I LOVE today's "Grace Inspirations" by Joseph Prince!
DON’T SWEAT IT, REST!
Ruth 3:18 Then she said, “Sit still, my
daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not
rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”
God does not want you to “sweat.”
Sweat here does not refer to your body’s perspiration, but your self-reliance
or self-effort. God does not want you to believe that if you don’t do anything,
nothing will happen. That may be true for someone without God in his life, but
it is not true for you because you have God. And when He is in the picture, the
God-factor changes everything!
When you are resting in God, He
works for you. In fact, when He works, you end up with more. He is the one who
is giving to you. It is not about you trying to give to yourself.
This was what happened to Ruth in
the Old Testament. After laboring in the barley fields from morning to evening,
she was able to glean one ephah of barley (see Ruth 2:17), which was equivalent
to a 10-day supply of barley. Certainly, this amount was a blessing to her.
But when she rested at
the feet of Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer, and did not labor, she received six
ephahs of barley (see Ruth 3:15), which was equivalent to a 60-day supply! When
Ruth sought her own blessing, she obtained only one ephah. But when she sought
the blesser, she received much more.
Ruth’s blessings did not stop
there. While Ruth rested and sat still as her mother-in-law
Naomi had instructed, Boaz, who was the owner of the barley field, went to
work, initiating actions, executing them and speaking on Ruth’s behalf. Right
through it all, Ruth sat still and rested. Eventually, Boaz, the
barley man himself, married Ruth (see Ruth 4). That meant no more measured
wealth of six ephahs, but the yield of the whole barley field in total!
Boaz is a picture of Jesus, our
heavenly kinsman-redeemer. When we rest in the Lord, He will not rest. He will
work on our behalf. What do we do then? We just trust in and enjoy His love for
us.
Beloved, stop striving and be at
rest. If salvation, the greatest work, comes to us by resting in Jesus’
finished work, how much more will all the other blessings?
41 But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her. AMP
Mary had chosen to put the Words of JESUS above anything and everything else! She knew, from having been in the presence of JESUS before, that food was not nearly as important as hearing the REAL food that came from His Words! She also knew that no one went hungry when the LORD was present! When we desire HIS presence more than our natural food, THEN we will truly be fed! Look at Job 23:12:
12 I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Make time spent in the presence of God and in His Word your TOP priority on each and every day and you will never want for anything! IN HIM is found the WAY to true LIFE, FREEDOM, WEALTH, PEACE, JOY, HAPPINESS and every other GOOD thing that the world strives forever for! God is GOOD! ALL the TIME! So spend YOUR time with HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "The Time Has Come":
Shalom in Him!
