Hebrews 4:9-11 (NIV) There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

I haven’t met anyone yet who didn’t start off their relationship with Jesus by trying to obey what He says in His Word. But as everyone finds out, that is impossible to do. The standard is way too high for us in our current state to be able to obey flawlessly or to even come close. But that’s the only way that we know to do something. In this life, those who don’t try, fail. We get ahead in school, in sports and at work by trying hard, with the most successful people trying harder than everyone else. It is counter-intuitive to us not to try to obey what Jesus said. When we try to do that in our own strength, we learn that we just can’t do it.

What a shock it is to us to learn that trying doesn’t work when it comes to doing what the Lord instructs us to do in His Word and to live in a way that matches how Jesus lived in this world while He was here physically. The Word tells us that we should live as He did (1 John 2:6) and just that prospect alone can be very discouraging unless you have learned the secret of the passage of scripture above. I call it a secret even though it is right there in front of you in black and white because it takes us a while to understand it, since it is such a foreign concept to us. What does it mean to enter God’s rest? The Word of God tells us that the Israelites did not enter the Promised Land at rest because they disobeyed. We all have disobeyed as well. So how do you enter God’s rest? You do it through faith, surrender and trust. You must have faith that the Lord’s Word is true and believe the promise of Jesus that if you remain in Him and He remains in you, you will bear much fruit (John 15:5). Jesus remains in you through the Holy Spirit, which was given to you as a deposit when you received Him as your Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). As you surrender all to Jesus, including His will for your life, He takes control and empowers you to live according to His Word and you learn to trust Him and lean on Him to live in a way that you were never able to live before.

It’s never in trying, but in resting that you become more and more like Jesus and live more and more like He did. What a relief to know that it isn’t that there is something wrong with you specifically, but that it’s that there is something wrong with us collectively, which is our sinful nature. Only by putting our faith and trust in Jesus and surrendering and submitting to Him as not just our Savior but as our Lord as well will we enter the rest that is available to all who believe. You’ve tried hard without any success. Now try resting in Him.

Pastor Joey Vazquez