Tuesday, May 09, 2006
rest
"i rest in the shelter of Your love and i rest in the wonder of Your grace, i rest in the wonder of Your love, i rest in the wonder of You. taking the old and You're making it new, everything i give to You, You're the hope that can pull me through, halleujah.." Skillet-Rest
i got a cool revelation about this while i was in toronto, but i think i've moved out of it, sooooooooo, time to embrace it once again. REST--hmm, sounds good hey? soaking is the best way, i think... laying down, listening to music that is unto God, something that helps us focus on Him, quiets our minds down or listening to Scripture. i'm choosing to choose it again. i desperately need it and Him! and i believe He'll bring rest and peace to us as we cast our anxiety on Him, and what they taught us in georgia, to take back our peace (when we lose it) as we chew on the Word, because it's powerful and He'll give us revelation and rest as we're seeking Him and what He wants to tell us.
When the promises are mixed with faith
for as long, then, as the promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. we received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. if we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. but not if we don't have faith. remember what God said,
Exasperated, I vowed,
"They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest."
God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in david's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:
Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear...
and so this is still a live promise. it wasn't canceled at the time of joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." the promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. and at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. so let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.
God means what he says. what He says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. we can't get away from it- no matter what.
Hebrews 4:1-13 The Message
Please give wisdom, revelation and protection God.
i got a cool revelation about this while i was in toronto, but i think i've moved out of it, sooooooooo, time to embrace it once again. REST--hmm, sounds good hey? soaking is the best way, i think... laying down, listening to music that is unto God, something that helps us focus on Him, quiets our minds down or listening to Scripture. i'm choosing to choose it again. i desperately need it and Him! and i believe He'll bring rest and peace to us as we cast our anxiety on Him, and what they taught us in georgia, to take back our peace (when we lose it) as we chew on the Word, because it's powerful and He'll give us revelation and rest as we're seeking Him and what He wants to tell us.
When the promises are mixed with faith
for as long, then, as the promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. we received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. if we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. but not if we don't have faith. remember what God said,
Exasperated, I vowed,
"They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest."
God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in david's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:
Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear...
and so this is still a live promise. it wasn't canceled at the time of joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." the promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. and at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. so let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.
God means what he says. what He says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. we can't get away from it- no matter what.
Hebrews 4:1-13 The Message
Please give wisdom, revelation and protection God.
