“8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:8-13

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We need to be careful to understand that while Jesus will bring us strength, peace and wisdom through the Holy Spirit in this life, that we do not enter our rest on this side of eternity. I think some people expect, even if they won’t vocalize it, to enter into at least a part of His rest here, that life should be easier or that God would make problems go away. Some of this can be seen in the false teachings of people like the Osteens and other prosperity gospel preachers/teachers. They tell people that God’s desire is tha they would be happy here, in this life, on earth, still plagued by sin, but somehow standing above it all because they have received His ‘favor’ through their actions, or a ‘right’ way of thinking. They want the rest now, and they see living in that rest as a sign that God must love you, and/or that you must now be doing something right.

What we find in reality, though, is quite different. God never promised us that this life would be easy. He never promised us His rest while we still walk in these bodies marred by sin. In truth, how can we expect to? Is Christ at work in us? If we have died to self, been baptized into Him, and and take up our crosses daily, we are walking in the path of righteousness, but it is not yet time to enter His rest. Can we carry the cross and rest the same time? Can we struggle daily against our sinful nature, the Spirit giving us strength, and still call it ‘rest?’ Can we experience pain, poverty, sickness, sorrow and heartache and say that this must be God’s rest?

God’s rest is so much more than just the state of being helped by Him, which is an amazing  place to be! It is what is promised to us who live and die in Christ. It is what awaits us after judgment. It is the promise of eternity, and we cannot experience it fully here on earth, on this skin, while sin still affects so much of what we see, feel and experience every day.  We can find refuge in Him. We can find peace in Him. We can shelter from the storm in Him, but our rest has not yet begun.

This is why Paul says, ‘Let us strive to enter that rest…’ because we are daily pressing on toward it in Christ and through the work of God’s Holy Spirit in us. We are not yet done with our work. We still have the Great Commission to work out, we have our own salvation to press forward in, and there is still the daily work of living to be done. Rest is promised, but rest has not yet been fully given. When we experience times in the Word, prayer, worship and service, we can find tastes of rest, samples of His goodness, but we do not drink fully from it until we stand face-to-face with Him. It’s not a tease, it’s not cruel to keep it from us. It would be a corruption of that wonderful rest to try to unfold it here while suffering still remains.

So, while you strive, while you are about His business, GoLove others knowing that you offer the same rest for others that you will one day experience yourself. The same Jesus who suffered and died, carrying our sins, and was resurrected three days later, proving His victory over death, He will greet us there in the rest that He promised and provided. It is His great gift in grace, that we would spend eternity in the presence of God enjoying that same rest with Him.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchased of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood!

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.