Reflecting His Image

On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather (manna), but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 16:27–30)

God's Word is clear that God created people in His image. That signifies that we reflect that image or echo or display it. Of course sin mars it and doing our own thing replaces it. 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

By the gift of redemption through the death of His Son, and by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to be like Him.

. . . .  let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43–48)

How is that possible? Only because God knows our hearts and needs. He knows how to make life a classroom. Our challenge is to listen and obey as He works: 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

As for the Sabbath, think of this as imitating God. He wasn’t tired and needed a nap every seventh day, but to be like Him, I am to stop the regular activities of life and totally trust Him for my needs that one day — which is another classroom. In keeping this command, He teaches me to trust Him for other things, even all things, even all day. Far too often, it is this inner nagging that says “I must get this done” that keeps me from doing the will of God, the inner nagging that comes from sin that rises up and is full of ideas that reflect my desires rather than the will of God.

Yes, Sabbath is a physical rest, but as the NT brings out, it points to resting in Christ, trusting Him in every area of life. The Gospel declares it and the Sabbath is the place to start learning it.

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:8–11)

Jesus, most teaching on Sabbath rest can be the extreme of doing nothing that involves physical effort, or even fun, or just doing something different, or napping, or other visible activities. I can see now that it is a classroom where You want to teach me to fully trust You for everything rather than having this DIY mentality. It is a learning curve to stop my efforts to be like You and instead trust You with the transformation. I could say more but can only think how badly I want to be a more faithful student who cares deeply that I reflect You to this dark world.

 

Start resting by praying . . .

“Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, but He washed it white as snow . . .” the words of a hymn speak of forgiveness and cleansing, but when I first typed them, I wrote: “Jesus does it all . . .” for as I study the Bible and live my life, I am becoming more and more aware that my efforts always fall short. I could not make myself right before God, nor can I keep myself right in the way that I live.

In learning to live out all that Christ has given me, one important reality is learning to trust Him and not myself, to rest in Him. This “rest” is about God’s sovereign power, about trusting Him to take care of everything. Trying to do that is something like my grandmother used to say, “The harder I try, the behinder I get.”

Resting in God is a challenge for all of us who live in a busy world. The tensions of life press us to work hard, try hard, even play hard. We are individualistic and independent, not used to resting or trusting in anything but our own resources. Yet Jesus Christ makes this lovely invitation . . .

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29)

The image or pattern is the Sabbath. In the past, this one day of the week was a call to stop work and worship. The Old Testament people must have been something like us because God had to command them to do it. They were no more prone to rest (or worship) than we are.

However, resting that one day a week was not the goal. “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:8–11)

The Sabbath rest is also a picture of trusting God for all of life, of recognizing His care and not fretting or fussing about anything. As the psalmist said, “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” (Psalm 116:7)

In the New Testament, the Sabbath had become a day of “thou shall not . . .” rules. Jesus often spoke about the way the people had missed the point. This must be human nature, for even Christians who know how to rest in Him can remember how the church did the same, enforcing rest with a long list of rules.

But Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man. He understood the principle of rest and knew all this would happen. God had said, “’This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose,’ yet they would not hear.” (Isaiah 28:12) and “’In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’ But you were unwilling.” (Isaiah 30:15)

Why were they unwilling? The same reason that I am unwilling. I do not rest in Jesus, whether it is for a time to be refreshed, or simply trusting Him to do what needs to be done in my life because I think I must do it myself. I think I know what is best. I assume that if I don’t, it won’t happen. All my reasons basically boil down to trusting myself more than God.

The result of refusing rest and not trusting Jesus is anxiety and fatigue. However, I am learning (the hard way, as usual) that all of life points me to that Sabbath rest. God wants me to find it and enter into it. It is available to all, and in it we find the joy and goal of salvation . . .

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:3–4)

God offers Rest

Most children have the experience of planting a seed in a flower pot and watching it grow. Many cannot wait to see if the seed has sprouted so dig it up to check its progress. Most of the time, this ruins the seedling and presents a lesson about patience being a virtue.

Patience is also a virtue when it comes to serving God. Many times, God wants us to wait rather than do something. However, the idea of “Letting go and letting God” is often ridiculed as a pat answer to life’s problems, even an excuse to get out of responsibilities and not do anything. Yet I know myself and know the heart of most of us; we want to be involved in making things happen. Instead of waiting on the Lord for instruction or to see what He has planned, we will assume our will is perfect and if God doesn’t answer prayer and make it happen, we will go ahead and try to do something, anything, to make it happen.

Like a child, I’ve had to learn that obedience includes “be still” as well as “move on.” God’s plans are always perfect, but even if I know what they are, His timing is also perfect. If I get impatient and try to make things happen, I will not only ruin that perfection, but be disobedient.

