Last week Pastor Bill Abram provided a wonderful e-mail on peace and rest. My thinking had been in that general direction also, so I will attempt to add on to his thoughts.

Hebrews 4:2 —  “For, indeed, we have had the gospel preached to us, even as they also; but the Word did not profit those hearing it, not having been mixed with faith in the ones who heard.  For we, the ones believing, enter into the rest, even as He said, ‘As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter into My rest,’ though the works had come into being from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken somewhere about the seventh day this way, ‘And God rested from all His works in the seventh day.’”

Being forbidden to enter His rest is a fearful thing to contemplate. And yet, it is too easy to “work” on some other thing than just enjoying Him and resting in Him. I have seen individuals get deeply involved in something that was not restful, and not obviously Sabbatical. I have also been a part of Sabbath rescue efforts for my friends or their animals or their cars, and I know how easy it is to lose the rest spoken of in Hebrews 4:3.

Hebrews 4:8 adds this:  “For if Joshua gave them rest, then He would not have afterwards spoken about another day.  So, then, there remains a sabbath rest to the people of God.  For he entering into His rest, he himself also rested from his works, as God had rested from His own.  Therefore, let us exert ourselves to enter into that rest.”

Brothers and sisters – let us “exert ourselves” to enter into the promised Sabbath rest this evening.

Shabbat shalom.

(Scripture quotations are from the Literal Translation of the Bible)