Resisting A Rest From Jesus…
To resist arrest from the police is serious…
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To resist a rest from Jesus is also serious…
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He wants to lead you beside quiet waters to refresh and restore your soul (Psalm 23)…
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Will you follow Him there?
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Resting in Jesus—Yes, I want this, and yes He wants this for me…BUT HOW DO WE DO THIS!? 🙂
- Physically slowing down, being still and knowing that He is God (Psalm 46:10) (and thus knowing that we are not!)
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- Soaking in Psalm 136 (as an example—God has blessed me mightily in the last month as I have slowly read through this passage a couple of times each day)
. - Soaking in Job 38-42 where God displays His unique credentials to be in charge of the universe (and thus our practical, daily lives!)
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- Soaking in Scripture about God’s character—who He is!
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- Soaking in Scripture about what God has done for you personally in the past (Psalm 143:4-6: remembering and meditating on the works of the Lord when our spirit is faint and when our soul is dehydrated and deeply thirsty)
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- Both in the Bible (yes, as a born-again child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, you are a direct beneficiary of ALL that God did in the Old Testament and the New Testament!!! Like parents lovingly and intentionally preparing the nursery in a house for a baby yet to be born, God has lovingly and intentionally cared for you personally even before you were born as well!!!)
. - And in your own life (what has God carried you through in the last week, month, year and/or decade? What are your altars of remembrance? Please click HERE for more on this)
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4. Soaking in Scripture about what God promises to do for you personally (present & future)
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- Worshipping Him through songs of praise, whether you feel like it or not! Worship isn’t just another task…when we worship the LORD in Spirit and in Truth, we rest, we take our minds off ourselves and fix them on the Lord Jesus!!!! (Hebrews 12:3—we cannot run the race [endure, persevere] Jesus has marked out for us without fixing our eyes on Him constantly!)
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- Learning to quietly wait on God (for more on this please click HERE)
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Now you might say, “But these are all actions, more things to do—this is just more work!!!”
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On one side of the coin, you are correct; if you want to take a nap (rest!), you still need to close the curtains, turn off the ringer on your phone, turn off the lights, close the door to your room, possibly get on pajamas/change your clothes, physically get into bed under the covers, and choose (an action!) to NOT do other activities for a short time so that you can take a nap. Even taking a nap requires a certain amount of work, of physical steps that need to be taken in order to take that rest. Even the phrase, “Take a nap” involves a sort of “taking”—we actively participate in our rest by letting go of other things and grabbing the rest because it is just as vital (if not more!) as the other activities we do that (we think!) produce tangible results.
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But on the other side of the coin, the action steps that the Holy Spirit invites us to take in order to rest are not just “more work” in the same ways that emptying the dishwasher, folding & putting away clothes, running errands, mowing the lawn, or making a sale are work. The action steps for Biblical/Jesus-rest are more concerned with “being” (which is still a verb, an action!) than with “doing.” “Doing” tasks can be done mechanically, without thought, relationship or love; “being” tasks by definition can ONLY be done with thought, in relationship, and through love.
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For example, soaking in the Bible to know God’s character, to remember God’s past faithfulness, and to remember God’s future promises—these actions are not accomplished/finished in the way that filing your taxes are finished. We will never be “done” with soaking in the Bible to know God, and thus it is not an action of “doing” but primarily an action of “being”—it is more about who we are. That is, I am (being!) a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, thus I will be with Him Personally through soaking in Scripture, not as a box to be checked off a list but as an action of being, of relationship, of intimacy, of friendship. I might finish a meal, but as long as I live I will never be done with eating, with nourishing my body; thus I might as well look at eating as not a “doing” task but a part of “being” a human–this will help me to enjoy each meal as something to be savored and enjoyed! The same is true of spending time with Jesus through the Bible…
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- We (hopefully!) wouldn’t say, “Well, I said good morning to my spouse, made a cup of coffee for my spouse, and gave my spouse a kiss on the cheek—DONE! On to my next spousal checklist! (or “Whew—that’s done. Now I don’t have to interact with my spouse again until tomorrow morning!).” That’s mechanical, not relational. That’s about doing a task not being a spouse.
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- Rather, hopefully we are learning to say, “A new day—a gift from the LORD to be filled up with Christ and to pour Him into the lives of others through relational actions of love/service which flow from my identity as a Christian! How can I be with my spouse and grow closer to my spouse relationally this morning, how can I act so that my spouse in literally introduced to Jesus Personally through me? That may involve saying good morning, preparing a cup of coffee, and giving a kiss on the cheek, but only as far as those things enable me to connect relationally with my spouse and personally pour Jesus into my spouse’s mind and heart, not as a task to be accomplished and moved on from but as an ongoing lifestyle/identity to be lived out continuously.”
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There’s a reason why Hebrews 4:11 says, “Strive/make every effort to enter that rest,” the true rest of God…(please click HERE for Hebrews chapter 4).
The rest of God requires effort on our part if only because our natural tendency is not to rest, is to buck like a bronco all of God’s offers of rest, peace, and joyful submission to Him…
See the subtle but important difference?
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Only three letters differentiate lightning and lightning bug, but oh what a difference those three letters make! 🙂
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Furthermore, we won’t be able to do the tasks of resting in Jesus (being!) AND still accomplish all of our other tasks (doing). Something will have to give; thus the list above is not about adding activities to our current schedule. As painful as it may be, we will receive rest as we shed some of the caterpillar skin of the “tyranny of the urgent” tasks and begin to learn how to enter into the Jesus-cocoon where He will transform us into the butterflies of His design…
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My friends, let’s keep praying for help from God the Father, let’s keep seeking to know Jesus Personally each moment through His Word and His Holy Spirit, let’s keep placing ourselves (with the Holy Spirit’s help!) in a posture to receive true rest from Jesus, rest for our weary souls…
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SoulSpartan
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P.S. Has the Holy Spirit enabled you to receive Jesus as your Savior by faith?
Has the Holy Spirit helped you realize that you (like me!) are a sinner deserving God’s wrath?
Has the Holy Spirit helped you therefore to run to Jesus for forgiveness,
not just for your “mistakes” but for your sinful acts of treason against God?
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If not, please do not “resist arrest” from Jesus today…
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He is chasing/pursuing you to arrest you–to convict you (show you!) of your need for Him,
so that you will turn yourself in to Him as your Judge
so He can then immediately set you free as your Savior!
What an amazing plea bargain that He lovingly offers us through His death on the Cross!
Sign your apology to the Eternal Lord so He can seal your acquittal to eternal life–NOT GUILTY! 🙂