Therefore

DEVOTION HEBREWS THEREFORE Heb 4:2-11 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." 5 And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." 6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath — rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. NIV There is a huge amount of scripture today, but only one thought, one idea, one actually statement of fact that we need to pay close attention to within this ultimate run on sentence. The main focus for us begins with, “Let us, therefore,” All of this was said to us so that we could have a clear picture of what we should therefore do. We need to make every effort to enter that rest. We cannot afford to shipwreck our faith so to speak. We cannot afford to lose sight of our belief in the power and might of God. We cannot afford to allow the thinking or thoughts of the world to infiltrate our faith. It may well be that when we start thinking that we can control our own live, our own path, and our own course in life, that we have begun that process of thinking like a disobedient people. God had a plan for his people, to bring them out of slavery and take them into his rest, a place he had planned for them. Because of fear, not faith they refused to go and do what he wanted for them. They did not believe he would provide for them. Are we like that? Do we make every effort to follow the path God has for us? Do we make every effort to do what he has for us to do? Are we putting forth every ounce of effort to go where he desires us to go, no matter what the physical situation might look like? Do we think in terms of human thought rather in terms of God thought? What is impossible with man is possible with God. No matter what obstacle might be in our way, according to our thinking, is nothing to God. If we have entered his rest, as he did from his work, then we need to rest from our work as well. That is we must rest from making every effort to do thinks for ourselves, and allow God to show us his power and might in providing for us all that he has planned for us. We cannot afford to make God or religion or our faith a part of our lives, it must be our life, all of our life. We must make every effort, which is all we have, every last bit of strength we have, leaving nothing behind, holding nothing back in trusting God completely with our life. If we think for one minute that we can enter his rest by our good works, our good deeds, thinking we can live without sin, we are sadly mistaken. We need to rest from all our work in order to enter his rest. We must make every effort not to enter by works, but by faith.