My idea of heaven has evolved over time. As a young Christ-follower, I envisioned a rather me-centric glory, a Candy Land filled with the sweetest gifts my mind could conjure. I imagined hanging out with my heroes, lounging on comfy cumulonimbus recliners, and basking in my version of total bliss.
The longer I’ve walked with Jesus and the more I’ve searched His precious Word, the more my imaginations of heaven have shifted. It is not a place dedicated to my endless pleasure. Though God has promised it’s beyond my wildest hopes (1Corinthians 2:9), heaven is not most interested in our indulgences.
Lay your visions of just harps and angels aside and consider your eternal home with a fresh perspective. The writer of Hebrews lets us peek into the real heaven and see a place of profound rest (Hebrews 4:3,9).
While earthbound, we tend to think of rest as a feeling, a brief moment of closed eyes and relaxed shoulders, but in Christ, rest becomes a reality. And what shall we rest from? Among other things, ourselves. My heart is stirred by this thought: because heaven is a place focused on God, it is also the place where I will finally be free of me.
Rather than a scene of endless self-indulgence, Scripture promises a future where nothing is cursed by sin and brokenness (Revelation 22:3). That means a final end to our sin and selfishness, pride and pettiness, aches and pains, cancer cells and conflicts. We will finally be free of our navel-gazing because we’ll finally be fully with Jesus, freed from insecurity, greed, and our compulsion to gossip. We will rest from discouragement, defeat, and discontentment. We will rest from all jealousy, all hatred, all bitterness. We will rest from lust and self-loathing, anger, and animosity. We can live differently now, drawing on this future rest, because Christ is already at work undoing all that is broken today.
When you are weary of your sinfulness and sick and tired of being sick and tired, remember that soon enough you will see Jesus face-to-face and be fully transformed into His likeness—and that this complete work has already begun in part (2Corinthians 3:18). Life with Jesus is infinitely more than a good night’s sleep. It is exponentially better than a beach vacation. It’s a final, forever rest.
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89 thoughts on "The Promised Rest"
It is so refreshing to read this devotional. Rest from me and my goals and ambitions. Just Jesus. I can’t wait ❤️
I love the mention of getting a rest from ourselves. All the parts of me that hold responsibility and tension, parts that are learning to let go of control, learning to allow God to steer my life; these are the parts of myself that hold me back from full relaxing into God’s will and truly feeling allowed to rest.
Finally free of me!!
Heaven is a place where I will finally be free of me. I really needed to read that today
Grateful for true rest from Him. And that I can receive His rest daily. Rest is such a beautiful promise.
I love seeing what scripture has to say about Sabbath rest. It’s so much more than just a “day off” with family & Church. It’s a day to truly rest & look forward to the coming glory & promised eternal rest with Christ
Rest. What a beautiful image.
I have never thought of it like this but what a lovely future we have coming.
It didn’t get the rest of my comment I don’t think. But I know there is rest in Christ. Jesus is better than even health. And one day health will be restored.
What a comfort when I am feeling sick this morning. Tired. So. Done.
I am not hopeless or forgotten. I have access to His rest now, and I will be healed fully one day in His full presence
What a comfort when I am feeling sick this morning. Tired. So. Done.
I love this so much. I wish it existed in Spanish! I live in Mexico and would love to share it.
It’s hard for me to articulate just how grateful I am that He steps in and takes control when I just can’t! He’s so good.
I so appreciated the description of rest in today’s study…like others have said, it’s what my heart is longing for. It’s so easy to live at unrest in this world, caught up in both the big & little worries of life. Thank you for the reminder that that’s not how we’re meant to live, that one day God will end the unrest for good, & because of Jesus’ work even now we can live in that place – “The kingdom of heaven is here.” Oh, how I want to.
The more I dive into scripture I realise that through christ in God, we can experience heaven on earth, and the final rest is just a consequence or a result of that. The idea that we can experience peace, love and government on earth is what also keeps us moving towards god. Therefore I believe christ shows us how to live heaven on earth, that through him this becomes our reality not something in the distant future.
While I know that we won’t experience the fullness of this rest until heaven, it does make me wonder what possible rest am I missing here on earth down to my own striving and preoccupations?
