I was going to start with some section on old paradigms – you know – like: kinking the garden hose will break the pipes in the walls….
What? Oh yeah, now we’re stepping into some strange waters. Oops, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to upset your Feng shui…
No, what is the life of a man which is truly lived, but that which is imbued by heroic Grace in action? There is no other life.One has only to look to Christ on Easter to be convinced. Jesus went all out. He fully did everything He did in total obedience to the Father.
But what about rest? Rest is an absolute necessity. The Bible is clear that a life devoid of rest has something totally wrong with it. The problem lies in HOW we seek rest. Do we try to pull away from G_d a little, so that we can store up some energy – and then go back into service for Him? Do we try to make our own beds; fill up our own tanks? If yes, then beloved we are headed for trouble.
- Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Don’t pull away. Lean in, and come under His authority in your life. His yoke fits perfectly. It is designed to use your obedience with utter effectiveness for His Glory. He will give us the rest we need in the midst of it all.
- Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30-31
Don’t pull away. Abide in Him, wait on Him. He provides strength. In Him, we can be going a thousand miles an hour, with our hair on fire, and EVERYTHING is A-OK.
- And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Romans 6:13
Don’t pull away. Present yourself to Him and let Him play you like an instrument of His righteousness. The word for ‘instrument’ here is also translated: ‘weapon.’ We are indeed to present ourselves as weapons to be wielded for the kingdom of G_d. HOW VERY COOL IS THAT?!?! No effort is required here, just be available. G_d will take very good care of His instruments; of His weapons. They are precious possessions, not disposable articles.
K.P. Yohannan says: “We misunderstand obedience for legalism and bondage.” While obedience is, in fact, the norm for the best-lived life of freedom in Christ. In Christ we are given the freedom and liberty to hand our lives over to the One Who has redeemed us. This is where true rest begins: When we hold nothing back from Him, and allow Him to fill us with His strength to accomplish His purposes in our lives.
Indeed, obedience and the cross mean absolute self-denial. Total surrender to Him then – most often – yields a life defined by only a few words. One of the most relevant? Obsessed.
A life in the Spirit is not about adding a little bit of Jesus, taking our own rest, reading a couple verses of Scripture, and praying for a couple minutes to “balance” out our day. No beloved, if we are a Christian, we no longer have a day. Each breath, every heartbeat; they are His, for His purposes. Oh, He’ll bring about good for sure. But, just as sure, it ain’t almost ever gonna look like what we think it should.
You see, all of this is just only about the Person of Jesus Christ. He started it all – and He is going to finish it all. He is EVERYTHING.
Please watch the following 6 minute segment from Stephen Manley. Yeah, this guy doesn’t have any balance… and i think i’d like him as a neighbor!
SDG
