The Hard Work of Working Less

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roadsign Jan 26, 2014

Hebrews 4:11 "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” (NIV)

As a piano teacher my job involves training students to work less. And that’s hard work for them! It sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not. For example, overworking arm muscles interfere with finger development. The student must "make every effort” to train the arms to relax so that the fingers can work freely and expressively. Unchecked tension causes the music sound forced, weak, and unsteady. It can eventually cause pain, injury and even end a musical career.

I see a spiritual parallel: We are cautioned to "make every effort to enter [Christ’s] rest” This is not a passive affair. It takes "ever effort” to cease from fruitless striving and enter into Christ’s rest. When we learn to rest in Him He will make beautiful "music” through us.

Think of the beginning piano student: At his first lesson he discovers that his fingers are so weak they may make no sound at all ”“ especially the pinky finger. His reaction is predictable. Instinctively his arm pushes down on the hand in an attempt to compensate. Poor little finger! With such force bearing down on it, it merely collapses on the keys. A little finger cannot develop its potential until the bigger muscles learn to rest. This really does take "every effort” ”“ involving intentional and careful practice.

Do you see yourself as an overfunctioning muscle? Are you habitually overworking? I’m not referring to physical work. Perhaps you strain your mind with anxiety and doubt. Perhaps you work too hard trying to prove your love-worthiness. Or you are habitually working to absolve your sense of guilt. All these besetting habits deplete your energy and squelch God’s Spirit.

Perhaps you have a habit of overcompensating for weaker "muscles”: You do what others should learn to do. Perhaps you do the thinking for them, or the worrying for them. Such efforts merely hinder them from growing into maturity. In the long run, the entire Body suffers.

Just as for piano students, it takes "every effort” to surrender fruitless habits and to adopt new, effective life habits. Really, it’s a joint effort involving support, encouragement, mentoring, faith, prayer, and so forth. This is how we come to function harmoniously ”“ and make beautiful "music” together - displaying God’s glory to a fallen humanity. "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:19

Prayer: Dear Lord, awaken us to our fruitless habits of overworking. Help us learn to rest in You and draw on Your gifts of grace. Give us courage to "make every effort” to form habits which empower us to live effectively - and in that way bring You glory.

Diane Eaton

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ArthurRosh Jan 26, 2014

This is something I struggle with in many ways. By His grace I have started memorizing His Word again as a way to slow down and learn to rest.

sermonindex Jan 27, 2014

Resting will always be elusive when we are trusting in our own efforts. Our own efforts and works only seem to remind us of our constant striving to be accepted and be at peace. Yet, at the same time we know that work has already been done by Another. Because of Him, we are accepted in the Beloved and His perfect love has been shed abroad in our hearts casting out all fear. But, are we trusting in His work in us, or engaging in our own work for Him? Are we really interested in paying the price to hear His voice and know His concerns for the day or are we rushing headlong with our agenda? Will we harden our hearts and continue thinking we have His approval? By this kind of conduct, are we not yet dwelling in fear of our standing with Him? Have we received His rule in every area of our heart (that we are aware of) or are we still fearful of turning some things over to Him? We must then compensate for our subtle, yet very real rebellion, and do "great things" for God. It makes us feel spiritual and successful in our walk, yet we risk hearing the words in the future, "I never knew you".

Are we dwelling in the land of promise or striving in the wilderness of our own making?

Have we not truly believed?
"For we which have believed do enter into rest", Heb 4:3

From this verse we understand that there is much more to "believing" than acknowledgment.

"but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Heb 4:2

The Holy Spirit in Hebrews is using the Children of Israel in the wilderness as an example to us, to not harden our hearts as they did. And yet, many of them thought they were pleasing God and "helping" Him out. Today, it is a more serious thing, when one who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit refuses to listen to the Lord and continues to go his own way, engaged in his "good works". God will let us work, and work and work until we drop, and He will not give us any peace or confirmation/witness from His Spirit that He is pleased with us. While we are disengaged from Him, working our own works, God will not give us His stamp of approval. So, we seek it from others. God is not an enabler. He confronts us in love, and the only labor He wants us engaged in, is laboring to enter and stay in His Rest.

Living by our own works is when we are the worker, but the "REST LIFE" will have even more works, because He is the worker. And it is a work that will not wear out your spirit.

The key to entering His rest is only by revelation. It is the difference between soul and spirit. If we are confused about the difference we will continually have inner struggles.

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roadsign Jan 29, 2014

We must then compensate for our subtle, yet very real rebellion, and do "great things" for God. It makes us feel spiritual and successful in our walk, yet we risk hearing the words in the future, "I never knew you".

Ahh ”“ the proverbial "fig leaves”! Our efforts to do great things are merely self-designed fig leaves serving to cover our rebellion ”“ our inability to REST in God and his work.

Yet our fruits of unbelief feel so right. Even worrying feels righteous. It shows how much we care.

It feels wrong to wait. It feels like neglect, laziness ”“ sin to our fallen consciences.