Today’s Scripture reading has all sorts of interpretation. After a description of God working for six days of creation, then entering into rest, it talks about a rest for the people of God. Some think this means the eternal rest of heaven where we never work again. It could mean that, but it could also mean the rest that happens when I quit striving to make things happen and rest in the power of God to do what needs to be done.

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:8–11)

This rest also describes the rest of salvation — in that my own works cannot do it. Anyone who wants to know God must stop trying to earn their salvation and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. All who believe in Jesus Christ know this is true. We are saved by grace through faith, not by our own efforts.

There is also a rest after salvation. It is choosing to say to my fleshy efforts, “stop fretting, pushing, trying to make things happen” and trust God. He has a plan and I don’t need to “help” Him make it happen. For instance, before my husband became a Christian, I did all sorts of things to convince him that he needed to trust God. It was only after I let go of all my schemes that the Lord worked in his life. The Lord brought him to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without me. So these verses can refer to that rest from self-effort, a rest in what God can do.

Other examples come to mind. I’ve seen problems in some of the churches we have attended. My prideful heart thought that I could fix them, or that my ideas were the solution. God showed me that He had other plans, not that my ideas were terrible, but His are always better. I needed to rest from my own works (in the sense of those works of the flesh) and let God do what He wanted to do. Otherwise, I was disobeying Him.

For me, the bottom line is that God offers rest. Some think that being a Christian involves lots of hard work and stress. It can, but that isn’t what God has in mind. He offers a sweet trust in Him that ceases striving because I know and trust that He is taking care of everything that concerns me.

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Lord, these past few days have involved lots of physical rest. My heart rate is normal, and the fluid on my lungs is less today than yesterday. I am tired, but enjoying this rest and the time to think about Your will. Instead of my usual busyness, I’m rethinking what You want. While doing, doing, doing might seem as if I’m accomplishing more than what happens when I rest, Your ways are always contrary to mine. I’ve learned much in the past few weeks about walking by faith. Now You are teaching me what it means to cease all my labors (literally and fleshy) and find out more about resting in You.

New food, more rest

Lord, each year-end I’ve reviewed the past, reconsidered my priorities and activities, made plans, even resolutions. This time I didn’t think I would do it, but on our long drive this week (from home to vacation where the weather is warmer) You seemed to be nudging me with thoughts of ceasing some of my labors and putting my focus in new places.

For devotional prompts, You suggested Charles Spurgeon’s classic, Morning & Evening. I’m not sure whether You will use the morning or evening selection to touch my life, or both, but You always speak if I am willing to listen.

Today, Spurgeon writes about the wanderings of Your people. They did not enter the promised land immediately because of sin, but after forty years of learning some lessons, You finally took them into the new land. There You promised rest from their roaming. You also changed their diet. 

And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. (Joshua 5:12)

How does this apply to me? I liked the new diet part — isn’t that a typical resolution for a new year! But You also had me thinking about ceasing some of my labors. That seems like rest, and it reminded me of a related New Testament passage.

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:8–11)

As I understand Hebrews 4, Your rest has two aspects. One is rest from trying to earn salvation. When I became Your child through faith in Jesus Christ, I ceased from my labor and entered into Your rest, a rest characterized by trusting Christ to do for me what I could not do myself.

The other aspect of Your rest is eternal. One day I will no longer struggle against sin, or fight spiritual battles, or experience the trials of life that You use to build my faith. That day could come this year, but if it does not, as Spurgeon says, there is no reason why this text should not still be true.

Hebrews says that, “We who have believed do enter into rest.” Also, Paul wrote in Ephesians that the Holy Spirit is the down-payment of our inheritance. That is, You give me a taste of future glory in my grand experiences with You in this life. Because of the Holy Spirit, I know a tiny bit of what eternal rest will be like.

I also know that those who have gone on to their eternal rest are totally secure, yet You also have made me secure in Christ Jesus. Those who are at complete rest have triumphed over their enemies, and I have spiritual victories here as well. The spirits of those made perfect enjoy perfect communion with Jesus Christ, but this is not denied to me either. I can rest in Your love and enjoy perfect peace with You. I can praise You and, as Spurgeon says, I can experience the gathering of “celestial fruits on earthly ground, where faith and hope have made the desert like the garden of the Lord.”

Going back to that verse from Joshua, the manna reminds me of spiritual food supplied directly from You through Your Word. On the other hand, the food of Canaan seems like spiritual nourishment which comes from You less directly, perhaps through other Christians. Could this mean that You will use the food You gave Charles Spurgeon to feed me? I hope so.

As the New Year begins, I look back with thanksgiving for what You has done, and forward to what You will do. Today, Your word to me is that I must strive to enter Your rest. This is not an oxymoron but another way of saying that I must obey You with all my heart — and You will show me a little more of that heavenly glory You have promised.