One thing we all do is take pride in our accomplishments. We have no difficulty in remembering those great events and things done in our life – our pride puffs us up, so we like to remember and tell others in order that we can be puffed up! The more we seem to accomplish, the greater our effort – the more we strive to attain more. We say, “Wow! Look what I’ve done!” Perhaps we might even get to the point where we could say to ourselves: “I’ve finally arrived. I have accomplished everything I set out to do.” Is that you? Have you arrived? Is that even possible?
The trouble is this: We never seem to arrive, and we never seem to be at peace with ourselves. As long as we still think of things not accomplished, or incomplete and undone – we remain restless and dissatisfied with life. We keep looking and looking, and wandering and looking for that which is lacking – but we remain incomplete and unsatisfied with all our work and labor for those things we thought would give us satisfaction. While we strive and labor to accomplish great things for ourselves (even if we say it’s being done for others), we are never satisfied. We never “arrive” and never come to that place of being at peace.
The Israelites were stuck in the desert wandering for 40 years. The previous generation missed their opportunity to enter the promised land – they had turned away from God’s promise at Kadesh Barnea – they rebelled against God and did not believe His promise that He would give them the land for their inheritance where they could be at peace and rest. Moses told them they had to stop striving after their own interests:
Deut 12: 8 You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes;
9 for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. (NASB)
Like the ancient Israelites, God has promised us His rest – if we will simply trust Him with every aspect of our life, cease striving after our own interests, and trust Him for our future. Hebrews 4 gives us God’s promise of entering His rest – if we simply do as He says and stop trying to satisfy our own desires:
Heb 4: 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. (NASB)
Put your faith and trust in Jesus. Be obedient by ceasing to strive after your own interests, and instead seeking the Lord while He may be found. “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Heb 4:7)
As the old hymn says,
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
