Rest

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.                                                                                    Heb.4.10

God has made a Sabbath rest. He rested Himself and He invites man to rest also. But not everyone will realise this rest. The writer has said earlier (v3) that only those who believe will rest. Those who heard but did not combine it with faith (v2) will not experience this rest.

The Sabbath rest of God is a topic that could take a lot of enquiry and research. But, for now, I record just a few things that come to mind.

The ultimate rest, and perhaps the ultimate Sabbath, will come in eternity and, of course, it will last forever. Meanwhile there is a rest that is available to me now. We are told that God enacted all His creative work in six days and then rested. We are invited by God to also rest. The rest is His, and we are called to share with Him in His rest. This seems to me to require little of me beyond my complete surrender to Him. As I write these words I have a real sense of His arms, open and outstretched toward me, inviting me to come to Him, to relax in His comforting and strengthening hold, and to simply rest – and rest simply – in Him.

There may be times when I will cease all that I’m doing and surrender into His rest. I see this as the ultimate earthly experience of the Sabbath rest. It is also possible for me, however, to “rest in Him” as I go. As I allow myself to do this and still enjoy times of total Sabbath rest in Him, I will find myself always in Him, and always at rest.

Lord God,

I see You beckoning me to join You in rest, in a God-given, God-blessed Sabbath rest. I come to You. Setting aside all else, I release myself to You now. I am still. I sense peace. Indeed the atmosphere is filled with Your gentle presence. Draw me close, Precious One. I come to rest in and with You. I praise You.               Amen.

The Son

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word...   Heb.1.3

The Son is God. He is one with God, inseparable. The glory of the deity radiates forth from the Son. God the Father has not been seen on earth but the Son has walked this earth, He has related to people and situations. 

He has communed with us. And this Son, whom we have received and with whom we fellowship, is the exact representation of God. To see the Son is to see God. To be touched by the Son is to be touched by God. The Son sustains all things. It is as though all life and being were in Him, by Him and through Him. The Son has saved me. He has brought me to the Father. He speaks to me. I hear His powerful word, and I receive it. I connect to the whole Godhead through the Son. Hallelujah!

Lord God,

I give You thanks and praise for the Son. I rejoice in knowing the Son and in the relationship He has led me into with the Triune Godhead.

I exult that Jesus is, truly, real to me and I live in a tangible and meaningful relationship with Him.

Through the Son I have come to the Father. I have received the most precious love covering of the Father. I know true love – unstinting and ever-flowing. I am so well blessed.

The Son has bestowed upon me the presence and power of the Spirit, His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Through the Son, who strengthens me by His Spirit, I can do anything. I’m still coming to a fuller understanding. I ask You to lead me in further understanding of this, Lord. I ask You to lead me in more revelation and truth.

I rejoice in the gift of relationship I have with Father, Son and Spirit. I ask that You would deepen this relationship even further, and lead me to share it with others. I thank You. I thank You, gracious Lord.       Amen.

The way of love

Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love.   Philemon 8.9a

Paul sees his authority in Christ enabling him to “order” Philemon to certain actions. But he chooses not to exert his authority. Instead he makes an appeal of love to Philemon. As I read the rest of this short letter it seems to me that Paul’s appeal has quite a measure of persuasion.

Albeit, I see Christ in this appeal. And isn’t this the way of Jesus? God (Christ) is all-powerful. God can command, order, decree, enact. Instead He chooses the way of love. He appeals, He woos us. His rescue of us is mounted in love. His rescue gives the world the greatest demonstration of love that has ever been seen, or ever will be.

Paul demonstrates his commitment to Christ as a disciple in his choosing to appeal to Philemon on the basis of love and not by ordering him through ecclesiastical authority.

Lord God,

I thank You for the sweet and simple lesson and illustration that comes from this Scripture. Paul is adopting the way of Jesus. This is wonderful. I pray for the present earthly leaders of Your people. I pray that they also will minister and lead out of love and not out of ordained or assumed authority.

Our Lord walked this earth as a servant. Let His people do likewise. Show us the way, Lord. Show us also any distinction between servant and slave. I wish to serve my fellow beings, but I don’t think this means enslaving myself to all and sundry.

Again, Lord, I seek Your way. Show me Your way, and lead me in it. May I, like Paul, witness for Jesus on the basis of love and not through ordering and control.

Take me forward into this day. Have Your way, in Jesus’ name I ask. Amen. 

God led

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.           Titus 2.1

Paul is writing to Titus and encouraging him in regard to responsible preaching and teaching. Titus is in Crete where, as in many places where the Gospel has been presented, false teachers sought to sway believers with their own ideas of God’s Word.

The subject pronoun is emphatic. Paul is, in fact, saying, “Titus, do not be swayed by what other teachers seek to put forward. Make sure you speak out a pure and sound gospel.”

In some respects nothing has changed in the last two thousand years. Still today preachers and teachers speak out of their own bias and perspective with a possible distortion of sound doctrine, but often with great conviction.

I look on this matter personally and I take Paul’s emphatic pronoun to refer to myself. I want to be sure that I speak only in accord with sound doctrine – that is, God’s sound doctrine and no one else’s. I can share from my own experiences for this gives credibility to my witness. But I need to exercise care that I do not stray from the Word nor give a slant to the Gospel that is unhealthy and ungodly.

