July 5th, 20

JULY 5,   To Rest or Not to Rest

Today’s readings are Hosea 6 – 9 and Hebrews 3. We are reading from the New Living Translation.

To rest or not to rest. That is the question.  Our world experiences so much pain and judgement, all because we refuse to rest.  We refuse to trust and rely on God and, instead, insist on relying on our own efforts.  We refuse to humble ourselves.  We refuse to accept the proclamation that this is the day of salvation – the day to enter his rest.  It’s such a simple word – Rest. It’s such a simple call upon our lives – to enter into God’s rest.  

None of the prophets succeeded in bringing God’s people into God’s rest.  Call and cry as they would, the people hardened their hearts and refused to enter into the sublime simplicity of His rest.  Moses offered sacrifices, pointing us to the ultimate sacrifice of God, that paid the price and achieved our rest.  It was a price we could not paid.  It had to be paid by Someone other than us.  But Christ didn’t point to the sacrifice. He was the sacrifice that would make a way for us to enter into God’s rest.  

And now, because of what Christ has done for us, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us, warning and empowering us to enter into His rest. We must cease from our striving and end our incessant and fearful work of trying to justify ourselves through our own piety.  We must stop our- never-ending rebellion, running away from God, and demanding that life be lived only on our own terms.  Instead, we are invited to exchange all the pain, destruction and devastation of a life lived apart from God, for His rest. This is the simple call of faith – the with-God life.  

Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled. (Heb 3:15)

To rest or not to rest, that is the question. Exchange a hard heart for his rest.  Hear the simple, sublime call of faith in Christ.  Find God’s rest for you, in Jesus.

You are loved!