Lehua K: I wonder if he could offer to take some sort of safe driving course or if there is some way the accident could be removed from his record after a certain period of time? It’s worth investigating.
Love this! I get exhausted dealing with myself, and these thoughts encouraged me to continue to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus (not myself)!
I have been very distraught at the nature of our world right now. Greed, selfishness, anger, resentment, lies, sickness, death all seem to be predominant. I am exhausted and reached a breaking point this week. My work requires that I take on the problems of others daily and it has been especially draining the last few years. This was a much needed reminder! Heaven is the place my soul is longing for right now.
Traci, thank you for your prayers. I know that you understand. An old writer called it “the sacred circle of the sorrowing”. May the Lord help us to walk this grief journey in a way that honors Him.
WOW. I love this paragraph:
“While earthbound, we tend to think of rest as a feeling, a brief moment of closed eyes and relaxed shoulders, but in Christ, rest becomes a reality. And what shall we rest from? Among other things, ourselves. My heart is stirred by this thought: because heaven is a place focused on God, it is also the place where I will finally be free of me.”
That’s such a neat concept to ponder… being free of me. We will be so focused on God that we will just be at peace… be enough… with Him. No people pleasing, striving to be enough, no worries, no fears… that’s freedom.
Ladies, I know this is late… I have a prayer request for my brother in law. He was supposed to start a new job last week but he’s been home, and my mother in law told me the day after he quit his old job of 10+ years, his new job revoked their job offer because his driving abstract wasn’t clean – he had one accident 6 years ago. He’s been depressed and I feel for him, his old job was getting toxic and it’s the only job he’s ever had. He’s looked for new jobs (A/C and refrigeration technician) but they either don’t pay even close to what he should be making, or they require the clean driving record. Thank you all in advance for the prayers <3
Praying for friend Audren. I hope this dark time in his life makes him draw closer to God. Reading the book of John is a great way to start.
this hit especially hard tonight… to be free from MYSELF. I am exhausted. Mentally physically emotionally sexually, just feel broken in every aspect of my body and mind. Chronically. Depression. Anxiety. Ptsd.
One day I will truly experience REST in every way, in a way that is perfect and complete because we have accepted and love Jesus Christ. I literally yearn for this day.
Wow! That scripture is so convicting! Tonight I went to a tent revival and todays study kind of goes with what the Prophet said. Basically talking about being careful with unbelief. I know as I’m writing this I have been struggling with that God sees me, knows me, holds me and doesn’t show favoritism. I’ve always thought if God were to have favorites I’m definitely no one of them but to buy that lie is offensive to God. It’s me calling Him a liar and He is definitely not. I need to learn to rest in Gods arms instead of freaking out wandering if God will want me when it’s time to meet Him. I have definitely done ungodly things as a Christian that I regret. But those are things the enemy throws at me. Prayer in this area of my life would be greatly appreciated!
My mother and grandmother had dementia so I lost them twice. I remember after my grandmother died I read a devo in The Upper Room where the writer was say her mother was in Heaven and now knew everyone. That lightened my heart a bit. Then it hit my mother and the devastating process started all over. In the last 6 months of her life she prayed everyday that God would bring her home. She was down to knowing 2 people my dad and God. He took her to rest. Praise Jesus for that relief. I miss her old self but I am thankful that now she knows everyone.
Amen
Rest from myself- whoa. That hits home. How much my brain tries to control, tries to come up with better solutions than Gods, runs anxious not knowing the unknowns…It’s exhausting. How I long to rest in Jesus, in trusting that he is in control, not ME.
Rest*
I hadn’t finished my thought. As I am awaiting physical test, I also know that one day I will enter eternal rest. This hope of eternal rest, gets me through the days and nights that can seem almost unbearable. I pray I would set my eyes in heaven, knowing that all we struggle with in this earth is temporary. ❤️
No. More. Anxiety. No. More. Overthinking. It’s amazing how oftentimes we are our own worst enemy, and our own biggest critics.. yet Jesus paid the price for ALL of us because He loves us THAT much! What a beautiful promise.. and so beautiful knowing how easy we have it compared to the OT times.
@Audren: praying for Tyler and his marriage.
@Justin Viola: praying for your husband’s grandpa who is in hospice and supernatural strength for your family through this difficult season.
