Living in God's Rest
God wants us to enjoy our everyday lives. John 10:10 says that Jesus died for us so we "may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)" (AMP). But it seems so many people who say they believe in Jesus are not really enjoying their lives. It's tragic to think that Jesus paid the price for our sins, that He suffered to make that sacrifice, and yet there are Christians who are struggling just to get by and make it through each day.
The key to having abundant life in Christ is living by God's grace through faith. Because grace is His power working in us that enables us to do whatever we need to do in life.
When we try to do everything in our own strength and leave God out of the equation, we just get worn-out and frustrated by our mistakes and failures. But when we lean on God, we actually enter into His rest and can enjoy our lives, no matter what our circumstances may be.
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Hebrews 4:9-11 (AMP) says, "So then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God; for he who has once entered [God's] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors…. Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves] …."
Now the rest of God is not a rest from work — it's a rest in work. It's partnering with God to do what He is calling you to do by His grace, and leaving the part you can't do in His hands, trusting Him to do it. Hebrews 4:3 says it this way: "We who have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on God) do enter that rest …." So we start by believing.
When I'm trying to believe, I haven't entered God's rest. But when I do believe, I have complete rest in Him. Living by faith is not a struggle — it's rest. And you can enter into God's rest in every area of your life.
I've discovered that the stress in my life is caused by the way I approach my circumstances and the attitude I have toward them. It was a turning point for me when I realized that the world will probably never change, but I could learn how to change the way I go about handling situations that are challenging.
One key to this is knowing that as believers in Christ, we are partners with God — we have a part and He has a part in everything He calls us to do. When we don't do the part we can do and we try to do His part, that's when we live stressed-out with worry, fear, anxiety, frustration, no peace and no joy.
The reason this happens sometimes is because we think God needs our help. We meditate on the problem — rolling it over and over in our mind, worrying, trying to figure out how things should work out. It's like we're telling God, "I kind of think You need my help, and I'm not sure You can take care of this situation, Lord."
We need to realize that worrying is useless! It's like sitting in a rocking chair, rocking all day, wearing yourself out and getting nowhere. Trusting God means we give up worrying, reasoning, and anxiety and we enter into His rest with simple childlike faith — we live by grace through faith!
Ephesians 2:8-9 is a great scripture that says we're saved by grace through faith. And we walk out our relationship with God and His plans for our lives the same way we receive salvation: by grace through faith. This is possible because Jesus made the perfect sacrifice for us when He gave His life, taking our guilt and condemnation and paying for our sins. Through a personal relationship with Jesus, we access God's grace so we can do what He's calling us to do.
It's so amazing to know that God is always with us, giving us His grace for everything we need to do in life. Trust God's unconditional love for you today. Do what you can do and give Him everything else. And when you find yourself getting frustrated or feeling overwhelmed, like you just can't do it anymore, remember to stop, get your focus back on Him and enter into His rest once again.
