The Two Benefits of Rest

Post by
Michelle Dowell
Co-Contributor

Like all of God's commands, the command to rest—when we follow it—leads to two benefits: glorifying him and what would be the best for us.

By "best" I mean something that we might not see right away as the best, but as we proceed, we most likely will see that it indeed was the best for us. Our best sometimes is growing deeper in knowledge or love of and trust in Christ but can be a number of other things depending on the situation and command.

Resting at first may be hard and may not seem like the best at first. Saying no to people who are eager and excited that you join them can feel awful at first, and taking time out from some activities sometimes may lead to boredom. But within the quiet that God likes us to have is a wealth of opportunities: Creativity and reflection, including thinking about how God's omnipotence and love mean we don't need to constantly work to feel secure.

We glorify God in resting because we are obeying his command, and we are also taking part in an action that indicates in some way that we rely on God to meet our true needs. If we don't feel like we believe God will meet our needs, sometimes we start to see the truth in it when we rest. We took hours off of working for money or a certain goal and we find that the world is okay, and our needs are met. In some ways, resting reminds us we don't need to worry or be anxious.

What Is Christian Faith?

What is Christian faith?

It is a loving of God primarily.  There is no saving faith in God apart from a love for God.

Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Notice the connection those who love God are the ones who are called according to his purpose.  Those aren’t two distinct categories.  If you are called by God (thus saved) you love God.

I would just like to urge everyone to ponder their faith.  We all need to test ourselves to see that our are love for God is true, not like the sad story in Matthew 7:20-23:

So then, you will know them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

How do we know this is not about us?  It is by our fruits, by our love for God that we can see our election.  If our fruit is scarce test it to see that it does not taste of self love for personal gratification in heaven, but that it longs for deeper satisfying union with the creator.  If we believe we all need to repent.  Even the best Christian’s do not savor God’s precious goodness enough.

As Psalm 63:3 puts it: "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you."

Ponder that God's love is better than life.  Search deeply and diligently to see its truth.

Another Prayer

Abba Father,

I thank you that you delight infinitely in yourself and do all things for your glory. This is greatest love imaginable, to us your flock. Lord bless us with a burning hunger for you Lord. Lord, ask much of us, that we may glorify you greatly. And give to us what you ask of us. Teach us to decrease, that you may increase. Show yourself to us Lord, so that we may be transformed into a people pleasing to you. Teach us what it means to take up our cross and follow you. Withhold from us no trial that is good for us, Lord. Move on us Lord, that you may be praised. Move on us, that we may taste your goodness, how you are better than life, better than all the pleasure we have ever felt combined. Lord, your beauty is infinite, hide it not from us. Lord, make the dead alive, make us who struggle, victorious, those us suffer, find peace in you, and us who are arrogant, humble. Lord, keep from us no blessing that would enable us to see you better. Keep no blessing, however painful it be, from us Lord, so that we may see you as we ought, and Love you accordingly.

In Jesus Name.

Amen.

Glorifying God and Enjoying God Are One and the Same Thing

Question: What is man's chief end?
Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
(Westminster Catechism question and answer #1)

The great thing about this question and answer than in two sentences we have a good start to understanding our relationship got God.  The first thing that we notice is that man has only one chief end but two things listed under that chief end.  The implication of this is that glorifying God and enjoying God are one and the same thing. If you attempt to glorify God without enjoying him you have not glorified him.  Men might get away with showing honor to an earthly king and giving him glory while despising him, but you cannot with a heavenly king.  Our father in heaven sees the heart. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind.  If you wish to glorify God you must take pleasure in him.  You cannot love something without taking pleasure in it.  Praise flows from our lips about things we cherish most.  So if me enjoy God we will glorify him with our mouths and lives.  "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34)  True love is not complete without praise.  The wonder is that God, the most important thing in the universe, is the center of our praise and the praise God calls us to is what will fill our hearts with unspeakable joy.  The gloriousness of this is that the most beautiful and only inexhaustible being in the universe's plan is that we be eternally happy in praising and enjoying His Excellencies.