Life Shaping Priority #4

Jim Ladd

The New Testament uses the phrase, “make every effort” eight times - each with a life-shaping priority worth your full and concentrated effort. Here is number 4: “Make every effort to enter God’s rest.” (Hebrews 4:11)

Here is the broader context:

“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. For the word of God is alive 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.”

‭The Good News: There is a place of rest for us, in God, that we simply cannot find anywhere else. The kind of rest that enables us to experience rest equally in a war zone and a windfall, and anything in between. This is amazing news in an age of anxiety.

The Warning: Entering that rest is actually a command from God. This is not about a day of the week or a set of rules, but about ceasing your “work” and resting in His finished work. To do otherwise is disobedience and carries with it the prediction of death. We know that stress and anxiety, and guilt and shame, are filling our hospitals, ruining our marriages, and increasing our suicide rates. This is a command given for our good - not as a hoop to jump through to demonstrate obedience.

The Wisdom: The Word of God is powerful, alive, and discerning. It is so wise for us to anchor in the Word of God (not just the Bible, but interaction with Jesus the living Word and all He had to say and teach). The Word of God divides the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts and helps us rightly appropriate the work of Jesus that gives rest. Nothing is hidden from God’s sight and He graciously shows you what He sees, that you may find health, redemption, recovery, and restoration in Him.

Make every effort to enter into God’s rest - your soul is starving for it, your relationships need you at your best, and your very life depends upon it.