@Molly R: love the story you share. What a beautiful gesture. Praying for Jen.
@Alicia Gilbert: welcome back, so good to see you again. May the Lord bless you with the job and the loving & kind community in your workplace where you will prosper and grow.
Harden not your heart if you hear His voice. May we learn to yield our wills, our hearts and our control to the Lord who has true control over all things, forfeiting our worries, anxieties and futile self-driven expectations/ambitions. Rest is a beautiful thing. You know when I look at the fall season we have now, where leaves change color and start falling down (making great mulch for garden beds), it’s the beginning of a season of rest, winter is coming when things are cold, seemingly dead on the surface with brown sticks, but in fact, things are resting and restoring underneath, preparing for spring and summer. Same for the cycles of our lives. We too need rest. There is so much labour on earth (All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing Ecclesiastes 1:8 KJV). It is okay to say no to busy activities, recognizing our seasons (while others don’t). No one will still our thoughts and calm our racing hearts for us. We have to intentionally make room –something I learnt. I love to embrace the quietness of nature and commune with the Lord for renewed strength. Let us tune in to His whispers/the still small voice, lest we miss it and waste 40 years murmuring and grieving God. The souls of men are deprived of the true rest if men are not careful with the pressure of life. Rest takes full surrender. Even the Lord requires the land be at rest on the 7th year. I heard someone who works in Agriculture sharing a scientific fact that the land will yield way better crops if it has the 7th year rest, with scientific evidence how the soil gives out certain substance. I don’t know all the details, but wow. God makes it that way to prosper the land. And God even promised the crops of 3 years on a row be given. (Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years- Leviticus 25:21), that is like saying, sweet child, you have been working so hard for six years, now don’t work, take a year off, and you will have income steady for the next 3 years. It takes great trust and will give great peace. Trusting God is not for the faint of heart. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11). God is a mysterious God. All the days of my life, I have been searching for His wisdom but there is no searching Him out, but it’s a challenge that gives me great joy and meaning. Always fresh and inexhaustible revelations from the same text (bible). And all that I have found and learnt through experiential knowledge about God is He is always pure, beautiful, mysteriously merciful, ever so loving yet purposefully strict with His children for our benefits, and the things He tells us to do is of mind blowing significance if we ever come to understand the depth and width of His incredibly good purpose behind. Glory be to Him. Be blessed dear sisters.
So true Churchmouse.
Wow. I needed to read that. My husband’s grandpa is currently in hospice. And this is someone who helped me husband so much when he was at the lowest place. And reading her description of Heaven brought tears to my eyes. I see how much he is suffering and I can be so selfish when it comes to death. I panic at the thought of losing someone. I am afraid of abandonment. And this just just provided so much comfort for me.
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Wow. I needed to read that. My husband’s grandpa is currently in hospice. And this is someone who helped me husband so much when he was at the lowest place. And reading her description of Heaven brought tears to my eyes. I see how much he is suffering and I can be so selfish when it comes to death. I panic at the thought of losing someone. I am afraid k
Beautiful. Simply beautiful. As I sit here with tears running from the beauty of these comments, from your wisdom Erin & my fellow She’s, I can only think, thank You, Lord for these beautiful hearts. Tina thank you for reminding us that our loved ones on the other side are already enjoying Jesus’s rest. May I find less “belly button gazing” time & more Jesus here, & May the Lord bless us all to share it out into the world that so desperately needs His rest.
Also ladies if you could pray for my fiance’s friend Tyler, his wife just left him and has since become interested in the Bible to help him get through the grief. He just finished reading John and is on to Romans, while talking to my fiance about it! Pray the Lord brings him to Himself! Thank you all!
I haven’t been reading the comment section for long (been a she who reads truth for seven years, though didn’t start reading the comment section until this year). It is SO refreshing to see other women lifting each other up, and being honest about life. Not something I see often! God has told me to rest several times this week in different ways, and this was one of them. I’m discovering what it means to truly rest in God, rather than constantly be coming from a producing standpoint. So grateful to read your comments!
TINA – I also recognized that Tanner was tired of fighting his illness. He needed rest. And what a God we have! He has given our children that much needed rest in His arms. The best rest there could ever be. I’m so thankful for my relationship with God. That He is carrying me through this heartbreaking loss with grace.