Being a busy-body is a good example. It is a certain mark of rebellion. Yet it feels like our calling -to mind another's business ”“ to note their wrongs, to fix them up. And if they don’t submit to our "wise authority”, we pronounce condemnation on them. And we broadcast it. That makes us feel righteous. After all, it is our Christian duty to fix another, to remove the "speck” from his eye ”“ to "take a stand” against all error (as we perceive it) . Such a mission feels so righteous. We call it "witnessing”, standing for "truth”, our prophetic calling.

Oh what a tragic bondage. We are driven to make every effort to appease our own conscience. We must, or we break down. And if we fail in our (self-designated) calling, surely God can’t love us. We are failing God!!!

Our fallen consciences won’t let us rest. They condemn us with guilt ”“ for not trying hard enough. And since we can’t endure a condemning conscience ”“ we try even harder to do "right” ”“ and we use others to validate us ”“ praise us, accept us. Oh what destruction this causes for our relationships! We cannot truly love. The Body is endangered!

Paul wrote: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
THANKS BE TO GOD ”“ through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Rom. 7:24

Praise God for the apostle Paul ”“ and for Romans. We need not despair, for God’s Spirit within empowers us to cease our fruitless hard work ”“ and ENTER HIS REST!

Praise God ”“ for his salvation ”“ his rest!!!

"Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:11

sermonindex Feb 1, 2014

Have you ever been asked, "What are you doing for the Lord?" This question puts the emphasis on man and reveals that the one whom the question is coming from is "off center" (to say the least). It could come from an everyday Christian or a Sunday School teacher or a preacher in a pulpit and often does. Have you experienced pressures from without and within to perform for Christ? Are you challenged to "prove" you are a genuine follower of Christ? Are you sensing that people are looking for proof in the form of "activity" on your part?

That may be...it often happens in performance oriented, religious Christendom, today...

Jesus knows the pressures that are put upon us to perform. He also had these pressures put upon Him and He had to resist all outward influences in order to safeguard and preserve His relationship with His Father.

His disciples wanted Him to be their King and deliver them militarily and politically. But Jesus resisted. Peter tried to tell Him that He would not be killed and received a rebuke. The religionists wanted Him to sing when they played songs and to be somber when they played a dirge. The Pharisee were constantly tempting Him to perform for them and validate Himself with activity and works (but He knew they would not be generated from His close union with the Father). Jesus knows all too well our tendency to be religious and say, "It's in our power, we can do it!" Yet, in the end it is fleshly effort totally apart from Him. This is unbelief and sin.

False offers of rest, abound. More money, vacations, cruise ships, more knowledge, better skills, more technology, better organization and even moral leaders and better government they say is the way to rest. In the Church, it is usually more "holy" activity and certainly productivity and having the right theology or being a member of the true theological group.

Yes, "we can do it, we can pull it all off, because we have the true theology, the true heritage, the best preacher, the best church and worship leader and the best mission programs. Look at all we are accomplishing for God! WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THE LORD?"

Do you feel small and insignificant now? Isn't it time to get yourself in gear and generate some activity so you can receive validation from men? Prove to men that you have genuine faith. Do something great for God.

However, Jesus says:

Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that LABOUR and are HEAVY LADEN, and I will give you REST.

Matt 11:29 Take MY YOKE upon you, and LEARN OF ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOULS.

Matt 11:30 For MY YOKE IS EASY, and MY BURDEN IS LIGHT.

Rest is never found in increased religious work, no matter the dedication or commitment to excellent performance. Rest comes by living out of the life of Christ and drawing upon His grace, recognizing that "it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). If you focus on and appreciate and enjoy your good works, then appreciate that your "good works” are only those which "God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10), and enjoy "the power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20). Stay focused on Christ as your All Sufficient One.

This is not to imply that we replace the self-effort of performance with passivity, but rather with the active dunamis (power) of God. Participating in God's rest is not for the purpose of avoiding all the unrest in the world around us, because His rest is not a rest from all the trials and tribulations in this life but a rest in the midst of all of our circumstances.

The religionists rest in THEIR sufficiency, His rest is resting in His sufficiency for "we are not adequate to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is of God" (II Cor. 3:5)

The only way you will continue to participate in the Lord's rest is by responding to Him in faith.

"For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Heb 4:2

Christian faith is responding to God's activity within you, not generating more activity of your own. Just because we have trials and temptations, or fail and misrepresent Christ with sinful behavior, we are not prevented from experiencing God's rest. Alienation from God's rest comes by a definitive attitude of unbelief, a character of distrust in God that leads one to disobedience each and every day.

We tend to think that this disposition of unbelief would not exist in the Church, but it is exactly to the Church that this warning is being addressed.

Will God allow His people to have their choice of unrest. Yes, whether it is within or without, but He continues to offer "the better rest of God" in Jesus Christ.

"Let us be diligent, therefore, to enter that rest". (Heb 4:11).

"MY HEART IS RESTLESS, O GOD, UNTIL IT RESTS IN THEE” - AUGUSTINE