Resting in God Alone

June 7

(Psalms 62:1-5 NIV) “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. {2} He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. {3} How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down-- this leaning wall, this tottering fence? {4} They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. {5} Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.”

(Acts 4:8-12 NIV) ““Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! {9} If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, {10} then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. {11} He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' {12} Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.””

(Hebrews 4:1-7 NIV) ““Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. {2} For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. {3} Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' "And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. {4} For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." {5} And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." {6} It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. {7} Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.””

In all the chatter today about what God can do for us, we often miss the big idea. Blessing is great, but salvation is greater -- in fact, it is the greatest of all things. It is the main reason Jesus came to Earth. Peace of mind here, and eternal rest in heaven, are found in Christ and Christ alone. He alone is our rock of salvation. We enter God’s rest only by what Jesus did on the cross. You will not find genuine salvation anywhere else. God has given us only this one way -- only this one name -- by which we may be saved. Now we have a choice. We can harden our hearts and complain that there is only one way; we can whine about the lack of options; or we can thank God we even have a choice! We can praise the Lord for giving us a way to enter His rest. We can love Jesus for providing us a way. It’s your choice. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day