The majority of this chapter talks about entering into God's rest. According to the LASB, in Moses' time, that was literally resting in the Promised Land. Today, that means finding peace in God. That peace is to be felt now and forever. I encourage you to read the first 6 verses, but I'm going to jump down to verse 7.
Hebrews 4:7 "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.' "
It is possible that the key word there is "TODAY." So many times, for reasons I'm only sort of sure of, we choose to stay in pain, torture, suffering and stress. One of the reasons is because some people have one speed: Fast. In the words of Women Of Faith speaker Patsy Clairmont, "... when I slow down, I want to speed up again."
For others, unfortunately, there's assurance in pain and suffering, and some kind of twisted comfort. But my hunch is that that assurance is a liar. See, peace and rest is something that can seem very temporary, and maybe something that couldn't possibly last, due to past experiences. But maybe that's because we find peace in the wrong places. In this chapter, it is made clear that we are to find peace in GOD'S rest. The reason the assurance of suffering and pain is a liar is because it tells us that suffering and pain are constant, and a lot of people don't like change. And really, some don't even think they are able to change. The other reason is because they think that the road to recovery means a lot of effort from us. What a relief to find out that the road to recovery means praying, and asking God to catch us when we fall into His peace and find rest while He refreshes and restores us so we can go on with our lives with a little (or a lot) less weight on our shoulders.
TODAY. The way I see it, Today we have a choice.
CHOICE A CHOICE B
Continue to suffer and Peace in God's rest
feel stress and pain and suffering
One leads to a life of misery. One leads to the restoring of fresh energy.
Let's look at it from a dishwasher's perspective.
I soak the silverware in a bucket of some kind of powdered soap (that does wonders) and water. When that water is pretty fresh and the silverware is all under that water, the silverware is in a good place and getting cleaned. However, when things get busy, the silverware piles up beyond the water surface and that silverware isn't exposed to the soap. Also, by now, the water is contaminated with the food and substances from the used silverware. I can choose to leave it that way, or dump the bucket of contents into a crate to be washed through the dish washer. That way I can start with a fresh batch of water and soap and know that the silverware in that water is getting cleaned again. The key is to try and replace that water before it overflows again to the point where it causes a problem.
Do you see the similarities? Do you get my point?
Which produces the better result? Clean water or contaminated? You can also apply this to when you're washing dishes at home. Stop trying to wash dishes with dirty water. Stop trying to go through life with all the stress and weight of the world on your shoulders. Lay it at the cross, at the feet of Jesus, and fall into the peace of God. Wouldn't you want to get the best result from the choice you make as soon as possible? Make the decision today. Decide to walk away, feeling lighter, or to walk away, continuing to suffer. Which sounds more beneficial and tempting?
Hebrews 4:12 and 13 are popular memory verses. One is similar to two passages in the Psalms.
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow."
Hebrews 4:13 "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
Psalm 139:2, 3, 7 "You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence."
Good reminders that God is omnipresent and omniscient.
Hebrews 4:14-16 is my next memory passage. More popular material.
MEMORY PASSAGE
Hebrews 4:14-16 "So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."
PRAYER
Father God, thank You for these wonderful words of wisdom. I thank you that we can find rest and peace in You. I pray that we won't wait any longer than we have to in order to find that rest. I hope we come to you as soon as possible, so we can walk away, lighter, and ready to continue on.
Thank You for the Bible. I pray that we would constantly check it out to see if our lives are reflecting the words we read. Thank you for watching over us and keeping a good eye on the things we do, and for continuing to love us, even after You see us do things that aren't pleasing to you.
Jesus, it is so assuring to remember that You know and understand what we go through when we face temptation. In the words of the prayer You taught us to pray, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
God, we need Your mercy and grace. Thank You for providing for our needs. And thank You again for teaching us so much through this study of the book of Hebrews.
In Jesus' Name,
Let it be so
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