Learning to Rest

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:11-12

We do not have what it takes to live the Christian life, and we never did have. The only one who can live the Christian life is Jesus Christ. He proposes to reproduce his life in us. Our part is to expose every situation to his life in us, and by that means, depending upon him and not upon us, we are to meet every situation, enter into every circumstance, and perform every activity. We cease from our own labors.

This is the way you began the Christian life; you came to the place where you stopped trying to save yourself. You quit trying to be good enough to get into heaven. You said, I'll never make it. You looked to the Lord Jesus and said, If he has taken my place, then that is all I need. Thus, receiving him, and resting on that fact by faith, you stopped your own efforts, ceased from your own work, and rested on his.

The instrument by which we enter into God's rest is the Word of God. This living, marvelous word is an instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit with a two-edged action. It strips off the false. If we seek to obey it, as we read it we shall discover that it exposes the entrenched power of the flesh in our life and strips off all pretense. Our flesh can be utterly ruthless, moving in on us, backing us into a corner, taking down all our fences and facades, worming its way right into the heart of our nature.

But the Word has a two-fold action. It not only strips off the false, but it unveils the true. When we come to the place where we are ready to take a good look at ourselves, then there comes the delivering word that sets us on our feet again and shows us, in Christ, every provision for every need. We need no longer go on fighting a battle that is already lost, but we can step out each fresh, new day into the glorious experience of a victory that is already won.

Normally, it is expected that a Christian who comes to know the Lord Jesus will be led into the experience of rest within a few years after his conversion. It may take no longer than a few months. But even if you have been living in the wilderness of self effort for many years, it is yet possible to die to your unbelief, and to leave the carcass of self-sufficiency behind.

Lord, how this word has searched my heart. It is exactly what you declared it to be, that which can discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. Thank you for this wonderful surgery that sets me free. Amen.