Jodi and I are so thankful for this community and the opportunity to engage with you every week. This season—as Westside walks through some of the spiritual disciplines Jesus lived out in His relationship with the Father—we are realizing that in Christ, we are also offered a restful and joy-filled relationship with the Father Himself. In my personal time with Jesus, I'm working through the book of Hebrews and I wanted to encourage you with a few thoughts from there.
So often we think that God simply rested after six days of creation. We need to take God at His Word and believe that when Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, He rested from all His works. Salvation was accomplished! This means that:
- death no longer has a sting (1 Cor.15:55-58)
- we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph.1:3)
- there is no more condemnation for those in Christ (Rom.8:1)
- Jesus is our Saviour (1 John 4:10)
- when we draw near to God in this amazing rest, He will draw near to us (James 4:8)
Family, we worship a God who speaks clearly through the prophets, through His Son, through His Word, through creation, and through those who believe and walk in obedience proclaiming His Word. Our job is to listen, obey, and worship Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength knowing that all the work is already done—even the penalty of our sin is covered by Jesus. He paid our debt with the shedding of His blood and rose again, giving His perfect righteousness to those who believe. May we rest in that good and perfect work by the Father, through the Son with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Jodi and I are praying for you as you "strive to enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:11a).
- Jer and Jodi