Praying for strength and comfort to all who have lost loved ones. Susan you are in my thoughts and prayers. Losing a child is tragic.
J M praying for you and your family today. I pray God comforts you and your family during this time. This devotional was something I truly needed to hear today.
Excellent lesson and so so many good comments. Blessings on each of you as you have need. Our Father sees you and hears each prayer.
Molly R – thank you for inviting this sister and her daughter to your home for some much needed balm to their souls. Even when – or maybe especially when the house is not in ‘company order’ there can be such needed rest and calm. Your impromptu invitation, open arms, and listening heart will be remembered for a long long time by this dear sister.
Wishing each of you a wonderful day basking in the thoughts of heaven and the rest we will enjoy there.
Soon enough we will see Jesus face-to-face and be fully transformed into ahi’s likeness—-and that this complete work has already begun in part. **2Corinthians 3:18
Thank you Shes for your prayers! Today is better than yesterday. Praying for JM, Molly R, Jen, Jon and Lacey and all others who are grieving, searching, waiting♥️
Glory be to God
It’s the final, forever rest! Looking forward to the final, forever rest.
When you realize you are a total self absorbed mess and Jesushas saved us from the long ago punishments….
I am so very thankful for all of you ladies. I don’t always post because I feel like I’m late to the party (this is one of several daily studies I do and it is not typical the first in the rotation). However, I do read these amazing comments every day! So much wisdom!
J M, my prayers are with you and your family during this time. I would like to recommend a book that has helped me. In God’s tender mercies, I finished it just days before my son’s passing. It is Seasons of Sorrow by Tim Challies.
@JM – I am so sorry for the loss of your precious mother.
I almost cried reading this I am in desperate need of rest! Rest from the world and rest from myself. Thank you SRT for this beautiful devotional.
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. – Hebrews 3:13 TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE – the time is NOW/TODAY! Thank you Father for Your Son and faithfulness!!!
Completely at rest in a peaceful surrendering to Jesus. God’s promises never fail. Thank you Lord.
I loved today’s verses and this is what I have grown to love so much about keeping the Sabbath day. Just as God spent 6 days creating the world as a beautiful paradise, then rested, and just as He prepared a promised land flowing with milk and honey for the Israelites, Jesus has prepared a beautiful paradise for us, that where He is we may be also. Resting on the Sabbath is a rest from works, a rest from this world and it’s trappings, a rest with our Heavenly Father. It’s a glimpse of the paradise we have waiting for us. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. – Hebrews 4:9-10”
This week we are experiencing a “break week” from our homeschooling and co op. I had every intention of “resting,” which, in my mind, is a whole lot of sitting. BUT GOD. My goodness has this week filled with laboring towards that rest only God can facilitate.
After a meeting with my other co op leaders yesterday morning, one of my friends and fellow leaders broke down and confessed that her marriage was dissolving, as was she! Those of us who had remained after the meeting sat with her in tears and listening ears as she lanced a boil in her heart that she had been hiding for years! After a time of covering her in prayer I felt the LORD prompt my heart to invite her and her daughter over for an afternoon of rest in our home. As soon as the invitation left my lips the selfish side of me began to grumble. I have other people I had invited over both today and tomorrow, and would not be able to prepare my home for those visits after the impromptu invitation that left my lips moments before!
BUT GOD. He knew this woman needed a refuge, if only for a bit. The rest I needed came in the form of sitting and listening, laughing and eating, and watching her daughter run and play on our land, hold the chickens, pet the dog, and play with my kids (she is an only child and can get very lonely being a military kid/homeschool kid) – a vision I have been blessed with time and time again since moving onto our dream property. God laid on my heart early on that in sharing this refuge we call home, many will get a rest and peace, if only for a little while. We call it Someday Acres, and I can’t help but smile at the constant reminder that Someday is Heaven, the ultimate rest!
She’s, would you be praying for this woman and her marriage? For answers and next steps? Such brokeness in her – she is a believer, but the light and hope is definitely leaving her. Her name is Jen and her husband is Jon, and their daughter is Lacey.
Thank you for reading all this way – praying for you, sweet Sisters!
