Rest

"If you look at the world you'll be distressed, if you look within you'll be depressed, but if you look to God you'll be at rest!" -Corrie TenBoom

The reality of Corrie's quote above is powerful. When I think about the changing world around us, both here in our backyard we call America, as well as across the rest of the planet, I see despair. A world that is seeking to be self-sufficient, a world that has taken its eyes of its Maker, a world that is experiencing chaos...and why? Because the eyes of its people are fixed on the wrong thing. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to FIX OUR EYES on the author and perfector of our faith. To fix your eyes on something means that they DO NOT move! I looked up the word fixed in the dictionary and loved this definition, "to become stable OR permanent". Think about that for a moment, to fix your eyes on Jesus PERMANENTLY. How radically would our thoughts, our behavior, our very lives change.

Robert McCheyene said, "For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ". I know that I often struggle with this. I so often tend to look at my performance, at how I am doing as a "Christian" and become discouraged and depressed knowing I am far from perfect despite my being redeemed. It is not God's intention for us to scrutinize our every thought and action, instead He wants us to admit to our sin, repent of it and then LOOK AT HIM. Look at who He is, what He has done and rest in the precious grace and mercy that a child of God has. This brings Him ultimate glory.

May our hearts be refreshed by these truths and may it spur us on to looking PERMANENTLY at Jesus so that we may rest.

"Be still (Cease Striving) and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10