The Sabbath-rest talked about in this verse today speaks of a rest only obtained by believing, and trusting in God’s promises. God rested on the seventh day from all His works creating everything. The word “rested” implying a need for recuperation from exhausting work, was not the case with Almighty God. He stopped to observe and appreciate what He had created, and said “It was good” (Genesis 1:31). We are to follow this example of God, from time to time we must pull away from the hustle and bustle of life. Looking back on our achievements and to physically rest and recuperate from our works. Because unlike the Lord we have a need to recharge and refresh our souls. It is because of unbelief that people are not experiencing this rest from God. To experience the rest that God gives, we must have an understanding of how things work in God’s program. Oh, you didn’t’ know there was a program, because nothing like this comes from God automatically, we must go after it. There’s always His mercy when we’re not trying or doing what we are supposed to be doing. But God will allow you to stay on that level if you’re not willing to do the work of studying to find out what’s good with that Sabbath-rest. We can all use a break from our daily struggles and the Sabbath-rest is intended for our pit stop along the way of fulfilling our destiny with the Lord. The Sabbath-Rest brings along with it, a heart warming and soul comforting experience of being nurtured by God in a way that going on vacation could never do.

‭Today’s scripture verse speaks of us not storing up riches like it’s our source for provision, or a security for comfort. It can be that for many of us, but God wants to be our source for provision without worry of not seeing it before we need it. The Lord is our shepherd and we shall not want or lack anything (Psalm 23:1). Our belief that God will supply our needs is what causes the manifestation of our resources. It is by faith we obtain the promises of God, and one of them is all of our needs being supplied according to God’s riches in glory, (which means more than enough). We can have faith to believe but many people fall off while waiting for the manifestation to come (Hebrews 6:12). Our storing up riches should be for the next life we are all headed for, not with the attitude of heaping up money like you’re addicted to it. The love of money is the root of all evil, not money in itself but the idea of it’s your only source of security or comfort unless you have it in abundance (1Timothy 6:10). God wants to be your only source of comfort and peace of mind when it comes to finances. There are many idols and false realities that have taken God’s people off track. Storing up riches in heaven is storing up for the next life with Jesus. Planting your financial seed into fertile ground ministries that know God. Make your finances count when it comes to someone’s life being saved from the fires of hell.

‭Crying out to the Lord when in trouble is usually an instinctive human trait. Doing it on purpose with the understanding that He will save us from our distresses, and bring us out of darkness is the idea for victorious kingdom living. He is the chain breaker no matter how thick the chain. It is inevitable that trouble will come to Saint and sinner alike. It is the child of God who has been equipped with the armour of God. There’s a piece of armor from God’s arsenal for us that covers every area of attack by Satan. Having that armor in place is our responsibility, it will keep us from being helpless against our enemies. Satan and his cohorts are our enemies, who have come to kill steal and destroy (John 10:10). It’s the devil behind the person we must confront. Using the weapons of our warfare which are mighty through God to pull down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). Until we can stand strong for ourselves against the devil, cry out to the Lord when you are in trouble. At one point the Lord expects us to grow up in Him, in His teachings and precepts which can save your life. For now, cry out, He’ll answer.

Pure and genuine religion in God’s sight, is to care for orphans and widows when they are going through distress. And keeping ourselves from the corruption of this world at the same time. Religion from the world’s perspective and interpretation will not include God’s will in many areas of the gospel when it is presented, (unfortunately some churches follow this wayward path as well). True religion is a personal relationship with God to the degree that the faith believer of God gets on the spot instructions for each day’s journey. Acknowledging Him in all your ways so He is directing your path in life (Proverbs 3:6).True Religion does not come from man made up ideas about God, neither from a form of scheduled practices which has zero input from the Holy Spirit. There are religious people that this world’s demonic system has produced, and then there are religious people who are from God, totally unattached to this world’s evil ways. In other words, the Lord would have us to complete the assignment of reconciliation and not get tricked by Satan’s devices to pull us off track. Be in the world but not of it (John 17:14-16). We are our own keepers, not our brother when it comes to mastering agitating spirits and moral conflicts that are constantly at work against us. Keep the faith, God’s counting on you!

Love is the key to it all, because God is love. We have been so distanced from God’s love working in us because of sin. The more we participate with sin, the less we walk in God’s love. How can we minister God’s love to others when we don’t have a deep enough supply working in our lives. The Agape love of God is a living entity that repels wrong doings (sin). Once a faith believing Christian gets a hold on this law of love, there will be a time of knowing it’s the only way to live life to the fullest. Love is patient, kind, and long suffering with self-control at the helm of every problem. You begin to believe the best of every person, seeing them as the Lord does. He sees us with potential to be better, not judging us where we are now. God’s ordinances, precepts, and teachings are the guidelines for walking in the agape love of God. Understanding the wisdom of this love, so you don’t become a doormat for people to walk all over. Knowing when to give out tough love, and when to be more understanding, bearing their burdens with them. It is a command of God to love one another, so will you obey Him today, or continue to live for “Me and Mine”, and no one else. To love is to do God’s commandments, and there will always be a cost to anything that produces a higher quality of life. We must push through all the distractions and temptations, and anything that tries to exalt itself above the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus.

