Kimberly, in Oklahoma, sent this to me the other day. It really blessed Annie and me. Thank you, Kimberly. ☺
The following is taken from Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s March 2018 Newsletter.
In the rush of our lives, one of the hardest things to do is to rest. The Bible tells us that “we must labor to enter the Lord’s rest and that there is a Sabbath yet waiting for His people.” Messiah is called the Lord of the Sabbath. How do we enter into that Sabbath realm? The secrets of entering the Lord’s Sabbath are hidden in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis.
In Genesis it’s written that when God saw all that He had made, “He saw that it was good, and He rested from His works.” There’s a secret in this verse. Just as God looked at His works on the sixth day, in order to enter the realm of the Sabbath and the Shalom of God, we must also look at God’s works. If you focus on your own works, you’ll never enter rest because your works will never be completed, or perfect, or finished. So many believers are wrapped up in what they’re doing or not doing, or their attempts at being godly, or their failures. But as much as they do that, they will never enter into God’s rest. The first key is to get your eyes off your own work and onto the work of God. Instead of looking at what you’ve done or haven’t done, direct your heart to what God has done. His works are perfect. He saved you perfectly. He’s given you a perfect salvation, a perfect redemption, a perfect love, hope, faith, joy, peace and blessing.
Beyond that, God saw that it was good. So if you are to enter into His Sabbath, you must also see that it’s good. When we feel sorry for ourselves, we’re saying, “It’s not good.” Our thoughts, words, and actions are saying the very opposite of what God said. When you look at what other people have done to you, how they mistreated you, you’re saying, “It’s not good.” When you look at your failure, you’re saying, “It’s not good.” And as long as you say, “It’s not good,” you can never move out of the sixth day and into the seventh – you can’t enter into His rest.
But you might ask, “How can I say it’s good, if it’s not?” “My life is filled with problems in this world, and it’s a messed up place.” That might be true, but we can only say it is not good if we are looking at the world and not at God’s works. God works through your problems, your troubles, and your past. He works through everything in your life. God’s word promises you that “…He works all things for the good for those who love Him…”
This means, if you see God in all things and see His works in every part of your life, you also can say, “It is good.” Why? It’s simple! Because God is working in them, and God has intended to work all things for good.
Direct the eyes of your heart off of your circumstances and onto the beauty of His love and His salvation and say, “It is good.” And you will begin living in the realm of Messiah’s Sabbath.
Thanking and praising God in all things,
Mark
Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.