Resting in the Lord - Jeremiah 40-42 and Hebrews 4
Rest can be passive, or it can be active. When we rest in the Lord, we cease from doing things our way, and we actively pursue doing what He has set before us. This takes the stress off of us. We do not have to work it out, we simply do His will. This is the best way to live. It is resting in the Lord, or entering into His rest.
Jeremiah was freed from prison, and he could have gone anywhere he wanted to go, because of his faithfulness to God. He chose to live in the land with those left behind, and he told them, if they would work, God would bless them. They could not be satisfied with resting in the Lord's will, though. There was a group of men who assassinated the governor, and then, they wanted to leave the land and go to Egypt, because they thought they would have rest in Egypt. Jeremiah told them that God would kill them if they went to Egypt. They were to rest in the Lord right there. Even though they asked Jeremiah to pray for them, they were being hypocrites. They had already made up their minds to go to Egypt. Are you resting in the Lord, or are you trying to control your life? When you pray, do you want your own will, and you are asking God to give that to you? If you don't stop trying to control and start trusting, you will never have real rest from the Lord.
Hebrews 4 is all about God's rest. God rested from His labors on the seventh day of creation, and He means for us to rest in Him, too. It takes trust, but we should be able to trust, because we have His powerful, sharp Word, and we have Jesus, our High Priest, who knows all we are going through. He became a man, so He could totally relate to all of our stress and trials. If we listen to Him and to His Word, He will lead us from stress to rest. How many of us need that today? All of us need God's rest. It is available to you today, if you pray sincerely and follow His perfect Word to you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 43-45 and Hebrews 5.
Jeremiah was freed from prison, and he could have gone anywhere he wanted to go, because of his faithfulness to God. He chose to live in the land with those left behind, and he told them, if they would work, God would bless them. They could not be satisfied with resting in the Lord's will, though. There was a group of men who assassinated the governor, and then, they wanted to leave the land and go to Egypt, because they thought they would have rest in Egypt. Jeremiah told them that God would kill them if they went to Egypt. They were to rest in the Lord right there. Even though they asked Jeremiah to pray for them, they were being hypocrites. They had already made up their minds to go to Egypt. Are you resting in the Lord, or are you trying to control your life? When you pray, do you want your own will, and you are asking God to give that to you? If you don't stop trying to control and start trusting, you will never have real rest from the Lord.
Hebrews 4 is all about God's rest. God rested from His labors on the seventh day of creation, and He means for us to rest in Him, too. It takes trust, but we should be able to trust, because we have His powerful, sharp Word, and we have Jesus, our High Priest, who knows all we are going through. He became a man, so He could totally relate to all of our stress and trials. If we listen to Him and to His Word, He will lead us from stress to rest. How many of us need that today? All of us need God's rest. It is available to you today, if you pray sincerely and follow His perfect Word to you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 43-45 and Hebrews 5.