In the Old Testament, Believers worshipped in temples of
stone and mortar. Their contact with God was from the first few books of our
Bible. It is different today. We have 66 books of God’s Word to encourage and
instruct us. God dwells within us in a personal, intimate relationship, not in
temples made with human hands (Romans 10:9).
We are God’s “living stones”, and Jesus is the chief
cornerstone on which we are centered (1 Peter 2:4-6). As God’s Temple, we have a deepening
understanding of the reality of what it means for Christ to abide in us (Colossians 1:27).
This truth changes our outlook on life and affects our body, soul and spirit.
We enter God’s rest forever (Hebrews 4:9-10).
God rested after He created the universe. Jesus rested
after carrying the burden of our sin to the cross. Now, we can rest from
serving God from compulsion and serve Him from a place of love instead. The
doorway to this rest is through total surrender to God’s will and to Christ in
us, which is our hope of living in glory now and in eternity.
Our humanity is dead and we are a new creation with Christ
living in and through us (Galatians
2:20). We decrease daily, so that He can increase (John 3:30). We cease
from our human striving and follow God’s Spirit through every moment of every
day (Galatians
5:16-25). However, our ultimate rest will be when we leave this
sin-cursed world behind and live instead in the presence of God in glory (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Until then, we dwell in Christ as Christ abides in us. We
die to sin with Christ and He raises us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Living
by the faith of the Son of God, we enjoy His love and redemption (Ephesians 5:2). He
directs our paths, as we seek Him in everything we think, say and do (Proverbs 3:5-6). The
peace of God rules in our hearts, dispelling all of our doubt and fears (Colossians 3:15; Philippians
4:7).
Prayer:
Father God, remind us not to strive in life, but to submit
our will to Yours each and every day. Help us to accomplish the works, which
You prepared for us to do before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10). Bring people our way to
whom we can share Your love and give us the boldness to proclaim Your truth to
them.
Thought for the Day:
Yoke up with Jesus and find rest for your soul. – Matthew
11:29
