Hebrews 4:3-4 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;
As God worked on creation for six days and rested on the seventh day, so our seven day week is established on that pattern. If, as the scripture declares, with the Lord one day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years as a day, then the seven-day cycle also finds expression in a great historical “week”. As we approach the 1,000-year reign of the Messiah, this “millennium” as it is called, (described in some detail in Revelation chapter 20), is clearly understood as a time of global rest, peace, and righteousness throughout the Earth.
This “millennial” rest could never come but for its foundation in Yeshua’s cross which was established at the foundation of the world [Revelation 13:8], although it was historically accomplished about 2000 years ago. Our own regular week, itself, with its 7th day of rest gives perpetual testimony to our Lord’s provision for all mankind. This provision is both natural and spiritual; present and future.
Yeshua’s “work” on the cross was the greatest and most difficult labor in history. And He declared it finished, shortly before the Jewish Sabbath began that week, His followers hurrying to remove Him from the cross and bury Him in the tomb before Shabbat began. The Lord’s agonizing work of suffering and death has given rest to all who have believed in Him.
Your weekly day of rest serves a powerful reminder aside from being a day of delight, refreshment, and renewal. You are resting in Yeshua’s finished work, utterly incapable of laboring for your own righteousness, sins forgiven by the shedding of His blood. You also are resting in the hope of the world, the return of the Messiah to establish His peaceable kingdom of righteousness. So this weekend, leave the struggles — the labors — the toil of the week behind you – and enter into His rest, His peace. This is His good will for us who believe.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]The burglar froze in place, allowing the woman to call the police and report the burglary calmly. When the police arrived and detained the man, the officer curiously asked him, “Why did you stop when she cited scripture?” The burglar, still shaken, replied, “Scripture? I thought she said she had an ax and two .38s!”
We’ve been serving in full-time ministry for over 25 years now, and throughout that journey, we’ve certainly experienced our share of trials and tribulations. Sometimes in life, we ask, “Lord, will this ever end?” And if you haven’t noticed, the challenges often don’t stop. But here’s the encouraging part: with every faith-testing moment, our spiritual endurance grows, our character is refined, and our trust in God deepens.
Epraphras is not a name you hear much of. He was a member of the church in Colosse, and obviously a dear saint in the Lord. We know that he suffered imprisonment with Paul at one time. But the thing that really impresses me about this saint is what Paul wrote about him– he always wrestled in prayer!
We often develop strategies, game-plans, life-plans – and then, at some obstacle or critical point, we say – “Just stick to the plan!” It’s usually good advice.
Life is always sending unexpected surprises, but praise God, nothing takes Him by surprise. He’s the master planner. Our family might turn against us, our friends let us down, illness, afflictions, problems and “situations” on every side…God still has a plan, for you, and for me.
The legendary preacher, Charles Spurgeon once said, “Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right.”
Every day roughly 150,000 around the world die. Death has a way of raising our spiritual temperature and quickening us to re-evaluate life…especially to ask, “Am I doing all that I can do?”
The first king of Israel, King Saul,was told by God to utterly slay Amalek and his descendants. In blatant disobedience Saul allowed Agag, the king of the Amalekites and the best of the cattle to remain alive. The following day, Saul tried to remedy his disobedience by attempting to sacrifice the best of the cattle to the Lord.