Rest in Peace: Not Just for the Dead

Rest is something so elusive in today’s society. People pay thousands of dollars to go on vacations or get massages. Sleeping pills are among the top most-abused drugs in the country. We long for the weekend, but often fail to find rest there as we’ve packed our schedule with things to do, chores to complete, and people to see. Our society is traveling along at the speed of light and we are weary, depressed, and anxious people because of it.

Photo Credit: http://www.jcsnotebook.org/rest-in-god/

 Hebrews 4 reminds us that even the God of the Universe, the All-Powerful, the Almighty took a day to rest and urges us to enter into rest with Him. However, many of us misinterpret what “rest” is and what it looks like. Some of us see rest as falling into bed at the end of a long day to try and squeeze in a few hours of sleep before we get up to begin the routine again. Some of us view rest as procrastination---holding off on the things that require effort until we absolutely have no choice but to face them. Still others view rest as escaping into some form of entertainment—a good book, a video game, a social media site. However, all of these things leave us unfulfilled and weary.

All of this reminded me of another passage. I remember our Savior’s words when he said “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It seems to me that true rest requires a choice and an action on our part. We must first go to Jesus. We must go to him, quiet ourselves, and trade our burdens, worries, and concerns for the lighter load he offers. He asks that we listen to him and learn from him and promises that he is gentle and humble-hearted. In this we will find rest for our very souls. We may be able to recharge our physical bodies in a variety of ways, but our spirits will wither and buckle under the heavy loads this world places upon us unless we remember to rest in Christ.

So let us make that choice today. Let us remind ourselves not only of Christ’s sacrifice, but his promises. Rest requires that we go to Him and choose his way over ours. Our weary souls will find the peace they long for only when they are brought back into communion with God, through Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. 

Spend some time with the Peacegiver. Resting in Peace should not be limited to tombstones and obituaries. 

Touched by an Angel or Adopted by God?

...To which of the angels did God ever say,“You are my Son;    today I have become your Father”? 

Or again,“I will be his Father,    and he will be my Son”? 

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,“Let all God’s angels worship him.” 

In speaking of the angels he says,“He makes his angels spirits,    and his servants flames of fire.”
  

But about the Son he says,“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

 --Hebrews 1:5-9 NIV

Photo Credit: Malleni-Stock, deviantart

We live in a society that seems to have no problem with angels. Angels are a pleasant thought to many people. We have poems about them. We have figurines of them. Some people have tattoos of them. In a society that often refuses to believe in God, we seem to readily accept angels in some degree. We like the idea of supernatural beings watching over us. Beings made of pure goodness that protect us from the bad things this world has to offer. Beings that are silent guardians and don’t try to meddle in our lives or our decisions.

Hebrews 1 makes a couple things very clear, however. First, angels are not the delicate creatures of beauty that Hallmark would have us believe. They are “flames of fire”. They are warriors. They were created to fight in the army of God. Occasionally their job may be to protect people, but their primary purpose is to protect God’s kingdom. They are strong servants of God and loyal to Him alone.

Next, and perhaps a more uncomfortable truth for our world to recognize, is that angels are inferior to Christ. Angels worship Jesus Christ, who is recognized as God and sitting on the throne of God. Jesus is our mighty King and commander of that elite warrior army of fiery angels.

So why is it easier to accept angels but not Christ? Because belief in angels comes with no obligations. We do not need to make any life changes to acknowledge an invisible, shiny force that makes us feel better when we’re scared. Angels become a magical force to serve our purposes (even though that is completely inaccurate in regards to the reality of angels).  However, belief in Christ comes with huge implications for our lives. Christ is not a “force” to be used for our purposes. Christ is the mighty God King to which we need to alter our lives for his purposes.

However, this truth is only difficult to accept if you do not understand why. Jesus deserves to be commander, Lord, King and God of our lives because he paid an insurmountable debt for us. Innocent and holy he willingly gave up his life so that we could have every wrong and terrible thing we’ve done wiped out of the record books. He took on punishment so that we could have a privilege that not even the mighty angels get---adoption into God’s family. The honor of being a child of God.

So let us keep that in mind as we live our lives in Christ.