@Tina– oh I just loved your post today. God wastes nothing and is so part of everything that happens in our lives. I’m so glad He brought that memory of your daughter back to you– declaring hope to your soul and restoring your faith. Thank you, Jesus. What a beautiful thing to know she rests well with Him. I agree in prayer over our other sisters who have lost loved ones recently. (JM, Susan, Dorothy, Martha Hix, Traci, anyone else we might have overlooked..) I
@Lehua– I can relate to what you posted yesterday, about being very self critical. I shared with my prayer call line that my prayer was to be full of GRACE and truth, not just truth. Jesus held both perfectly. I pray that over you as well. I pray your time with the Father fills you with grace, so you can more readily lend it to yourself, and then others. May God reroute the parts of your thought life that dwell in harshness — and create signals and spaces for grace to flow. I pray you would carefully observe your thoughts and take captive the lies that tell you to be critical. I pray all this because I am on this journey, too. May Jesus help us both. He who has called us is faithful!
Hey I just want to open this up to whoever may be interested!
I host a weekly prayer call at 8:15PM EST Tuesday nights. It is a confidential routine prayer circle. Right now, I have two spots available. As I like to keep a small circle of 2-6 people. It usually doesn’t last more than a half hour. If any of you ladies are looking for community and prayer, please @ me or DM me on Facebook messenger (Michelle Patire- there’s only one of me, as far as I know!!) :) would love to have any of you Shes!!!
This is so good. I have so needed a rest. To be with Jesus is to be free of me.
Free of me! I confess that as I know He created me to be who I am, His child here in this world, place, and time— I am totally excited to be free of me! My self centeredness, sinful thoughts, the whole pack and parcel- only keeping my soul/spirit that I wish to be His and His alone! I love you ladies who love Jesus! I love each praise of Him to whom we belong.
…”heaven is a place focused on God, it is also the place where I will finally be free of me.”
“Finally free of me” – that will be the day! That phrase reminds me of a Bible study I led, based on the book “Free of Me” by Sharon Hode Miller. I learned so much about me – and how to be freed from all the entanglements that are brought on by making everything about myself. This study prompted a very positive change in my life. I am so looking forward to the day of that final, forever rest that is exponentially bigger and better than anything I could ever imagine!
@JM – so sorry for your loss, we buried my dad a week ago. Praise God your mom knew Jesus and is finally at rest. Prayers for you and your family.
Three times in today’s Scriptures we are reminded, Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. We are also reminded of the importance of encouraging others in their faith in God – to encourage each other daily “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” We are warned again and again throughout God’s word of the deceitful lure of sin and the danger of letting it into our lives, and yet don’t we all leave the door cracked open, at least a little? Help me to recognize sin as sin, Lord, and to not make any effort to soften my thoughts toward whatever form it takes to look or sound more appealing.
Welcome to our new sisters – HEATHER DAPKUS, JUSTINE VIOLA, KACIE HARLAN, ZOE CRILLY, KELSEA TERRY and others I may have missed. It’s a great group to join to study God’s word and draw closer to Him.
And welcome back BROOKE P, CLAIRE B & ALICIA GILBERT.
Praying as I read through the comments –
LYNNE FROM AL, DOROTHY, SUSAN, VICTORIA E, LINDAK, MARI (G), CINDY SCHILLINGNEPSUND (Kim), SHARON JERSEY GIRL, LAUREN GW, SARAH PARSONS, JM
TINA – thank you for your moving testimony of God’s faithfulness in your walk
Thank you for this vision of heaven, Erin. I will be so glad to be free of ME! To be like Christ, loving not selfish will be wonderful. Come, Lord Jesus.
I loved the call to rest in today’s chapter because it has been a constant call in my life this month. But what I love even more from today is: But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:13 NIV
because we can’t do it alone. We need encouragement. Sometimes we actually need another person to do our work for the day, so that we can relax. The race is long and we must endure, and to endure you have to pace yourself and take rest. So here is my encouragement to you she’s today:
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:3-4 NIV
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6 NIV
@JM I am so sorry for your loss. Your mom sounds wonderful. My mom went to be with Jesus almost 3 years ago and I miss her everyday. She was amazing and I am so happy for her to get to be with Jesus and yet miss her dearly. Prayers for your family.
