Welcome to the kingdom citizens blog!
Putting God first assures us that we will be ushered into restoration, edification, stability, and tranquility...R.E.S.T.
Entering into the rest of Jesus Christ is a profound spiritual experience that transcends human striving and anxiety. It is an invitation to lay down our burdens, cease from self-effort, and trust fully in the finished work of Christ on the cross. This rest is not merely physical or circumstantial; it is a deep, inner peace and assurance that comes from knowing we are reconciled to God, loved unconditionally, and secure in His promises. As we yield to Christ and embrace His Lordship, we find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light, allowing us to live in a state of grace, confidence, and true rest for our souls.
When We Rest, Do We Emerge Rested?
What is the engine of our lives? What jumpstarts our day, exciting us for what’s ahead? Are we ever truly satisfied with the ignitions of the heart, those sparks that drive us in our desires? When we finally obtain what we want, satisfy what we crave, and celebrate our portrayals of success, is it enough?
The culture by which we write out our lists, establish our plans, climb that ladder of promotion, reach that ceiling of expectation may not be healthy or beneficial. If these things we cling to for fulfillment and purpose are detached from the will and intent of God, only chaos and disappointment will ensue.
The chaos of formless unpredictability should not shape our daily pursuits. And the disappointment that echoes throughout the marathon of failed attempts will leave us burnt out and brokenhearted. What rest do we have from the endless cancerous sabotage of this generations fast-paced, hustle n’ bustle, keepin’ up with the Jones’, façade of a carnival we call a grind?
Parable of the Weeds
God is the King of the Universe and this world is His field. The gospel is His seed of Truth and prosperity. The farmer plants seeds in order to reap a harvest. Our cosmic Farmer, Yahweh, sows His Word and reaps a harvest in the form of sons and daughters; believers, who by way of Christ, become citizens in the kingdom of God.
Daughters of God especially, have a universal role to play by functioning as humanity’s natural receiver and dispenser. What you sow is what you’ll reap and what you allow to be sown in your soil is on you to appreciate or regret when it is cultivated, whether that is for the good or the bad. Learn to discern between the wheat and the weeds.
Here we witness the devil attempting to sabotage the Lord’s bed soil with leeching counterfeits. Designed to serve as a spiritually insulated stand-alone soil mix, the kingdom of God is ideal for creating the optimal environment for His seeds. The body of Christ is intended to be a community connected to the Vine of Christ, making us suitable for growth and gardening. Do not let the devil lead you into being weeded out from the Kingdom.
A Complete Rest
Outside of Jesus Christ, there is no true rest. We know that but do we believe that? And if we believe that, do we practice daily the principles associated with the rest that we may want but not understand how to appropriately embrace? No amount of rest will be enough, if it isn’t a complete rest.
What does that mean, a complete rest? This is a Sabbath rest. This kind of rest is only possible for a believer in Christ and includes the collaboration of spirit, soul, and body. This is a rest that the world, as well as carnal-minded believers, cannot fathom. The secular world around us is a bottomless pit of hedonistic, self-preservation that contradicts its ideals with its behaviors in an endless loop of mind over matter and speaking manifestation into the universe.
There is no hope for a generation like this. The world's system is a machine of destruction that will suck you dry, spit you out, then move on to who’s next in line. God never intended for us to work ourselves to death. He intended for us to cultivate our way into His restful spaciousness, a daily restoration. We don’t need another lecture on fast-tracking secular success or sleeping when we’re dead to get this bag. No! We need the Lord's Word on learning to honor and implement His Sabbath.
Resisting the Grind
According to 1 Corinthians 6:12, It is made abundantly clear that we are not to be enslaved by anything. So why do we fight so fiercely to perform, purchase, or produce our way into admiration, redemption, acceptance, prosperity, and justice? Within God’s grace, He has settled all these things for you, installing a commitment to provide, protect, and produce for you whatever you have need of, which you will discover in His Sabbath rest.
Looking to 1 Corinthians 6:7-12, we can see both the corrupted ambitions of the flesh and the natural consequences of failing to achieve in our flesh:
“7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Sexual Immorality
12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.” (emphasis added)
Though we do have the right to do what we want, this mindset is not beneficial to our livelihood. Take a stand, refusing to be mastered by anything! We don’t need to fall into corruption, decay, our brokenness by attempting to become the gravity that holds our lives together. Our Lord God is the only One Who holds our lives in His hands. Let us trust Him and let go of competing with Him for control of our lives.
Make sure to stay tuned in for this next blog post so you don't miss out on your word of encouragement...We'll be discussing how we practically release ourselves from the grind into our Sabbath Rest.
Scripture of Emphasis:
1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)
"I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything."
Thank You and God Bless!
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