Reading… and Thinking

   There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following [Israel's] example of disobedience.
   For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

— Hebrews 4:9-13 (NIV)

The Sabbath rest spoken of here is our goal; it should shape every decision, give direction to every aspect of our lives. Remember, it’s not a “rest” in the sense of sitting around. Our rest is to be like God’s rest, the writer says. What did God do? Jesus said, commenting on the Sabbath, “My Father is working until now, and I myself am working.” (John 5:17) The Sabbath God has in mind isn’t idleness! But, it will be rest from the continual battle against sin. That battle will have been won forever. So we’ll be able to serve God perfectly, without the weariness and weakness we now have. We’ll work, but it will be doing wonderfully, blessedly satisfying work.

Sadly, this future isn’t in store for everyone. It’s sobering to look at who failed. Israel saw all of God’s miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness, and still many of them proved faithless. They will never enter God’s rest, we read in this chapter. What a tragic outcome! They were eyewitnesses of the glory of the Almighty, they heard His voice from heaven, they ate the heavenly food He provided. But they doubted God’s ability to preserve them. They craved meat to satisfy their appetites. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll realize that we’re very similar. From our vantage point, we have the whole picture of redemption laid out for us – much more than they had. And, we have the signs of the last days. But we doubt. We want to satisfy our appetites. And sometimes sin looks a lot more inviting. When we’re entertaining doubtful or selfish thoughts, we don’t even realize that those thoughts are putting us in jeopardy of losing eternal life.

How can we avoid such a deadly mistake? The answer is the Word of God. It is a penetrating instrument, to reveal our hearts. Who is the beneficiary of that revelation? God already knows our hearts. It is for ourselves that the word is a judge of the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts.

The Word of God is living and active. Do you believe that? If you have questions, I challenge you to try it. Read the word every day for three months. It will change you! And it will show you to yourself. That’s not a bad thing! It’s the necessary first step to getting right with God—and entering into that marvelous rest.