SO beyond thankful for this future hope of rest and being free from ourselves. May I experience but a taste of that freedom here on earth! Loved all the comments so far today. @JM praying for you and your family <3
God’s promises lead us into a land of rest. The entrance fee has been paid, Jesus bought our ticket. Held for us at will-call. All we have to do is redeem the ticket at the gate, and enter in. What does the ticket say? FAITH. One word, one requirement from us. The only work left to do is believe. “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7-8, quoted in Hebrews 4:7). Listen, be led into God’s Sabbath-rest, let faith be our guide. Enter in. Father God, thank You for the gift of rest. You have transformed my ordinary work into good works for You. I have learned the difference. My faith rests in You. May I remember not to depend on prayer itself, but on You who hears me pray. May I not depend on my faith, but on Jesus alone. Help me serve and work with joy keeping my feet firmly planted in Your promised land of rest. For I am learning that this rest looks like peace and sustained contentment held in my heart as I live in the chaos of this world. I hold on to the hope of eventual eternal rest. In the meantime, help me share the joy of Jesus, and be a daily encourager to the people I love. Help me heed the call in Hebrews 3:13 to “encourage one another daily while it is still called today.” Today is a gift. May I open it well. Selah. Maranatha. Amen.
Oh man- how I LONG to be free of ME! The more I abide in Christ, the more I am able to experience His Kingdom in the here and now, as I wait for its perfect fulfillment when Christ returns. Come, Lord Jesus!
“ because heaven is a place focused on God, it is also the place where I will finally be free of me. ”
Amen and Amen! That is true freedom! Thank you, Jesus!
To obtain any essence of heaven here on earth I have to keep my eyes on Jesus. I have to sit in His presence and remind myself of all His attributes. Then His peace settles over me and I can rest even in the loud chaos of the culture which surrounds me. This earthly rest is just a foreshadowing of eternal rest. Which makes me long for it all the more.
I love the part about finally be free and getting to rest from myself! What a freeing thought. Heaven will truly be all about God and it will be glorious!
@Beth Wyant Advent starts November 27 which is actually a Sunday because Advent starts on a Sunday.
Thank you Aimee for this prayer! Spot on to what my heart was feeling.
Other things from which we will have rest (from Revelation 22):
-Sins
-Separation from God
-Sorrows
-Death
-Grief
-Crying
-Pain
-Corruption
-Unfaithfulness
-Lies & deceptions
-Unfinished business
-Battles & sufferings
-Cowardice
-Murders
-Sexual immoralities
-Sorceries
-Idolatries
-Detestableness
-Good-byes
@J M … praying for your comfort and rest. Rejoicing with you during this time that your mom has gone to her Rest, but praying that you continue to find your rest in Jesus. My mom has been Home with our Savior for two years now. She was 66 when she died. There are so many times when my sister and I still want to go to her for comforting words and restful times just as we did when she was here and when we were younger. The Lord is continuing to teach me to go to Him for comfort & rest. Praying that He does the same for you.
Jesus is our Rest. He has made atonement for us so we do not need to provide atonement for ourselves (as if we could). He suffered the same things we do and was tempted in the same ways we are; so when we fix our eyes on Him, He gives us the help we need in our sufferings and temptations.
Jesus is the Word (John 1). The word of God (the Scriptures) are living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow; because the Word of God (Jesus) is living. He is alive and He makes His Father’s words come alive for us. He makes His Father’s words effective for us. He makes His Father’s words sharp to penetrate our minds to judge our thoughts and our hearts to penetrate our intentions. His word (the Scriptures) give us rest when we hear what He says through them and believe those words and act upon them in obedience.
Jesus is omniscient (all-knowing). No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give an account. He knows those who are His (Nahum 1:7; John 10:25-30; 2 Timothy 2:19).
In the past, the Israelites forfeited the blessing of entering the rest of the Promised Land because of their rebellion and disobedience and testing of God. Today, we have the opportunity to hear God’s voice through the reading of His word, believe it, and obey it. In the future, we will enter His rest if we hear and believe His word now, making every effort to enter His rest by holding firmly until the end the reality that Jesus is the Christ & has made atonement for our sin.
