From: The Mystery of Godliness
Author: Major Ian Thomas
What a powerful truth!
If we insist, as an attitude toward life, on doing things ourselves, by “main strength and determination”, holding to the philosophy of,
“If it’s to be, it’s up to me!” then God will say. “Have at it!” and stay out.
God’s way, then, through the process of Brokenness, is for real life pain and suffering, trials and tribulations (many of which He orchestrates Himself) and the “dung hills” of our own making to bring us to the end of our best efforts and self-trust and cause us to surrender to Him, “that we might not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” (2 Cor. 1:8-9)
“There remains, therefore, a Sabbath REST for the people of God.
For the one who has entered His REST, has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest… (Heb. 4:9-11)
So, God has designed a way of life, the REST-REST (“Sabbath is Hebrew for “rest”) of this passage of Scripture, which is a moment-by-moment abiding/trusting in Christ whereby we can take a perpetual vacation from trying to live life successfully by our best efforts and enter into the Lord Jesus’ resurrected, indwelling Life as our source and resource for everything we need to live life successfully.
The question is, How big a mess are you going to make of things and how much pain and suffering are you going to have to undergo before you vacate and God moves in?
“Do not quench the Spirit” by“taking the reins” of your life, but let God take over and remain in control of everything in your life!
Vacationing sure beats working!