Hebrews 4:9-11 “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
Psalm 16:9 “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”
Romans 8:24 “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
The fifth of the “ten commandments” in Exodus 20 also tells us to rest from our own works.
Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Matt 5:13 “Ye ARE the salt of the earth:…” and Luke 17:21 “…for, behold, the kingdom of God (heaven) is within you.” You (god) work to create in six days, in other words “heaven and earth” is fulfilled in six days, however, seven is for rest. In Exodus 20, when it says “within thy gates” this spiritually means within yourself. Six is the number of our own works and our own thoughts, whereas seven is the number of hoping in the LORD’s plan.
Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”
Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:”
However, we do not know what we are waiting for because we do not yet see the answer (Romans 8:24), because his thoughts are not our thoughts; so rest from your own thoughts (own works) so the LORD’s way will unfold.
Our efforts towards God should be to enter into his rest, which means to stop continually seeking and worrying about your own needs and desires in this world and be still in God.
Mat 6:30 “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But 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.”
Food, drink and clothes in Matthew 6 represent not only our physical needs but all our needs in this world (i.e. drink=refreshing, meat=all we consume and use, etc.). “Take no thought” means to not be anxious or filled with cares and worries about how you will get what you want in this world, and to not to be looking out for what you need or making this your main focus in life. However it does say to first seek the kingdom of God which is the power and authority within you that is holy and righteous. If we do this all the other things will just fall in to place where they need to be in this world. The things in the world should not be our focus, but your inward thoughts and beliefs need to first be in line with the Kingdom. This is “resting in the Lord” this is having patience on God. Just be with knowing hope that God will take care of it all.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…”
All these scripture quotes have similar messages. Again, we need to be careful with our own understanding of things; in the scriptures and in our lives. If we hope in outcomes that we may not see or understand how it may work out, we allow God to work it out his way. Because our natural man cannot understand or comprehend what God has prepared for us, because it is exceedingly above what we can think or even ask for. God’s way of working out is better anyway so let him do it. Let go of seeking after your own desires, but rather seek the Kingdom
Revelation 14:12-13 KJV - Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV - I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Dying in the Lord means to give up ourselves and our own thoughts and ego ways and take a break (rest) from that.
James 1:2-8 ” My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
Wavering is doubting in God’s plan and being unsure that he will surely work everything out as it should be. Wavering is not fully trusting God. So when you ask for wisdom about something, do so with a mind wide open to the possibilities you have not thought of. Wavering is going back and forth from what you think you need, to being open to what God wants to provide and the wisdom to know the difference. Wavering can also be compared to the double mind. Remember from previous discussions concerning the double mind:
“The “double mind” or double heart needs to be cleared somehow. This double mind can be compared to the heart and mind of our logical “man” (i.e logical carnal law based male counterpart within us) versus the heart and mind of Christ. A double minded is having the carnal mind and the spiritual understanding in conflict with each other.”
Fully trusting in God is part of clearing the double mind. We no longer lean on our own understanding of the world and what we think [and what we think we need], but we trust with patience, not doubting or wavering in our belief that he will provide us all we need; all we need to survive, thrive, and grow in his purpose for us. Clearing the double mind, gives us the ability to ask in faith (full belief in what we are being told in the scriptures) and therefore knowing that he will provide to us in due time the wisdom to understand his plan for us, while that plan is being fulfilled in us. Gaining wisdom is also trusting God and beginning to understand his plan. Wisdom is a great treasure to ask for and receive. This wisdom also helps to clear the double doubting wavering mind.
However, sometimes we still think we know what is best, and how can we know for sure? From Romans 8:24 above; wait on direction from God. And if we don’t assume we already know what direction that will be, we learn patience. Waiting with patience is a skill to obtain and master and brings wisdom and true “rest”. And not thinking you already know exactly how it will turn out helps one to be patient. God will give you what you truly need in time with patience. Life is not all about getting everything we think we need right now. Sometimes it is about learning to let go of our attachment to the things in the world and just be. For there will always be another desire, another want, another need, and God will always come through for us and in us as it should be each day. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1John 2:16). Focus on seeking God and be released from the captivity of seeking the worldly needs.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Romans 13:14 “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
Again, “make not provision” which means to take care or forethought about seeking and fulfilling our lusts and desires in our outward world. Making provision is continuing the “work” we do in the “six days” referenced in Exodus 20:11. Six is the number of work, the number of a man (Rev 13:18), the representation of a person who has it all worked out on their own within their own worrisome mind.
1John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
Here it says that the things in the world, the pride of doing things in the world, and the act of desiring and lusting after those things and those accomplishments is not of God. These things are a distraction from the truth, and can test and try us to teach us what is truly important.
James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Lust is an overwhelming desire for something that distracts us from following and seeking after the Spirit and keep us from being led by the Spirit which “kills” the seed of the word. Desires and seeking after our own wants first takes ahold of us (“conceived” means seize) and then makes us sin (sin means missing the mark and calling of the Spirit and the Spiritual Law), and this “sin” brings forth death, the death of the seed and death of the Spirit. Once we obtain what we have desired we just keep seeking those more desires; one after another. Lusts (i.e. desires, needs, wants) are never fully satisfied and causes the spiritual seed to die because of these “cares of the world”. After one lust is fulfilled another takes its place when we make seeking our desires in this world our first priority. But if we first seek God and his “rule” for our mind we become satisfied in his plan for us rather than our efforts to continually fulfil our “own” needs.
The will of God would have something better for us if we would allow it. James 1:4 says that if we have patience, that patience in itself will “work” to make us perfect and in want of nothing. If we truly trust God and his plan for us and stop seeking and making provision to fulfill our desires, we also learn patience along the way.
Hebrews 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
So what is the will of God that we do so that afterwards with patience we receive the promise?
It says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Giving thanks in everything is God’s will for us. And this does not mean just the good times, but the trials too. But giving thanks is a whole other discussion in itself.
So for now remember Hebrews 4:9-12
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
“Rest” is hoping in the LORD’s plan for us and having a true unwavering belief that it will be no matter what is happening in the outside world.
So, “let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
“Laboring” to enter into rest falls within our “six days of creation”, the creation of ourselves within ourselves, where even “the stranger within our gates” learns to rest in the LORD.
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Our six days of work will finally lead to rest if we come to truly understand the Laws of God and the power of his “word”.