I got teary eyed reading “it is the place I will be free of me”. We will be free of the struggles of life and live as He created us, in perfect communion, perfect peace, praising Him perfectly… how amazing that’s going to feel. No more internal civil war. Just peace and His Goodness and Glory.
Oh Father forgive me for when I don’t live like Heaven awaits. I need you, I need your rest amd I’m so very grateful for the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus, my saving grace. Praying and lifting all here today to your loving presence where all their needs are met. In Jesus name, Amen
Rest from ourselves – what a deep deep spiritual thought. The sacred rhythm of rest often seems something that is unknown by the concept of facing ourselves and resting from ourselves adds a significant layer to rest and release. Love this thought and the conversation it is igniting between me and God.
We are called to give up our perceptions and our SELVES for JESUS and in this we find rest.
Prayers in scripture 11/7-11/27 and advent study starts 11/27-12/30
I really enjoyed this message. An even better vision of heaven. Prayers for you JM. So sorry for your loss.
Is someone able to tell me the exact date the Advent study starts? Our Bible study plans to read it together and I’m getting confused. Also, it appears we will still be reading Hebrews when Prayers in Scripture starts? The dates are blurred in my mind.
Rest from myself. Strong, but so true Thank you for this reminder Blessings to all
J M – I’m sorry for the loss of your mom. Praying for you and your family
HEIDI ANDERS – 1Pet 1:5 “You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
It seems like a contradiction to “make every effort to enter that rest,” or as another translation says “labor” to enter the rest. Yet it takes effort on our part to resist the lies of the enemy and actively place our trust in God’s goodness.
Excellent thoughts today, Erin!
I have never thought about this side of rest. What a wonderful place we will be in when we can finally let go of all of our discontentment, discouragement, self-loathing and anger. I won’t have to worry about me!
Thank you for today’s message. My sweet mom passed away Tuesday evening and she is at complete rest with our Lord. She was the best of the best and set quite an example of how to live each day for Jesus❤️ I will miss her immensely, but know she is home where she should be. Thank you Lord for the beautiful
Thank you for today’s message. My sweet mom passed away Tuesday evening and she is at complete rest with our Lord. She was the best of the best and set quite an example of how to live each day for Jesus❤️ I will miss her immensely
Rest from ourselves. Sometimes heaven is everything I desire, and other times, a strange unknown. Those fears will disappear because God is where all our joys are found.
Even after having seen so many miracles and God’s continuous provision, the Israelites didn’t trust that God could give them the land. They were unable to enter because of their unbelief. Isn’t so often much the same at the bottom of my heart? He sees it. He knows how often I doubt Him, harden my heart towards Him when I cant see what’s happening. Today’s reading was a powerful reminder to not let these feelings grow. I need to make every effort to enter the promised rest. Because the rest is there, He will keep His promises, if only I believe.
I love this!
ERIN DAVIES, you have brought tears to my eyes..
As I read I was immediately transported to a time not so long ago when my sick daughter, holding my hand said.. “I am tired”
Oh gosh, the tears flow freely as I write..
In those days, I would say whatever needed to be said to keep her spirits up, to keep her fighting to be this side of heaven, but if truth be told and it must, she was tired.. of waiting for a donor, being ill, being in hospital…
BUT GOD…
He knew His child needed rest, He knew her pain and suffering, He knew what was best for her.. I see and know that now. With all my heart, and in His love and grace, I do.
BUT GOD…
He also knew that this day would come, that though tears flow as I write, IT IS WELL, because He, God, is with me, has been in the midst of it, and is still covering me, with Love, Grace, Faithfulness, Mercy and Hope.
Thank you God for the reminder of how far you have truly brought me and for the knowledge and truth that my beautiful girl, does indeed rest with you until we meet again..
AMEN.
Dear hearts, to those who are also reminded of loved ones called home, DOROTHY, TRACI( Tanner), MARTHA HIX, SUSAN (Andy) who came to mind , but I know there are many more, praying God give you strength for today, and that His hope for tomorrow, will help and guide you today as your heart is stirred by today’s devotion.
Sending truckloads of love and hugs wrapped in prayers for you across the pond today..❤
What a wonderful description of our future rest! Thank you, Erin.