Over the last couple of weeks, on the Fatherheart.tv webcast, Barry and I have been talking about Rest and Freedom. These two things go together as they are a significant part of the inheritance which the Father has given us, and is continuing to give us. They are things we grow into and can experience in a greater way as we begin to 'know and rely on' the love the Father has for us.
As we come into sonship, and live as Jesus lived, then our hearts will become freer and so we will begin to experience and grow into the glorious freedom of the sons of God. A natural consequence of freedom is that our hearts will come to rest and we will find peace, a peace that goes beyond understanding.
Jesus said that as we come to him we take his yoke on us and find rest, a rest for our troubled and wound up souls. The rest that Jesus offers is one that causes our striving to cease and to fade away. As we enter that rest so we live as the free sons and daughters of the Father.
Freedom and rest go together, but they are under attack. We have an enemy who wants to steal our inheritance because he knows that if we embrace it, then the world will see and believe that God is indeed a good Father. If we can be prevented from living a life of rest and freedom then we fall back into striving and performance trying to win acceptance and favour from God. That leaves us worn out and living as orphans.
But we have been set free from the jaws of distress and been led, by the Good Shepherd, into a place of freedom where there are good things set out for us (Job 36:16). Let's look forward at the Good Shepherd and not backwards at what we have left behind.
We were made to be free and at rest.
Mark Gyde