Skip to main content

Rest from Works

When I was in school I was told that if I worked hard and gave the right answers than I would get good grades and then people would pat me on the head and tell that me that I was bright. Okay nobody ever said that last part would come true. I guess that's just what I hoped would come true.

Regardless each one of us believes that if we do something we should get something whether it's prestige, payment, power or all of the above. An there is truth and justice to this way of thinking. It's the way we're wired.

The problem is however that we don't want to be paid for all the things we do, just some of them and this type of thinking is illogical. It's like telling your boss that you only want to be paid for half of the report you wrote on changing conditions in the marketplace. It's like telling the contractor that you only want to be paid for half of the dry wall that you put up. Sure your employers want to do it, but if there fair people they'll know that it's just not right.

And yet when it comes to sin we don't want to be paid for all of the sin we've piled up in our little corner of the universe. We just want to be compensated for the smiles we've sprung on people from time to time.

The reality is of course that we cannot choose what we receive payment for because we're not the ones paying. The sign on our door simply reads "I just work here." God as the great employer renders what is just.

Fortunately God knew that He could pay someone else for our pile of sin so that we didn't have to be weighed down by our misdeeds. That is why He invites us to join Him on a day off for the "workers" called sabbath. It's a day of rest from our labors. This is a very special day off of work. This day commemorates the day the great employer paid for all the time we've spent misusing company resources. It's a good day indeed.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Who is Melchizedek?

Melchizedek is a mysterious figure in the Bible. He appears abruptly with great importance and yet his identity seems unclear. Let's see what we can discover. In Hebrews 7:1-3 it says: 1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,  2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,”  3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Hebrews 7:1-3 With this text in mind let’s look at some of the characteristics of Melchizedek. 1. He was the King of Salem. Salem means peace. He was the King of Peace. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6. It says: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His na

The Teachable

According to Wikipedia there are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations. That's a lot of denominations. Presumably there are 41,000 different denominations because each of these denominations believe that they have the truth about what God wants for our lives. The question then becomes for the individual: "How do I find the truth?" Well, the bible answers that question in Isaiah 28:9 . The verse says:   Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? In this text God tells us that He will teach those that are weaned from milk and drawn from the breast. This means that God can only teach people that are not dependent upon others for their spiritual nourishment. Jeremiah 29:13 says: And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. When we compare these two texts we realize that the emphasis in Jeremiah 29:13 is on t

Baptized for the Dead

Baptized for the Dead The world is reeling right now. But God is still here. If we have been truly listening to the Spirit of God we are hearing a message that has been woven through the tapestry of God’s word: a message that is the ultimate fulfillment of the gospel. Today I would ask you to come and reason with me as we open the scriptures. The apostle Paul tells us: 25 For he (Jesus) must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 1 Corinthians 15:25-27 This is a difficult passage for many to understand. But basically Jesus must reign until God has put all of His enemies under His feet. And the last enemy that will be destroyed is death. And when death has been destroyed Jesus will be submitted to His father. We can see this in verse 28 that says: 2