We serve a great God. Obeying Him does not mean striving; it means resting. He provides the only way we can actually experience true rest - Jesus. Although we “know” the gospel, we often fail to live as if all the implications of the gospel are really true. For example, how many of us have a hard time obeying God’s command to rest?
I think for many of us, our identity is based on how hard we work (or how hard other’s think we work), Our success in ministry, an immaculate house, or the countless other things that keep us “doing”. But the gospel says our identity is secure in Christ. Our righteousness is determined by what Jesus did, not by what we can accomplish. Understanding and trusting this truth frees us up to obey God’s command to rest. We read in Isaiah 30:15,
"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.'
We act as if our salvation, the salvation of our church and ministry is based on our
striving effort. We run from repentance. We feel guilty if we rest. We don’t trust the finished work of Christ. As a result, our joy disappears and we become ineffective in ministering to others.
We can stop! We can stop striving and straining. We can rest. God is calling us to trust Him for rest.
How will you accept God’s invitation to rest today?
Written by Gypsi Town