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Topic:Possess God’s Rest
Gloria Copeland
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God…. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Hebrews 4:9,11
God’s rest. Considering the hectic, busy lives you and I live that sounds like a pretty good thing to have, doesn’t it? But exactly what is that rest? And how do we enter it?
The third and fourth chapters of Hebrews compare God’s rest with the children of Israel taking possession of the Promised Land. That land was to be a place where their every need would be met, a place of freedom from their warring enemies, a place no one would ever drive them from again. All they had to do was go in and possess it. But something kept them from it: unbelief and disobedience.
As believers, we too, have the opportunity to enter a promised land of abundance and peace. A land where we can rest from our struggles and enjoy the victory of God. To enter it we must do what the children of Israel failed to do. We must simply trust God and obey His voice.
How do you come to that place of trust and obedience? By getting to know your Father. By spending time fellowshiping with Him in prayer and in the Word. That is the labor that will bring you into His rest!
I’ll never forget when I first discovered that. I had been learning the principles of faith, striving hard to do them. It seemed back then that keeping doubt and unbelief out of my heart was difficult. Then, one day, I began to labor to know the Father instead of just knowing about Him.
When I did that, He began to reveal Himself to me. He gave me glimpses of His heart, His nature and His love. As He revealed to me how much He wanted to do for His children, it changed my striving into peace, my doubt into trust, my fear into bold obedience. It enabled me to enter His rest.
Get to know your Father. Work at it. Make it your “labor.” He has a promised land of rest that is waiting for you!
Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 4:1-11
