13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." (James 4: 13-17)
The vanity of thinking that we must take in today, tomorrow, and hash out yesterday -- all of it fussy nonsense.
What did Jesus tell us:
"33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." 9Matahtew 6: 33-34)
His Kingdom is greater than your yesterdays, your today, and your tomorrows!
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1: 8)
It is rank hubris for us to take thought for the morrow, as if He is not taking care of all things for us:
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5: 6-7)
What then prevents us from entering this rest? Sin consciousness, which God pledges to have taken care of us for us:
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)
He no longer remembers any of our sins, and He is a God to us!
Yet we still feel held back, slow of heart to believe. This is a matter of conscience:
"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God." (Hebrews 7: 19)
What did the law not make perfect? Our standing before God, yet more importantly the unappeased sense of right and wrong which cannot be taken out of us with the blood of bulls and goats.
"Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;" (Hebrews 9: 9)
But through Jesus, we have the perfection that we are longing for, the peace of mind which frees us from an evil conscience:
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10: 14)
All the "what ifs" and "premonitions" are merely distractions from an enemy who wants us to look at ourselves instead of rest in the Finished Work of Christ Jesus. Here is the simple response to the deceptions, tremors, and fears which cause us to look at ourselves instead of the One who loves us, justifies us, and lives through us:
"Likewise reckon ye
also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 11)
"Let us labour
therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)
What are we called to believe?:
"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on
him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)
Believe on Jesus Christ for all, for He is our rest:
"Come unto me, all
ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)
If He is our rest, He who has been from the beginning (1 John 2:13), who never changes (Hebrews 13: 8). If He has everything, then it makes no sense at all to ask "What if?"
No comments:
Post a Comment