REST

I looked up the word “rest” in a Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and found these definitions, freedom from activity and labor, Peace of mind and spirit. I started to think how these definitions fit in the Bible.

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” First, what labor is he talking about? What are we heavy laden with? Hebrews 12:1 talks about laying aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. We must put off the actions that are against the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”1 There will be situations in your life when everything around you seems to be in chaos. Someone may say to you, “Aren’t you going to get upset or angry about that? If you have been obedient to Jesus Christ and his teachings you will be able to have a peaceful feeling in your life that others will not be able to understand. No matter what time of day, when you pray to God he can give you the help and encouragement that you can’t find anywhere else. To be able to receive this help and peace means we must be obedient before that situation happens.

Hebrews 4:1, “Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” Does this mean that some people will not be able to enter into God’s rest? Yes, it does. There is a qualification that must be met of entering into this rest to the people of God. “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”2 This rest is for the people of God for their souls. As the verse says, if we are going to enter into his rest we must cease from our works. Those works are anything that is against the righteousness of God. We must press each day to lay aside these ways that are against God.3 There is no magic that makes it disappear. We must stop those actions and not continue to do them.

God’s rest gives us freedom from living in our sinful life that we were living. God’s rest will give us peace of mind and spirit if we will be obedient to God’s teachings. Not everyone wants this rest. For the ones who do, let’s lay aside our own opinions and get in one mind so we can share in the joy of the kingdom of God. Come and find out more about God’s rest so that you can enjoy the benefits.

Pastor Michael Miller

1. Romans 14:17 2. Hebrews 4:10-11 3. Luke 16:16 & Phil. 3:14