 18, 2021
Hebrews 3:19
Believe and Enter into God’s Rest
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Believe-and-Enter-into-Gods-Rest-ev5cqj
Hebrews 3:19
“So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest], because of their unwillingness to adhere to and trust in and rely on God [unbelief shut them out].”
Peace and rest are available in God.
I just don’t tap into it as much as I should or as much as I need to.
Chaos and turbulence are constantly bombarding us these days.
Worldly treasures try to steal our attention and time.
I find when I am pursuing ways to make me feel secure, I start trusting more in those things rather than trusting God.
I put my faith in worldly possessions instead of heavenly ones.
And my focus shifts to activities which steal my time, energy, and emotional capacity.
After all the chasing, there simply isn’t energy left to pursue the Lord.
There isn’t time to read the Bible, pray, or sit in God’s presence.
And eventually the worldly thing I was chasing becomes a mirage.
No matter how close I get to the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow, the gold moves further away.
Eventually, I realize I have chased yet another empty promise and dream leaving me exhausted in all ways.
Then I pick up the Bible and attempt to restart my relationship with the Lord.
It takes time to reconnect and get back into His flow because my body and soul need so much restoration.
The Lord is always there to pick me up and heal my wounds.
However, it seems as soon as I am healed and made whole, another shiny object comes along, and the cycle begins again.
The enemy tries to derail the Lord’s business and purpose in every way, and he uses us to accomplish the mission.
As I read our passage today, I was reminded that God requires my complete trust to be in Him and not worldly things.
I was reminded the Israelites desired to be constantly entertained by false gods and were, therefore, unable to enter the promised land.
After repeated acts of disobedience and discontentment, they had worn out their opportunity to have the best the Lord desired for them.
They just never fully trusted in the Lord.
Our passage says, their “unbelief had shut them out” of God’s rest.
I don’t want more things which divert my attention and take me out of God’s presence and rest.
I want more of God.
Today I choose to put my trust and reliance in the Lord and enter His rest.
May you find that as you trust and believe in the Lord, He will bring you to a place of rest and peace.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me to trust in You. Thank You for reminding me that as I put my faith in You and fully believe in and rely on You, I will enter Your rest. Help me fully give all of me to You. Help me give You my needs and desires. Help me give You my will and my heart. Take all of me and make me all Yours, Lord. Do not let me be led astray by this world or all the things that call to me. Help me sort out the real from the unreal. Impart Your Wisdom in me, so I may distinguish the wise from the foolish. Help me seek You in all things, Lord. Keep me seeking You. Keep my eyes on You as this world tries to steal my attention from You. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM more powerful than all the things in this world and I will keep you Mine for eternity.
Response: Thank You, Almighty and All-Powerful God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.