C.H. Spurgeon wrote...
Do not tell me that there is no rest for us until we get to heaven. We who have believed in Jesus enter into rest now. Why should we not do so? Our salvation is complete. The robe of righteousness in which we are clad is finished. The Atonement for our sins is fully made. We are reconciled to God, the Father, held by His grace, and supplied by Him with all that we need. As a result, He asks that we carry all our burdens to Him and leave them at His feet. Have you done this? Do you do this regularly? What are you holding onto?
God wants us to spend our lives in His service, and as we do we find His ways to be ways of pleasantness, and His paths to paths of peace. Here we have found rest unto our souls! I recollect the first day that I ever rested in Christ, and I did rest that day. And so will all of us as we come to Him.
The Word Sabbath, simply means rest and as an original part of the law this has given way to the reality of Christ in the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28). The Sabbath no longer has significance as a day; its significance is in that to which it pointed....in Jesus who gives rest (Matthew 11:28) and in whom we have ceased from our works (Hebrews 4:10). For those who rest in Christ, every day is a Sabbath (Romans 14:15).
Do you need this reminder? By keeping the Sabbath, God's people were to proclaim what God Himself said about all creation when He "rested." God's provision is all we need to fulfill His calling in our lives. Like God, His people were not to rest on the Sabbath because they were exhausted or needed a break, but because they were content in God and His will. The key to experiencing the fullness of God's rest is just this...contentment in Him alone. God's own pleasure in His provisions, signified by His "rest," was to be marked by and embodied in His people's pleasure in what He had provided...likewise signified by their rest.
Jesus proclaimed, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). It was an offer of an abiding Sabbath rest. WE now have that promise of rest in Jesus and there is no other true rest besides Jesus. He alone satisfies the requirements of the Law, and He alone provides the sacrifice that atones for sin. Our rest is in Jesus that He cares for us and will provide for us. Look how Peter sums this up, "Casting all your cares upon Him; for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
1 comments:
Good words. Thanks for the reminder.
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