Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yolk upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yolk is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, today, after so long a time; as it is said, today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day. 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. (Hebrews 4:7-10)
How many of us labor and toil everyday trying to be good enough to deserve what God has already freely given us? Do we really know it is a "free" gift? Yes we know it with head knowledge, but in our hearts and way down deep..do we truly believe that we can rest in God's free gift of love and grace, and allow Him to produce the right living in our lives?
Do we know how to grab ahold of God and His Word, with all of our strength...so that in His strength we can become victorious over all of those things that so easily trip us up?
I thought i did, but am discovering that truly knowing the depth, height, width, and length of His love for me, is something that i need to develop more. As i grew up, my dad was not a person who was very affectionate, or verbal with his feelings...even just to say I love you (not that i remember anyway). He had a lot of things in his own life that the devil tried to use to destroy him. If only he had grabbed ahold of God's love for him when we were young, but glory be to Jesus, God got his surrendered life in the 80's. And he lived his life to try to be the light and the salt, from that day forward. But in looking back on things now, it seems to me that he had a lot of toil, and not rest. I think that rest is something that we all have to learn. Society today does not know how to rest, or do things apart from their own strength.
Me on the other hand, i learned to try to be good enough to get the attention, praise or love. Now that may work as a child...with it's own consequences, but i can tell you as an adult that simply does not work. And as one tries to grow in God.....well trying to learn to accept a free gift makes for interesting character building.
So i pray as we all prepare for resurrection Sunday. And to receive the gift of God's first born Son, that came to redeem us from our sinful nature. Through the precious Blood that was freely shed. That we are all able to try to begin to wrap our hearts around the true meaning of Grace (God's overwhelming desire to treat you and me as if sin never happened) and what Jesus' death makes available to us all.
May the Lord richly bless each and every one with an abundance of grace, love and joy!
Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, today, after so long a time; as it is said, today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day. 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. (Hebrews 4:7-10)
How many of us labor and toil everyday trying to be good enough to deserve what God has already freely given us? Do we really know it is a "free" gift? Yes we know it with head knowledge, but in our hearts and way down deep..do we truly believe that we can rest in God's free gift of love and grace, and allow Him to produce the right living in our lives?
Do we know how to grab ahold of God and His Word, with all of our strength...so that in His strength we can become victorious over all of those things that so easily trip us up?
I thought i did, but am discovering that truly knowing the depth, height, width, and length of His love for me, is something that i need to develop more. As i grew up, my dad was not a person who was very affectionate, or verbal with his feelings...even just to say I love you (not that i remember anyway). He had a lot of things in his own life that the devil tried to use to destroy him. If only he had grabbed ahold of God's love for him when we were young, but glory be to Jesus, God got his surrendered life in the 80's. And he lived his life to try to be the light and the salt, from that day forward. But in looking back on things now, it seems to me that he had a lot of toil, and not rest. I think that rest is something that we all have to learn. Society today does not know how to rest, or do things apart from their own strength.
Me on the other hand, i learned to try to be good enough to get the attention, praise or love. Now that may work as a child...with it's own consequences, but i can tell you as an adult that simply does not work. And as one tries to grow in God.....well trying to learn to accept a free gift makes for interesting character building.
So i pray as we all prepare for resurrection Sunday. And to receive the gift of God's first born Son, that came to redeem us from our sinful nature. Through the precious Blood that was freely shed. That we are all able to try to begin to wrap our hearts around the true meaning of Grace (God's overwhelming desire to treat you and me as if sin never happened) and what Jesus' death makes available to us all.
May the Lord richly bless each and every one with an abundance of grace, love and joy!
