Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Lord, You said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:29). So, Lord, what does it mean You will give me rest? Rest from what? When I came to You, my broken, weary soul needed redemption from the consequences of my foolish choices to sin. Despite my lengthy sin rap sheet, You graciously forgave me and gave me a new life of faith in You. I want to please You, Lord, but try as I may, I still struggle to overcome these lingering sins.
“You must be holy!” the religious saints instructed. “So don’t break any of the religious rules if you want to stay saved,” they warned. “Keep the traditions or God will be mad at you,” they counseled, adding more pressure on me to live sin-free. These ugly sins burdened my soul with so much guilt. How can You possibly love me when I repeatedly fail?
The apostle Paul wrote extensively on this dilemma. (Romans 6 through 8)
“Let me tell you of the ‘rest’ I give you,” Your Spirit whispers. “I do not condemn you in any way, because you belong to me and will always belong to me. Check it out. This truth is emphasized in Romans 8:1. I know your heart so rest from the futility of trying to live sin-free. You can’t! Rest in this great truth: Even though you belong to me, as long as you are human, you will sin. But remember this:—you cannot out sin My mercy. Keeping man’s religious rules and following traditions won’t earn you extra points, so rest from trying to be righteous on your own efforts. You can’t. Here’s another great truth: When our heavenly Father sees you, He sees You have My righteousness, and need nothing else.”
So I will rest in Your grace, Lord God. Amen
THANKFUL 
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