JANUARY 5

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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Psalm 37:7

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;…..”

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Philippians 4:7

“and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 4:9

“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.”

Revelation 14:13

“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’  ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’”

Psalm 121:4

“Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

Isaiah 40:28

“Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The everlasting God, the Lord,

The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.  His understanding is unsearchable.”

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This month we’re reading  the new devotional   “Becoming New”,  written by  Warren W. Wiersbe and compiled by his grandson.  Pastor Wiersbe was the President of Moody Bible Institute before the current President, Erwin Lutzer.  

THE REST OF GOD

Read Genesis 2:1-3; Matthew 11:25-12:14; and Hebrews 4:1-13

The whole Godhead models the rhythms of work and rest.  “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile,”  Jesus told His disciples in Mark 6:31.  If we are to serve effectively, work must be balanced with rest, and the noise and bustle of the crowd with quietness and solitude.  God’s plan includes  different “rests” for us to appreciate and appropriate.

REST AFTER WORK: God rested after creation, not because He was weary but because His work was completed.  He gave Israel the seventh day as a day of physical rest.  It was Adam’s sin that turned work into sweat and toil (Genesis 3:17-19), and in spite of today’s “labor-saving technology,” we still need relief from the pressure and pain of work.  God gave the Sabbath day to Israel to remind them that He is the Creator (Ex 20:8-11); Nehemiah 9:13-14).

All Ten commandments except the fourth are repeated in the Epistles for believers today, but Colossians 2:16-17 and Romans 14 teach us not to judge one another with respect to special days.  However, we must not ignore the principle behind the fourth commandment: we must be good stewards of our bodies and our time.

REST IN THE MIDDLE OF WORK:  Our Lord’s invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 promises to give rest to sinners who come to Him in faith.  But we may also “find rest” as daily we learn of Him and yield to Him.  During His ministry.  Jesus helped people, taught His disciples, listened to false accusations, witnessed unbelief and watched the opposition grow.  Yet He was always in control and not upset by the enemy.  On the eve of His arrest, He was able to say to His disciples, “I am leaving you with a gift….peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is the gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid.  This is “God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  The world gets periods of peace by diversion and distraction, but believers receive peace by transformation.  Jesus compared our trials to the pains of a mother about to give birth:  (John 16:20-22): The same child that gives the mother pain also gives her joy!  If we don’t have peace and joy in the midst of our burdens and battles, we will become complaining drudges and never experience the joy of the Lord, which is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

REST ETERNAL.  We have an eternal rest before us in heaven.  Jesus is preparing a rest for His people.  Where we will worship, minister, learn, and bring glory to God.  Read Revelation 21-22 and find rest for your soul.

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