Labor to Enter God's Rest

Hebrews chapters 3 and 4. This will be my short (hopefully) overview on the rest provided by God.

The Promised land was the rest of God for the Israelites. They did not enter into God's Promised land because of their unbelief. (3:12, 19 4:6 etc.)

How do we enter into the rest of God? Believe.

Hebrews 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

God retired after 6 days of work! What a great plan!

Hebrews 4:9-10 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his.

We enter in the rest of God by His example. Now, on to verse 11 before I type on this.

v11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

But didn't verse 10 say to cease from works and now verse 11 says to labour for rest, which is an oxymoron in itself? Oh my goodness! What does this mean?

You cannot trust in your works and God's promises at the same time. You either cease from your works, and rest in God, or you trust in your works, and depart from God.

So then, because we find it so hard to cease from our works, it is a labor to cease from our works. That's why verse 11 says to labor to rest. Because you cannot rest in God if you work in yourself.

The issue is about belief. Believing in the Lord will keep you in perfect peace. If you're not at peace, you're not trusting God. If you're not at peace, you're not trusting God. Ouch. Isaiah said it first. :)

If you're not trusting God, what are you trusting? YOUR OWN WORKS. Stop it. That takes action. That is labor. Labor to cease from your own works, as God did from His, to enter into his rest. You can rest or you can have unbelieve. You can have the finished work of the cross, or your own righteousness. You can have PEACE which passes your understanding, or you can try to figure life out by yourself.

I could go on and on on what you can have. Life or death. Blessings or curses. Love or Fear. Fruit of the Spirit or Lusts of the Flesh.

You need to trust God. He loves you so much. As a sweet friend likes to put it "It's fine. It's not even a big deal."

I love you guys. Please follow God's example and retire. You won't be forsaken. God takes care of his creations. He loves you. Have a good day.

Giving God Grief

Do it. Seriously. Is 53:4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:

We didn't give him this as much as he took it for us. Griefs and sorrows are talking about sickness and pain, but you can give God any sickness (to be carnally minded is death) and any pain (weapons of God are spiritual to the pulling down of strongholds).

So, give God some grief. He'll give you peace. Sound fair? Of course not! God was just in punishing sin, but not fair in who He punished. Life's not fair. Boy is that right! Jesus took my iniquity, my disease, so I could be righteous and have eternal life. He loves me. He loves you. Don't let His actions go in vain.

Pneumatology

Why don't you ever hear about this? If you research it, people talk about the study of the Holy Spirit. But that's not what I want to blog about. The study of the spirit. Your spirit. Do you ever think about yourself as a spirit? God does.

You are not of the flesh. Are you a body? You are not of the mind. Are you a soul? You are of the spirit! The Spirit testifies that your spirit is a child of God. How do you not sin? Through the spirit! You cannot...it will not happen...it is impossible... you will NEVER live holy through the flesh. Flesh is death. Spirit is life.

Why do people focus on how to not sin? Without the law, sin is dead. Since you are of the spirit, and not of the flesh, why do you seek to solve your problems in the flesh? The flesh destroyed our relationship with God! The only thing it gave us was sickness and disease. DEATH! Why do we cater to the one thing that destroys us?

Satan loves flesh. He has none of his own and likes to use yours. Satan cannot kill, steal and destroy through your spirit. In fact, he flees from those who stand against him. I am disgusted at my flesh. What it wants. What it wishes. What is desires.

I am blessed to have the wants, wishes and desires of my Lord. I am so glad He gives me the desires of my heart. That verse doesn't say he'll give you the desires IN your heart. It says he'll give you the desires of your heart. As in he will PRODUCE the desires of your heart. Have you ever thought of that?

Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall [make, assign, bestow, cause, direct,] the desires of thine heart.

God CAUSES my desires. Not unto death, but unto life. I am of the SPIRIT!

Do you know what it means to delight yourself in something? Let me write that first part of Ps 37 again: Delight [Make soft and pliable] yourself for the Lord. Sounds to me like Romans 12:1&2. (Be not conformed to this world AKA Do not delight yourself to this world)

I want to write so much more but I'll leave you with this little bit. Study the Word of God. You'll be amazed at the gifts God gave you (including your desires). I'll try to write more later. Live in the spirit. God bless.

No witty title, seriously.

I felt like writing, but most anything I write wouldn't make sense to you right now. The title of this message stumps me even now and so, I'm just gonna write whatever comes off the tip of my fingers...
.
..
...
....
.....
....
...
..
.





Still, I don't know what to say :D Okay! I'm debt free! I give ALL my praises to GOD! Hallelujah. He provided for all my needs. And he provided in spite of my bad decisions. I don't have a credit card debt now thanks to him.

I'll pay for my apprenticeship in cash (more probable than paying cash monthly) and I'll soon be all set in a new apartment yet to be named. There. I'm doing wonderful thanks to my Lord. He is my provider.

God blesses!