11/11 Hebrews 4:10

10 . . . for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.


Many of the accounts under the Old Covenant were pictures with future implications. One such picture is the law of the Sabbath. Because God rested on the seventh day of creation, the people of Israel were also to do no work on the seventh day. The author of Hebrews is telling us that by entering into Christ, we cease from our own works of trying to earn God's favor and rest in what Jesus has done for us.

In Jesus, we perpetually live in the Sabbath rest. This is why some early believers no longer set aside the Sabbath as a day of rest but considered every day as a day of rest. (See Romans 14:5.) That does not mean they sat around and did nothing, but rather what they did they did to the glory of God by His presence within them.

There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. There is no future failure that will cause God to love you less. God loves you because you are in His Son, who clothes you in His righteousness. That does not cause us to be careless in the way that we live. It inspires us to live godly lives out of love for Him who loves us and gave Himself for us.

Consider: As genuine believers we want to please God in all we do because Jesus has made us God's children. Our passion to live a holy life is evidence of the work Jesus has done in and for us. We let Him do that work through us by His power as we rest in Him.