Morning By Morning #18

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.

Hebrews 4:9

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

In heaven, how different will be the condition of the believer when compared to here! Here on earth he is born into fatiguing work and suffers weariness, but in the eternal land of the immortal, fatigue is never known. On earth, eager to serve his Master, he finds his strength not equal to the task or to his zeal, so his continual cry is, “Help me to serve You, O my God!” If he’s an active Christian, he will have much work to do here on earth, not too much for his will, but more than enough for his strength. So he will cry out, “I’m not weary of the work—I’m weary in it.”

O Christian, the long hot days of weariness will not last forever. The sun is nearing the horizon and will rise again on a brighter day than you have ever seen and upon a land where you will serve God day and night—yet with true rest from your labor. Rest on earth is incomplete, but there it is perfect. Here a Christian always feels unsettled as though he has not yet attained. But there, all are at rest, have attained the summit of the mountain, and have ascended to the sweet embrace of their God. They can go no higher.

O work-worn laborer, just think of when you will rest forever! Can you conceive of it? It is an eternal rest—a rest that “remains.” Here my greatest joys grow dim, my fairest flowers fade, my finest teacups are drained to the dregs, the sweetest songbirds fall from Death’s arrows, my most pleasant days always end with the coming shadows of night, and my floods of happiness subside into deserts of sorrow.

But there, everything is immortal. Harps play on without ever gathering rust, golden crowns never tarnish, eyes remain bright, voices are un-faltering, hearts unwavering, and every eternal being is filled with infinite delight.

Happy day! Truly happy! Mortality will be swallowed up by life, and the eternal Sabbath-rest will begin.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

We live in a world full of stresses and strains, and we often hear of exhaustion or burnout, even among Christians. But compared to the apostle Paul, can we truly complain? Here is what he said:

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches…If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

2 Corinthians 11:23 – 28, 30

Dear Lord, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”(Gal. 6:9).