Start from Rest to Finish Best

As I went about my routine this morning, I was reminded of the parallel my physical life has with my spiritual life.

I woke up, brewed some coffee, spent time in God‘s Word, went for a walk, and prayed for my people.

As a believer in Christ, I am also called to wake up and be alert, and that happens best from a place of rest as I sit with God, walk in faith, and stand in His truth.

The daily walk is important, yes, but not before we understand true rest...

I recently revisited a book (I’ve read a few times now) about the book of Ephesians by Watchman Nee. It is such a reminder to me of the practicality of theology. Knowing (and being convinced) of my position in Christ should literally change the way I live my life.

If you are a believer in Christ, or even if you are just exploring the Christian faith, I'd love to encourage you with this little mantra that has really helped me…

Being breeds a better doing.

Sitting with God first equips us to better walk with Him, and walking with Him strengthens us to more firmly stand in our faith.

The Christian walk begins from a place of rest. It always has. It always will — from creation to salvation — a way was made for us to STAY in relationship with our Creator. It's not what we do, but what has already been done on our behalf, that puts us in that place of being seated in Christ. His love holds us and keeps us, and as we become rooted and established in Him, that same love then compels us to walk forward in faith as it tells us to stand firm while we wait.

“The Christian life from start to finish is based upon this principle of utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus. There is no limit to the grace God is willing to bestow upon us. He will give us everything, but we can receive none of it except as we rest in Him. Sitting is an attitude of rest. Something has been finished, work stops and we sit. It is paradoxical, but true, that we only advance in the Christian life as we learn first of all to sit down.” — Watchman Nee, Sit. Walk. Stand.

When we sit, we rest our weight entirely on something else — something outside ourselves.  When we walk or stand, we expend energy and bare the weight ourselves as the strain falls upon our own muscles and nerves.

“So also in the spiritual realm, to sit down is simply to rest our whole weight — our load, ourselves, our future, everything— upon the Lord. We let him bear the responsibility and cease to carry it ourselves.” Watchman Nee, Sit. Walk.Stand.

This was God’s design from the beginning. In the creation, God worked the first six days and rested on the seventh. He was busy doing what only He could do. Then, when He was done, when the task was completed, He ceased to work. The seventh day became the Sabbath. It was God‘s rest.

Let’s consider Adam. Where was he in relation to creation and the Sabbath day of rest? He was created on the sixth day. He had no part in those first six days of work. God’s seventh day was Adam’s first. God enjoyed his Sabbath rest, but Adam literally began his life with rest.

God works before He rests, while we must first enter into God’s rest (sit), and then and only then can we can work (expend energy by walking out our faith and standing firmly on it).

From creation to salvation, this was God’s design. The gospel takes this a step further and completes the work of redemption. We do not have to work to earn it, we can do nothing to deserve it, we simply enter into that finished work by faith, by assuming our position in Christ as we believe in the work of the cross.

“Of course, we know that between these two historic facts — between God’s rest and creation and God’s rest in redemption – there lies the whole tragic story of Adam’s sin and judgment, of man’s unceasing, unprofitable labor and of the coming of the Son of God to toil and to give Himself until the lost position was recovered. ‘My father worketh even enter now, and I work.’ (John 5:17), He explained as he pursued His Way. Only with the atoning price paid could he cry, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30).” Watchman Nee, Sit. Walk. Stand.

And that, dear friend, is the epitome of God’s Amazing Grace. He accomplished it all through Christ, so we could receive it all by way of a new life.

So, remember, as you go about your day today, rest in Him so you can give your best to Him.

Sit.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10, ESV)

Walk.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3, ESV)

Stand.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12, ESV)