Finding Rest ~ A good look at HEBREWS4

I have a couple of weeks off from studies right now, and I've been coming up with various ways to find what to do. Catching up with my emails, going on errands, writing and even painting. It's been a really productive few days so far. But waking up this morning and opening up my curtains to let in the tremendous amount of light from the great outdoors put me in a really different head-space.

I was so quiet and so still , I looked up and saw a bird, in the far distance just gliding on the wind - in total serenity.

And then He spoke. (after all of our good mornings of course)

'I want you to be like that bird, gliding on the wind ... Go to Hebrews.'

I went straight to Hebrews and found chapter 4, that I had read a couple of months ago [John 14:26 (ASV)], Took my notepad and pen , and started at it. 'Promised Rest for Gods people'

In reading this, I plan to go through a couple of things...

- Why do we need this Rest ?

-What exactly is this Rest ?

-What were the past mistakes concerning this Rest ?

-And How do we enter the Rest of God.

Okay ... so why do we need this rest, honestly - this really isn't a question we should be asking, because whatever the Bible says, that is what we should trust, and honestly it is our love and  for Christ that leads us into the knowledge that is is our DUTY to obey Him. [evidence for this in Luke 17:10 (NLT)] 

Anywho... in answering this question we get to look at a lot of the chapter- so lets do it.

Why do we need rest ... its a funny thing, but with all of the cares of the world and every responsibility that lies on each and every individual, the stresses and worries that can come to people of all ages everywhere, I'd have to ask the question ... why wouldn't we need rest ?

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." -MATT11"28

One of the many benefits in following Christ is having the ability to take your worries and burdens and hand them over to God. Much alike the bird I saw this morning, being able to glide on the wind and not go through laborious heartache in order to reach a goal is an amazing place to be.

Why wouldn't you want to have a life free from self-worry and stress ? - Now this doesn't mean that bad thing's can't happen. But it does mean that when they do, the knowledge that you have of a Supreme God who oversees everything in the universe, and that He is looking out for you, and has a bigger plan that only He knows is such a comforting and revolutionising thought.

-Think of it as this, its like having a birds eye view on a maze, you may not be able to see whats around the corner, but God in His Sovereignty knows everything, absolutely everything.

28 'And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.' -ROMANS8"28

And so, if you love God ("Check") and you are earnestly wanting and seeking His will and His purpose for your life ("Check") - then you honestly have nothing worth worrying about... and I have seen this in my own life, when the world seems to crash down on you, and you fear the very thought of another day. Just look up. Be still and know that He is God [Psalm 46:10].

And instead of stressing out about something you can't control, seek God for His REST.

That brings me on to : 'What exactly is His Rest ?'

Hebrews 4"9 says : 'So there is a special /*Sabbath rest still waiting for the people of God.'

Now this entire concept must be taken in context of Hebrews chapter 4 . And from reading this, my interpretation of the Rest of God is a :

SPIRITUAL PLACE

resulting in a PHYSICAL STATE.

- I'll explain... when you seek God so much that your Spirit is able to reach His amazing realm to experience His glory and presence, there is a rest that comes from it.
 A peace.
It's something much deeper than what words can describe. But when you're Spirit becomes one with God through your own desire to reach God; this supernatural place, seeps into your soul (your feelings, emotions , personality) which then depicts how your body feels. (for every human has a body, soul, and Spirit).

This experience only comes when your Spirit is able to dominate your flesh (soul and body). And the steps towards this are few but very big.

I feel like my Spiritual self does dominate my life, but only in glimpses, some days are better than others, but its something I strive for, and God is working on me . I do get bogged down with the worlds affairs, and I know I shouldn't, but I feel like its a progressive walk or journey, and the fact that I am on this journey and growing more knowledgeable in my Faith in God means so much to me and makes me so abundantly grateful. 

So ...  How do we enter the Rest of God. ?

Good question. With a very simple answer ...

ASK FOR IT.

Matthew 7"7

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Similar to what I said /typed above, it can be a progressive journey once you've asked. But ultimately asking is the first step. 

After which (asking) you are Spiritually fertile and open to let the HOLYSPIRIT guide you into all truth. JOHN16"13.

Its something we can't do by ourselves- and God works in amazing ways : Sometimes, I ask for rest, and I haven't even finished praying, and I just feel an amazing gushing wave of peace and rest just overflow on me - that's what normally happens.

But sometimes, and in a darker situation when I'm less receptive, a sense of peace is planted on the inside, and day by day it continues to grow until the state of perfect and complete rest comes.

So its all very unique in the way you experience it - but that's what makes it so special.

** The steps of being open to The Holy Spirit in order to let Him start His work in you is a small category in itself. I wrote about it last year, titled : GET CLOSE TO HIM. -It will be a great help to look further.

And finally ... What were the past mistakes concerning this Rest ?

- Now this is what the majority of Hebrews 4 is all about...

The most prominent mistake made (in example by the Israelite nation fleeing Egypt with Moses is) ...

UNBELIEF

- what a horrible word , it always seems to come up eh ?

But, yet again, it was unbelief that stopped the Rest of the Children of God in the past, and guess what, it can be the same horrible word that stops the Children of God today. 

Throughout any of this did you think :

'argh, Spiritual place , she's mad !'

'this is absolute nonsense'

'progressive journey my foot.'

-- if you did, then you are suffering with the horrible contagious endemic disease that has continuously plagued the world's population for thousands of years. 

But not to worry, it is most certainly curable.

(the medical treatment dose is yours for the ASKing;) --- Take a look at Mark 9:24

And it MUST be cured ~ "3 'For only we who believe can enter his rest.' (HEBREWS4)

The 2nd  Worst mistake to ever make is (drum roll please....)

DISOBEDIENCE

"6 'So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God'

- When you are led by the Holy Spirit, don't slap it back in His face by disobeying Him. God is very protective over His trinity [**Key statement alert**Mark 3:29] and He most certainly will not provide you with rest after you misuse Him intentionally.

But the fact it ... You CAN do it ... you can enter into His rest !

'So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:

“Today when you hear his voice,

    don’t harden your hearts.” ~ "7

But you really must desire it from the depths of your heart, live and work to seek God and His perfect plan for your life, part of it, I can assure you, is to enter into His Perfect Rest.

'Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.'

-  Hebrews 4"11