Monday, September 9, 2013

Grace of God: Rest, Righteousness, and Work

"11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)

We need as much of God's grace as possible in our lives.

We do not live this live ourselves, but rather we live and breathe and have our being in Christ Jesus.

For so long, I was doing everything on my own.

I had a strange sense of fear and guilt in my lives. I was very easily hurt, too, full of myself, convinced that everything that I had and did and was -- it was all up to me.

That is so contrary to the goodness of God, which leads all men to repentance, but not just from death in our sins, but even for those who know and believe in the love of God, we need to learn more that Jesus wants to save us in every situation, not just from hell, but to bring more of heaven into our lives by His grace.

Now, when I learned about this "rest", I assumed that I was supposed to sit down and not do anything, and then God will take care of everything.

That is not the case at all:

"For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." (1 Thessalonians 3: 10)

There are many scriptures in Proverbs which denounce sloth:

"The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat." (Proverbs 13: 4)

What makes us diligent, of course, is that all our sins are forgiven, and the grace of God teaches us and empowers us to love and live the lively reign in Christ:

"10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. " (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

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