The Lord's Rest

One of the things that I look forward to the most in heaven, will be entering God's rest. An eternity of restful work and play. Can you imagine? Have you ever had a day that was full and fulfilling and yet felt restful? God's rest will be far better than we could ever imagine. 

In the Old Testament, after God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, he promises to bring them to the long awaited Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. However, due to Israel's sin, the wander the wilderness for forty years before the Lord delivers them to the Promised Land, and as Joshua leads them in entering the Promised Land, they enter a land of rest. It is a land where they are no longer slaves, and they are free to live and worship God. 

But this Promised Land was not the land of forever rest. Israel's sin and disobedience of God's commands led to a history of struggle within this land. 

This Promised Land foreshadows a better land and a better rest to come: 

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 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. (Hebrews 4:8-11)

There remains a Sabbath-rest for God's people. 

A rest from our works just as God rested from his works.

It is a rest that is to come, but it is a rest that we must make every effort to enter and we enter it by resting in God's grace. 

Israel celebrated a weekly Sabbath - it was a time when they rested from work and gathered together to worship the Lord. 

A greater Sabbath-rest is coming for God's people, a rest that we will be a rest from works. But the thing is we can experience glimpses of this Sabbath-rest now when we rest on God's grace through Jesus Christ instead of our works. 

Even though we may have glimpses of this future rest now, we should make every effort to enter this future Sabbath-rest.