#212: Grace: not by works
"Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28
Since the fall of man, one question has been looming silently throughout creation: How will man get back to completeness (a theme of how things were in Eden before the fall)? Last week, we saw the relationship between rest [in God's presence] and exile [from God's presence] as the reverse of each other. God gave His people His appointed times (moedim in Hebrew) which they were to keep for all generations; they were nested in sevens - alluding to the Shabbat and its significance. By the time the Old Testament ends, Israel had broken all of God's laws and provisions to enjoy rest in the land and this led them to exile,
Back to the looming question; to get back to completeness, do we work for it? Do we fight for it? Or do we stop and trust? By the end of last week, we could conclude that if sin brought toiling and labour, the pathway to salvation had to be rest
For thus said the LORD God, the Holy One of Israel, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength..." Isaiah 30:15
The Shabbat and the moedims were a foretaste of salvation, telling us that rest is our victory; our trust and faith is our power. Salvation by definition needs an external force to respond to a cry for help. And that is the Jesus moment (what all the 66 books of sacred scriptures are pointing to). We left off where He stepped into humanity and declared God's appointed time (moedim)
Fast forward to the world we live in today: "Nothing Good Comes Easy" is a common saying that we've perhaps trained ourselves to accept. Based on this saying, we're inclined to believe that if we want big results, we equally have to work as big; that really hard work is what earns us the good things in life. Yet in this same life:
i. Not all people who work really hard, get big results.
ii. Many have worked so hard to get big results and built empires that eventually crashed.
So if like me, you have
observed these things, then you should realise that the world and its ideas are
not to be trusted, that there must be something beyond 'work' that makes way
for a man; a divine power for life - GRACE
"Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28
Grace says, "Hey,
don't allow the struggles of life steal your chance of a greater glory with me,
stop and rest." Of course, I understand that it may not be easy to stand
still and release control of everything to God; but guess what can make this
process easy for us ......... GRACE.
Yes, it's Grace still.
Grace gives an enablement that is beyond us. God's grace is everything we need.
This is true, I have experienced first-hand that stress is invited when I think
and act like I have full control of things; Immediately I accept that the
situation is not for me to control, God's grace takes over and I find rest because God gives peace. Again, I'm not saying this is an easy process, but
Grace is patient.
I know that what drives
most of us to labour so hard in our own works, is fear. We are afraid and
anxious that if we don't do enough, our future may suffer from it; and I get it.
I get that there's so much pressure to perform in these times, but we must
realise that our labour is endless if we don't hand it over to God. We'll just
get worn out and frustrated when we eventually fail miserably.
If God’s grace doesn’t help the builders, they will labour in vain to build a house. If God’s mercy doesn’t protect the city, all the guards will circle it in vain. It really is senseless to work so hard from early morning till late at night, toiling to make a living for fear of not having enough. God can provide for his devoted lovers even while they sleep! Psalms 127:1-2 (TPT)
We are really limited
when we operate outside Grace, we end up struggling for things we could have
attained with ease. We lose our health, our peace, our joy, in the process; and
how's that worth it, when God's grace is readily available for all ... and
super sufficient too. On top of that, it is not hard at all to find. We'll just
have to ask God to lead us.
That's right, to lead us;
a person who's being led should follow. That implies that grace is not a licence for laziness. It does not mean that we'll do nothing, it just means that the
Holyspirit will give us the work that we are to do, then recognising how weak
we are, He'll even do the work for us and through us.
If we look at it that
way, then we're basically doing nothing, yet gaining everything. That's Grace!
But God’s amazing grace has made me who I am! And his grace to me was not fruitless. In fact, I worked harder than all the rest, yet not in my own strength but God’s, for his empowering grace, is poured out upon me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (TPT)
So He gives us the work,
but He still goes ahead and does the work through us. This understanding is
what does not allow us to take any glory for ourselves but give it all to God,
because even when we win, we remember that it is not really us who won but God.
Oh, so many victories we miss, because we ignore Grace?
Grace is Jesus, Jesus is
Grace.
Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. John 1:16 (GNT)
Jesus has done so much
for us already so that we can rest in Him. I hope we can then imagine how
heartbreaking it is for Him to see us toiling still, instead of trusting.
I hope today, we will
decide to embrace Grace and depend on God's strength; that when the urge to
stress and struggle comes, we will rather stay still and ask, "Lord, what
should I do?"
I hope that in trust,
we will be able to say, "Lord, what you say is what I will do."
And when God replies,
'Rest!'; that we shall do.
Written by Grace Tunmife. Grace Tunmife is the Admin and Author of Life Matters - a Christian blog. We highly recommend her writing if you are looking for graceful Christian content. God bless you.
We will conclude the series of rest next week by God's grace. Anticipate!
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