Lord God,

I thank You for Your Word. It is my desire to speak and to share Your Word clearly and with God-ordained meaning. I want to present the Gospel as You would have it presented. I ask You to lead me in this. I pray for wisdom and Holy Spirit led insight to understand Your focus, to present it clearly and share with those You call to hear it.

In teaching, I need to know myself. I ask You, precious Lord, to be my number one teacher. Show me the secrets in Your Word. Share with me the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

Let me speak in truth for Jesus. I ask this in His precious name.          Amen.

Guard

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.                       2 Tim.1.14

The meaning of the Greek word for “guard” comes from the verb “to be”. Expanded meanings include: to hold, possess, eat, enjoy, fear, need, and use. I am delighted at this variety of meanings. 

The deposit mentioned in the verse quoted is the Gospel and here Paul is encouraging me to do all these wonderful things with the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.

All the various meanings there are of this verb lead me to a similar conclusion. If I possess the gospel, if I eat it and thereby take it into my being, if I enjoy it, or fear it with a godly fear, if I need it – and I most certainly do, and if I use it, all these point me to the same end – to be  the Gospel.

I hear God speaking to me today through Paul’s words. I hear God encouraging me to be the Gospel of Jesus Christ – to exude the good news of the Kingdom of God through every fibre of my being. I can do this. I know I can, through the Holy Spirit who lives in me.

Lord God,

I thank You for this precious revelation. I need and enjoy the Gospel, the goodness of Jesus. It is alive in me. I live in it. I ask You to strengthen this in me. Empower me through the presence of Your Holy Spirit in me. May I, every day, become more and more alive in Your gospel story. Give me confidence in You, and boldness to live out the Gospel and freely share it wherever I go. I feel I want to echo Isaiah and say, “Here am I. Send me.”

I love You and I want to share this love. I seek to do this in harmony with Your Holy Spirit. Hear my prayer, that I might live the Gospel until it consumes me. Help me, in Jesus’ name I ask.                  Amen.

The Mystery

Beyond all question, the mystery of God is great:

he appeared in a body,

Was vindicated by the Spirit, 

was seen by angels, 

was preached among the nations, 

was believed on in the world, 

was taken up in glory.                                1 Tim. 3.16

What is the mystery of godliness? What is it that produces piety in people? The mystery, the secret, is Jesus. His whole life is the source of genuine piety. All He did encapsulates godliness. He was truly God with us, God in human form.

His conception came by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was the force that motivated, guided and enabled Him throughout the course of His earthly life.

I want to know piety. What is piety? To me, it is a life of godliness. I want to live a life of godliness. I want to become more and more Christ-like in my living. The Holy Spirit is there to help me. Jesus Himself promised the Spirit, and the Spirit has come.

Lord God,

I know of Jesus, the mystery of godliness. And, in small measure, I can say that I know Him. But I want to know Him more. I want to draw closer to Him in personal relationship. I want to exhibit more of Him in my life. This is my prayer.

I acknowledge Your Holy Spirit. I believe I have been touched and filled by Your Holy Spirit. I thank You for this. I pray that Your Holy Spirit will continue to touch me, to fill me and lead me in the fullness of Christ.

I ask for more. More of You in me. More of me doing what You want me to do, whatever that might be. Your mysteries are many and wonderful. But the greatest mystery is the love You poured forth in Jesus. Let me know this love, Lord. Let me receive it and share it, in Jesus’ name I ask.          Amen.

Protected

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.                                   2 Thess.3.3

There are times when I seem caught up with worldly influences. Subtly my focus is shifted from God. I feel disappointed in myself that the carnal nature comes to the fore, and I feel less close to God. This is relatively minor activity yet it has the power to be so destructive. My thoughts are consumed with issues of the fallen world around me. I am not pressing in to God with the same desire and intensity because a host of “fleshly issues” distracts me. I know full well that this is the work of the enemy and it is sometimes difficult for me to re-focus on God. 

This is where God Himself becomes involved. God is faithful. When my faith is tested and is sometimes shown to be lacking, or at the very least diminished, I can look to God. I can turn fully to the One who is full of faith. He is full of faith and He is true to His Word. He says, “I will never leave you. I will not forsake you.” He says this and He means it. His word comes also through Paul today. He promises to strengthen me and protect me from the evil one.

What must I do? I think I need to claim His promises, and surrender myself into His hands.

Lord,

You remind us that we are in the world but not of the world. Sometimes I feel as if the attack of the world, and of the evil one, will overwhelm me and draw me down. I do not want this. My heart wants to walk with You, closely, at all times. My thoughts sometimes distract and side track me. In this I call out to You, Lord. I surrender my thoughts and behaviour, indeed all of me, to You. I place myself firmly in your hands. I claim Your Word that You are with me always; You are for me, You will strengthen me and protect me from the evil one. In You I am assured of victory over sin. I claim these promises. I ask You to work in my life, taking me on in the process of sanctification. I thank You and rejoice in Your faithfulness. Blessed is Your name.           Amen.