‭The father of godly children has cause for joy much more than a worrisome, ignorant child void of the truth. Many times the truth is what’s lacking in the family. Parents that over protect everything about their children even at the cost of them learning that which is necessary for life survival, are doing a disservice to their children. The trials and errors we go through are life lessons only obtained by experiencing the trouble. Helicopter moms and controlling dads, do more harm to their children than they realize. It is a pleasure to have wise children that can fend for themselves at their level, and beyond. It is vitally important they go through normal verbal fights with others, and experience disappointments often enough to develop a thicker skin in their make-up, their character. Fathers and Moms we must allow our children breathing room to grow up. Letting them go through stuff you know will help them to develop into wise children, thinking for themselves, and not being under total parent dominance. Fathers are to set the tone as a constant stable force in the lives of their family members. Loving our wives as Christ loves the church, (Ephesians 5:25) and not discouraging our children to the point of them wanting to leave home (Colossians 3:21). There is a balance to obtain and a fight worth fighting for when it comes to any father’s children. Our kids think the world of us dad, use that to motivate you into becoming a better father, which will make you a better man.

‭The thing to keep in mind when the Sabbath is brought up, is that the Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). We keep the Sabbath day holy by keeping it in our remembrance, it’s a God thing. God set aside the Sabbath for a day of not working your job, or doing any physical labor of any kind. It is a day we keep Holy by staying in God’s face through prayer, and meditation in His word. Even God rested the seventh day after Creation just to pause and look at His accomplishments with appreciation of it (Genesis 2:2-3). We can’t keep going non-stop without consequences. We must put in our schedules a day of rest, the Sabbath. It can be whenever you deem it so. Most people recognize Sundays as the Sabbath. We go to church not our jobs, and we take more of a leisure day, but we must acknowledge the Lord in it or it’s just another day at the office with different surroundings. Make your Sabbath day count with the understanding of why it was created. It’s a time set aside for worshiping the Lord and studying His word. If we don’t feed our spirit man, as well as our bodies, something will give, and your life will eventually be affected by negativity. The Sabbath is reinforcement to be able to stand in our faith with the Lord for victorious living.

When we hope in the Lord we find ourselves in a position to receive His goodness. He is attracted to those who have put their hope in Him, and expectantly waits on Him. We can require of Him this goodness on the authority of His word promised to us. Seek and you shall find, ask and it shall be given, and knock because the door will be opened by God Himself (Matthew 7:7-8). All of these admonishments are based on the participatory actions of the believer. Our faith must be intact to get God to do anything for us. He’s really into us trusting Him although we’ve never physically met. He is drawn to and will pass over a million people to get to the person that simply trusts Him based on His word of promise alone. People have put a bad taste in our mouths concerning their word being a binding contact that can be trusted. Many have become like their father the devil who is the father of lies (John 8:44). So by nature, and for good reason mankind doesn’t trust very easily. But we are talking about Jesus who is the truth and can be trusted (John 14:6). We must each find that trust in God for ourselves. This is the good fight of faith which challenges every person testing their connection with God. Faith is the only way we can connect with God. All you gotta do is trust what He said about you in His word is true, but therein lies the struggle of faith.

‭How good are you at enduring, and carrying another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults. In other words how good are you at handling and dealing with another person’s drama. In doing so, we fulfill the law of Christ, (the law of Christ is basically the agape love of God in action). The idea is to not get caught up in it, and find ourselves participating along with the drama. To be built up in the Lord at all times will keep you on the straight and narrow path of life. If we are not strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, how can we not be affected by negative influences (Ephesians 6:10). You’re going to serve somebody, or some thing good or bad, the in-between folk will be spit out of God’s mouth. Indecisiveness, luke warm christians don’t cut the mustard with God (Revelation 3:16). Our motivation must have the spirit of reconciliation behind it. We are commissioned by God to go into all the world and spread the gospel, the good news. Once we discover the love behind this command, the depth of what’s at stake, that revelation will move the heart of God in you. Enabling you with the strength and necessary power to help bear the burdens or drama of others. It’s a tall order only if it’s being done in your own strength. Fulfill the law of Christ, and become a Drama Master, and invoke what you’ve learned from the Kingdom of God, and put it into action.

Have you committed yourself to the Lord yet? Are you leaning on Him, hoping confidently in Him for everything. Once we have a mind to allow the entire leaning of our personality on Him, then we’re talking major change for good. People say all the time, “Well, I have that kind of personality”, I’m an “A Type personality”, or, “I have a Scorpio zodiac sign”. All that stuff was made up of demonic influence to keep us from excelling to who we can truly be, and it keeps us in bondage from our rightful place in Christ. The Rock of life has prepared for us all we need to live a victorious life. As we begin to find out who we are in Christ Jesus, our life existence on earth will be elevated to live above the evil in this world. Trusting the Lord with all our hearts and leaning not to our own understanding is the beginning of deeper trust in God (Proverbs 3:5-6). Once you’ve experienced God’s faithfulness for yourself, you’ll never go back to natural means of survival like most people have all their lives. There’s so much more for all of God’s children, which is His family. He has provided for our needs, our safety, our total comfort, and peace. God is the Rock of Ages, and He has noticed over the ages how lack of knowledge has been destroying mankind. We must study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15). Trusting Him is everything.