The Secret Weapon

There is a secret weapon seldom used by followers of Christ. It is so un-intuitive, so countercultural, that only the most radical, devoted followers will use it. Cloaked in mystery and misunderstanding, Sabbath-Rest is a seldom used weapon in our daily battle. Hebrews 4:9 in the NIV reminds us that: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;”

Four disciplines will help us “Enter God’s rest”: 1. Stop Sometimes, the hardest thing in the world to do is stop. Just stop. Our calendars are so full, that it takes weeks to clear up all the activity. One of my friends confessed this week that he is in constant motion. He has difficulty sleeping and is always worried about his work, clients, home kids. Try turning off the cell phone, and clearing your mind for even 10 minutes!! 2. Rest  We have a mistaken impression of rest. We see it as a go until your fried, then recharge a bit and go until your fried again kind of thing. This is not how God sees it. God sees rest as the essential first step to: trusting in Him, quickening our creativity, and building up our reserves so that we are equipped for the adventure ahead. 3. Delight  Now we Christ followers have so many reasons to delight. Like a bride delights in restful planning of her eventual wedding day. There is joyous anticipation of what will be. But her betrothal is the foretaste of glory divine. Like Psalm 37:4 says: “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart”. 4. Contemplate  In Hebrews 4, God’s people did not enter the promised land because of disbelief. They missed out on God’s rest. This account from Israel’s Exodus wanderings is given for our instruction. God knew we too would be prone to wander. He knows the pressure of life, of bills, of children.

Want to enter His rest?? Or just keep-a-wandering??