Hebrews 4:11 KJV
[11] Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
God will not demand from me that which He has not first supplied grace for. If He asks me to do anything, it is because information and direction for obedience have been given, and strength for the demands of the assignment has also been supplied. As we have read in the past 2 days, God has instituted rest for all who are His creation as His perfect will, but it will be taken up by those who surrender their lives to Jesus. That surrender is the rest that activates all that God has promised. The other alternative is to trust in my abilities, influence and connections to get me what I want. It means I have to be ready to run faster, jump higher and work harder than every other person in the race with me. This becomes the survival of the fittest, or the strongest, or the most diabolical, where anything is possible and the most shameful compromise is acceptable.
From the Word of God, we see clearly that it is not God's intention that we labour by our own power to get what He has promised. He wants me to trust Him enough with my life and all. When I have given my life to Him, my life's application then makes sense. All I do is done with the right attitude and mindset, because I know who I am working for, I know why I am working, and I know what I am working for. This is why I can face whatever comes with joy, because I know who I have believed, I know what He can do, and I know where He is taking me. If life was predictable and boring, what is the motivation to work hard? If there was no hope at the end of my labour, why would I put myself under enormous pressure? I do what I do because I know who I have come to surrender to. That understanding is the key to all the verse above offers. I labour to enter into His rest, not by my strength, but by His enablement.
I do not see the full picture yet, but on a daily journey of faith, I see a glimpse of what He can do with a life that is totally yielded to Him. I may not see the full picture yet, but the examples that are laid out in the Bible make clear the dangers of unbelief. The children of Israel saw the mighty miracles of God, from the parting of the Red Sea, to the amazing provision of manna for 40 years. The bible records that throughout the journey, their clothes did not wear out. They were preserved, not by physical means, but by the Mighty hand of God, yet at every point of pressure, they would rather return to Egypt, the land of slavery and limitation. It is not a wonder that God got angry with a whole generation and wiped out all who were 20 years old and above, who left Egypt, except Caleb and Joshua. Be careful of unbelief, even in the face of the abundance of evidence around you of what God can do, and has done in the lives of people around you. The same God is still at work, seeking to show Himself strong in the lives of all whose hearts are fully committed to Him. Would you surrender? God's time of favour is here.
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