SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/1/2022 11:12 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “Repentance
and Rest”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
11:28b
Message of the
verse: “all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you
rest.”
The first thing that I want to do is to wish
everyone who reads this Spiritual Diary a Happy New Year, and may 2022 be a
year to see many who read these Spiritual Diaries come to a saving knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and for those who are believers may they do as Peter
writes in the very last verse of his second letter: “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the
day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).
In my study of the book of Hebrews, the letter that
I am teaching in our Sunday school class there are some things in it that go
along with what is going on in our study of Matthew chapter 11. There are four warnings given in the book of
Hebrews, mostly to those who have not totally committed themselves to the
saving in the Lord Jesus Christ and one of the reasons is for fear of being
unsynagogued, that is being kicked out of the Synagogue, there is a picture of
this in the 11th chapter of the book of John. In John 6:66 we read “As a result of this
many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.” Because of what is written here these people
did not enter into God’s rest, that is, salvation because they still possessed “an
evil, unbelieving heart” as seen in Hebrews 3:11-12).
Once again the things that are
written in the book of Hebrews as the author speaks a lot about what happened
in the wilderness when Israel rebelled against the Lord by not trusting Him,
resulting in them not entering into the Promised Land, so people who will not
enter His rest and receive Him as their Savior and Lord will not enter into
heaven living eternally with the Lord.
MacArthur writes “The dictionary
gives several definitions of rest that remarkably parallel the spiritual ‘rest’
God offers those who trust in His Son.
First, the dictionary describes rest as cessation from action, motion,
labor, or exertion. In a similar way, to
enter God’s rest is to cease from all efforts at self-help in trying to earn
salvation. Second, rest is described as
freedom from that which wearies or disturbs.
Again we see the spiritual parallel of God’s giving His children freedom
from the cares and burdens that rob them of peace and joy.
“Third, the dictionary defines rest as
something that is fixed and settled. Similarly,
to be in God’s rest is to have the wonderful assurance that our eternal destiny
is secure in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
It is to be freed from the uncertainties of running from philosophy to philosophy,
from religion to religion, from guru to guru, hoping somehow and somewhere to
discover truth, peace, happiness, and eternal life.
“Fourth, rest is defined as being confident and
trustful. When we enter God’s rest we
are given the assurance that ‘He who began a good work in[us] will perfect it
until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 1:6).
Finally, the dictionary describes rest as leaning, reposing, or
depending on. As children of God, we can
depend with utter certainty that our heavenly Father will ‘supply all [our]
needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 4:19).”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I am truly
thankful for all the things that accompany salvation, things that certainly
include having rest in the Lord.
My Steps of Faith For Today: I trust that the Lord will use me to serve
Him in this year of 2022, and that the things that I do will bring glory to my
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
1/1/2022 12:05 PM
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