Between Rest

Between

Rest

The time between Christmas and New Year’s is a good time to Rest

Not taking off work but evaluating your work

“Why am I doing what I am doing?”

“In the past year what eternal treasure have I stored?”

“What eternal treasures will I lay up in heaven in the year to come?”

“Do I see my work as a job or opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ?”

We need to realize the Rest God has for us is

“…for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work”

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write:

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."

"Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

It is not only doing the right thing,

It is the right attitude about what we are doing

. There remains, then, a Sabbath — rest for the people of God;

for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest,

Are you in the place of God’s Rest?

Rest

I am a goal orientated person.

I have no shortage of short term and long term goals.

I love accomplishment, to finish a

goal or project is better than chocolate.

I love words like work, productivity,

accomplishment, goals, fruit.

These words wake me up in the

morning and put me to slept at night.

    

I enjoy standing more than sitting.

 

Some of you are thinking, “Bill you need help”. 

And I do need help, I need “Rest”.

Rest had to become one of my goals.

By 9:30 at night, I am getting communion ready

for Sandy and I, so we can read the

Word together, pray and go to bed.

My goal is to be up by 6am.

I know that if I do not give God my morning,

He will not have my attention the rest of the day.

Every night I need to give my

body rest so it might be refreshed.

Every morning I give my spirit

rest so it might be refreshed.

My goal is by 9am to take care of office things than

get to my feet and conquer the world of my goals.

Even with a daily routine of time with God,

 I need times of refreshing spiritually.

The time between Christmas and

New Year’s is one of those times.

It does not mean I sit in front of

the TV or play computer games.

And it does not mean

I don’t work on projects.

The time between Christmas and New Year’s

is a time I ask myself the question…

Am I entering God’s Rest?

Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 tells us the

people of God did not enter into God’s Rest.

The Sabbath Rest was more than one day a week.

Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today

Hebrews 4:7

The Sabbath Day or Rest is to be Today.

You and I live in today,

not tomorrow or yesterday. 

Today is to be a day of Rest.

The key reason God’s people did not

enter God’s Rest was “Disobedience”.

We can be disobedience

either willingly of unwilling.

God has plans for you, some are

short term and others are long term.

 

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

Each step of our lives is to be a step of obedience.

Entering into God’s Rest is not

“Let go and Let God” in the sense that God

does everything while we take a vacation.

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath — rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:8-11

We need to realize the Rest God has for us is…

 “…for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work”

The example is God after 6 days of creation rested.

But God did not stop working.

Jesus said…

 “My Father is always at work

and I too am working.”

The Rest God has for you and I

is not working on our own world.

God has a much bigger and better plan.

You are eternal, don’t get lost in the temporary work.

Everything God has for us to do has eternal purposes.

Look at Revelation 14:13…

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write:

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."

"Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor,

for their deeds will follow them."

Every morning I spend time with God so

I might see the steps He has for me that day.

Between Christmas and New Years I take

time to look at the steps of the past year.

Struggle is a part of life.

It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer

for doing good than for doing evil.

1 Peter 3:17

When we come to our final resting place God says…

"They will rest from their labor,

for their deeds will follow them."

This is why it is import to take times of Rest to

make sure we are laying up treasures in Heaven.

If you are going to work to get more

money you have not entered the Rest…

If you are going to work to provide a

product or service that helps others…

If you go to work to care for your family’s needs.

If you go to work because you see it is God’s

way of supporting you as His missionary…

Then you are entering into His Rest.

Whatever you do in word or

deed, do it as unto the Lord.

 

Take time to check your attitude about what you do.

For there is Rest, Peace, Joy in knowing that

whatever you do you are doing it as unto the Lord.

 

The question I ask myself between

Christmas and New Year’s is…

“Why am I doing what I am doing?”

In the past year what eternal treasure have I stored?”

What eternal treasures will lay

up in heave in the year to come?

Scripture Reading

Hebrews 4 NIV

4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.   3 Now we who have believed enter that rest , just as God has said,

"So I declared on oath in my anger,

'They shall never enter my rest .'"

And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work."   5 And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest ."

6 It still remains that some will enter that rest , and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:

"Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts."  

8 For if Joshua had given them rest , God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath — rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest , so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.