Rest for the Weary Soul

Galatians 2 : 16, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. NKJV

In his writings, Paul teaches us that we are made complete in Christ. Therefore, you and I have been made whole in God's sight, not through our own works, but through Christ's works. All that was required for us to be made complete is that we place our faith in the work that Jesus fulfilled on our behalf when He was on the cross.

The more we understand how faith really works, the less we will try to earn salvation or God's favor after we're born again. Too many times, we focus on the subject of earning salvation. However, very rarely do we pay attention to believers who struggle with unworthiness in their faith walk, and therefore, try to "earn" God's favor. We are not human-doings; we are human-beings. 

When Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan and rose out of the water, His Father spoke from heaven and said that He was well-pleased with Him. Please note that this was the very beginning of Jesus' public ministry; at that point, He hadn't done much of anything that seemed to have significant eternal value. Nevertheless, God said that He was WELL PLEASED with Jesus. You may wonder how this could be, seeing that no works had been done at this point in His ministry. This is exactly what the Holy Spirit wants us to grasp in our understanding today. Jesus didn't try to earn favor with God; however, He did strive to know and fulfill God's will in His life while on earth.

If we simply imitate Christ in our commitment and obedience to God's will through our faith in Christ, then we, too, will cease from our own works or efforts and concentrate on loving God. This will allow us to just "be" instead of trying to "do" things that will somehow please the Father. 

Do you struggle with your salvation? Or, if you're saved, do you struggle with being worthy in God's sight? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, then I invite you to begin to invest time getting to know God and learning to recognize His voice when He speaks to you. When you get to the place of having the confidence to hear God's voice and know that it is He speaking, you will subsequently find your significance through hearing and being and not through struggling and works. God tells us in Jeremiah 33: 3 to call on Him, and He will answer us and show us great things that we do not know. The focus shouldn't be on knowing things, but rather it should be on calling on God and listening to Him.

Abiding in His Rest, 

Pastor Asa Dockery