Day: October 11, 2018

October 12, 2018

Hebrews 4:1-11 New Living Translation

Just as the Israelites turned back from their Promised Land due to fear and spent 40 more years in the wilderness, we as Christians can turn away from the promised rest we have been offered in Christ.  Rest is about trust; trusting Christ, surrendered to his authority, and then doing what he says.  We live in the Sabbath rest of Christ when we believe and trust the Lord to finish the work he has begun in us.  The Life Application Bible has this to say about spiritual rest, “To enter his rest, you must believe that God has this relationship in mind for you; you must stop trying to create it; you must trust in Christ for it; and you must decide/determine to obey him.”  We cannot have control and rest at the same time.  So, surrendered to the work of the Master, because he created you and knows where you are to go.

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October 11, 2018

Hebrews 3:7-14 New Living Translation (NLT)

I continue to pray for my sisters and brothers in the panhandle of Florida and the southern states that are suffering from the arrival of Hurricane Michael. May God use even this storm to bring attention to the condition of people’s hearts and may the Spirit help them turn to receive the love and provision of God.

The writer of Hebrews seeks to gain the attention of all believers in Christ and exhort them in their faith. The letter (which reads more like a sermon) encourages believers to press on to follow Christ into a place of rest (peace with God and their inheritance in Christ).  No matter what we are going through, we must not harden our hearts and set ourselves against God, because that hardness leads to separation from the One who can save us.  Faith is what enables Christians to face trials; it is our confident trust in God’s love for us.  Genuine faith includes the commitment to stay true to God when we are under pressure.  Our commitment causes our character to grow, as well as our faith to mature in endurance.  Whatever you are facing, today, reach for God and enter his rest.

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