Page 13 - Cornerstone Connection Magazine - Volume 22 - Issue 8

The Amazing Rest of God! stressed-out with worry, fear, anxiety, frustration, no peace
and no joy.
God wants us to enjoy our everyday lives. John 10:10 says The reason this happens sometimes is because we think
that Jesus died for us so we “may have and enjoy life, and God needs our help. We meditate on the problem—rolling
have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]” (AMP). it over and over in our mind, worrying, trying to figure out
But it seems so many people who say they believe in Jesus how things should work out. It’s like we’re telling God, “I
are not really enjoying their lives. kind of think You need my help, and I’m not sure You can
It’s tragic to think that Jesus paid the price for our sins, take care of this situation, Lord.”
that He suffered to make that sacrifice, and yet there are We need to realize that worrying is useless! It’s like sitting
Christians who are struggling just to get by and make it in a rocking chair, rocking all day, wearing yourself out and
through each day. getting nowhere. Trusting God means we give up worrying,
The key to having abundant life in Christ is living by God’s reasoning, and anxiety, and we enter into His rest with
grace through faith. Because grace is His power working in simple childlike faith—we live by grace through faith!
us that enables us to do whatever we need to do in life.
Living by Grace
Don’t Go It Alone
Ephesians 2:8-9 is a great Scripture that says we’re saved
When we try to do everything in our own strength and by grace through faith. And we walk out our relationship
leave God out of the equation, we just get worn-out and with God and His plans for our lives the same way we
frustrated by our mistakes and failures. But when we lean receive salvation: by grace through faith.
on God, we actually enter into His rest and can enjoy our This is possible because Jesus made the perfect sacrifice
lives, no matter what our circumstances may be. for us when He gave His life, taking our guilt and
Hebrews 4:9-11 (AMP) says, “So there remains a [full condemnation and paying for our sins. Through a personal
and complete] Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the relationship with Jesus, we access God’s grace so we can do
one who has once entered His rest has also rested from [the what He’s calling us to do.
weariness and pain of] his human labors…. Let us therefore It’s so amazing to know that God is always with us,
make every effort to enter that rest [of God, to know and giving us His grace for everything we need to do in life.
experience it for ourselves]….” Trust God’s unconditional love for you today. Do what you
Now the rest of God is not a rest from work—it’s a rest in can do and give Him everything else. And when you find
work. It’s partnering with God to do what He is calling you yourself getting frustrated or feeling overwhelmed, like you
to do by His grace and leaving the part you can’t do in His just can’t do it anymore, remember to stop, get your focus
hands, trusting Him to do it. Hebrews 4:3 says it this way: back on Him and enter into His rest once again. ✝
“For we who believe [that is, we who personally trust and
confidently rely on God] enter that rest….” Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc.
She has authored nearly 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Making Good Habits,
Start by Believing Breaking Bad Habits (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs,
which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit www.joycemeyer.org.
When I’m trying to believe, I haven’t entered God’s rest.
But when I do believe, I have complete rest in Him. Living
by faith is not a life of struggle—it’s rest. And you can enter
into God’s rest in every area of your life.
I’ve discovered that the stress in my life is caused by the
way I approach my circumstances and the attitude I have
toward them. It was a turning point for me when I realized
that the world will probably never change, but I can learn
how to change the way I go about handling situations that
are challenging.
One key to this is knowing that as believers in Christ, we
are partners with God—we have a part and He has a part
in everything He calls us to do. When we don’t do the part
we can do, and we try to do His part, that’s when we live
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