RECEIVE JESUS WILLINGLY AND ENTER HIS REST!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019.

SUBJECT: RECEIVE JESUS WILLINGLY AND ENTER HIS REST!

Memory verse: "Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going." (John 6 vs 21.)

READ: Mark 6 vs 45 - 51:

6:45: Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and to go before Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.

6:46: And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray.
6:47: Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.
6:48: Then He saw them straining at rowing; for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
6:49: And when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;
6:50: for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! it is I; be not afraid.”

6:51: Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.

INTIMATION:

When you receive Jesus willingly into your life the result is usually amazing. God offers us the opportunity to enter His ultimate place of rest—He invites us to Jesus Christ. To enter His rest, you must believe in God and that He has this relationship in mind for you; you must stop trying to create it, you must trust in Christ for it, you must determine to obey Him, willingly accept Jesus into your life, and ultimately enter His rest. Today is the best time to find peace with God. Tomorrow may be too late.

The rest Jesus is referring to is the eternal joy that comes with living with Christ forever, when creation will be renewed and restored, every mark of sin will be removed, and the world will be made perfect again. Our rest in Christ begins when we trust Him to complete His good and perfect work in us which He started when you believed and accepted Him willingly into your life. This result is peace with God now and eternal life on a new earth later. We do not need to wait for the next life to enjoy God’s rest and peace; we may have it daily now! Our daily rest in the Lord will not end with death but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us. 

When you accept Christ, the way to eternal life, though unseen, is secure—as secure as your trust in Jesus. He has already prepared the way. The only issue that may still be unsettled is your willingness to believe. We can look forward to eternal life because Jesus has promised it to all who believe in Him: “Let your heart not be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s House are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14 vs 1 - 3.) 

The problem of many who fill our churches today is that they know a great deal about Jesus, but they do not know Him personally—they don’t combine their knowledge with faith; believing that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do. Faith is a mind-set that expects God to act. When we act on this expectation, we can overcome our fears. Believe in Him and then act on what you know. Trust in Christ and do what He says. Doing what He says depicts your trust in Him and love for Him.  

In the passage we read today, the amazing result of willingly accepting Jesus is glaring. The disciples were traveling across the sea, and when they were about the middle of the sea, they saw Jesus walking on water toward them amidst the raging storm of the sea. They were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water about the middle of the sea—three and a half miles from shore. He told them not to be afraid that He is the one. And when they willingly accepted a Him into their boat, immediately the boat was at the land where they were going (John 6 vs 21), and the storm seized. Yes, the storm seized, and the boat which was about three and a half miles from the shore immediately was on land. Isn’t that amazing?

Accepting Jesus willingly into our lives immediately calms the storms around our lives and brings us immediately to our desired destination! We often face spiritual and emotional storms and tossed about like a small boat on a big lake, in spite of terrifying circumstances, if we trust our lives to Christ for His safekeeping, He will give us peace in any storm. All we need to do is to stay focused on Him, and trust Him in all things. The apostle Peter started to sink because he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the high waves around him. His faith wavered when he realized what he was doing. We probably will not walk on water, but we may walk through tough situations. If we focus on the waves of difficult circumstances around us without faith in Jesus to help, we, too, may despair and sink. 

To maintain your faith when situations are difficult, focus on Jesus’ power rather than on your inadequacies. Although we may start out with good intentions, sometimes our faith falters. This doesn’t necessarily mean we have failed. When Peter’s faith faltered, he reached out to Jesus, the only one who could help. When you are apprehensive about the troubles around you and doubt Jesus’ presence or ability to help, remember that He is always with you and you can always trust Christ to help you bear them. In times of fear and uncertainty, it is calming to know that Christ is always with you (Matthew 28 vs 20). To recognize Christ’s presence is the antidote for fear.

Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11 vs 28 - 30.) A person may be carrying heavy burdens of (1) sin, (2) oppression and persecution, or weariness in the search for God. Jesus frees people from all these burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You. I confess Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. And I have found rest in Him. Give me the grace never to look away from You in all circumstances, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!