Complete Rest

Complete Rest

Reading: Leviticus 23-24; Psalm 24; Acts 21 28 Do no work during that entire day because it is the Day of Atonement, when offerings of purification are made for you, making you right with the Lord your God. 32 This will be a Sabbath day of complete rest for you, and on that day you must humble yourselves. This day of rest will begin at sundown on the ninth day of the month and extend until sundown on the tenth day. (Leviticus 23:28, 32 NLT) No doubt about it, the Jews Moses was speaking to were a hard-working people. They came out of generations of slavery with a strong work ethic, and they worked really hard at whatever they found to do. God insisted on a weekly Sabbath of rest so they wouldn’t become driven, self-sufficient workaholics. God was clear about the Day of Atonement as a day on which they were to do no work, a day of complete rest, a day to humble themselves in total dependency on God. Just as the Jews were reminded by the command to do no work on the Day of Atonement, we are reminded by Paul’s words to the Ephesian believers: 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT) Atonement was made for our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ and not through the results of hard work, even good work, on our part. As with the Jews on the day of Atonement, offerings of purification were made for us, not by us! We were made right with God through Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Honest Questions: Is your relationship with God largely performance-based? What would help you to rest in God’s unconditional love and Christ’s finished work? Will you pray this prayer with me?… Father, I believe that no good works I have ever done or will ever do could atone for the sin that separated me from you. Today, I completely rest from my striving to be worthy of your love, and I trust only in the atoning sacrifice of my Savior Jesus Christ. I accept my acceptance. I know that you love me, not because I am good, but because you are good! Thank you Father! Thank you Jesus! Amen.