You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

January 1, 2016

You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.

    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

Jeremiah 31:3

Let this thought be your guide for 2016: “God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be. Because no one is as they should be.” (All is Grace by Brennan Manning)

God’s love for us is based 100% on His choice to love us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be. If His choice to love us were based on anything else, we would be in trouble. What if God’s chose to love us based on some measure of our faithfulness. What would happen if we didn’t measure up?

The truth of God’s love for us is that we don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it and we can’t justify it. God’s choice to love us is seemingly contradictory. God’s sets a very high bar of expectations for us: “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  But when we fail to meet His expectations we hear: “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). When we accept God loving us so completely, we can move toward that liberating day when, because we passionately believe in God’s love for us, we truly love ourselves for God’s sake.

Maybe on this first day of the New Year you are still a bit weary from striving to justify your place with God. Maybe you are still battered and bruised from the game of life. If so, hear these comforting words from your Master, who loves you unconditionally, just as you are; not as you should be. Because no one is as they should be.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.