You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

January 1, 2020

You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Jeremiah 31:3

Let this thought be your guide for 2020:

“But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit” (Romans 7:6).

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 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: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  But when we fail to meet His expectations, we hear: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in 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.

Perhaps on this first day of the New Year, you are still a bit weary from striving to justify your place with God, still battered and bruised from the game of life. If so, today is a great day to renew your faith in God, who loves you unconditionally, just as you are, not as you should be. Because no one is as they should be.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 Emphasis mine).

NOTE: Tomorrow, January 2, 2020, I will resume my meditations based on readings from the book, The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ (Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House http://www.seedsowers.com/)

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ is a very unique presentation of the Four Gospels. The Gospels are combined into one continuous story, told in the first person, as an autobiographical narrative. The entire Gospel is presented in chronological sequence without any duplication of material. When I read this book, I can easily imagine Jesus sitting next to me, telling me the story of his life. (The book is available on the WEB site noted above and on Amazon)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

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.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.