God calls us to a
place of authentic devotion. He desires worshippers who sincerely come to Him
through His spirit (John 4:24). He honors those who love Him by keeping His
Word (John 14:15). He always provides a way to escape temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). God promises that, as we humble our self before Him
and resist temptation, Satan will have to flee from us (James 4:7-8). We
abandon our heavy burden of self-imposed labor; and, instead, enter into God’s
rest (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews
4:10).
God is always faithful and He keeps His promises (1
Thessalonians 5:24). We have no need to waiver in our faith, because He
is worthy of our trust. He desires nothing less than our whole-hearted devotion
to Him in every area of our life. God does not wink at sin; He is appalled by
it. He cannot look upon, nor dwell where sin resides (Psalm
5:4). We grieve the Holy Spirit with every compromise we make in our life (Ephesians
4:30-31). Therefore, do not break God’s heart by sinning.
In our modern society, we spend more time serving God on
our own terms, than in obeying God’s direction. We rely more on our self-effort
than on God’s strength within us. We also grieve Him when we plan our life to
the minute and have no time for fellowship with other Believers or even reserve
a few moments for Him in daily devotion. We frantically pray for God’s blessing
on our plans as we rush from one event to another throughout the day.
Instead, God wants us to yoke up with His Spirit and do
only those works, which He prepared for us before we were even born (Ephesians
2:10). In this way, we find rest for
our mind and heart, which are wearied by the demands of the world (Matthew
11:28; Hebrews 4:10). It is only as we return to the center of God’s will
that we find complete rest. In this place of quiet confidence, we find our
strength (Isaiah 30:15). He is always present to help the
humble that depend only on Him (Isaiah 5 7:15).
Prayer:
Father God, You love us with Your everlasting love and draw
us with Your kindness (Jeremiah 31:3). You offer us a place of repose,
a resting place for the weary to find solace (Isaiah 28:12). The
righteousness of Christ in us offers us peace and brings with it the quiet
confidence we need to face the issues of life (Isaiah 32:17). Therefore,
we walk in the Spirit, so that our soul – our thoughts, choices and emotions -
can find rest in the Lord, who is always good to us (Psalm
116:7).
Thought for the Day:
We remain calm and do not lose heart, when we
circumspectly walk by the direction of God’s Spirit. - Isaiah 7:4; Ephesians
5:15-20
