Morning by Morning, April 15 - No Rest Until All Rest
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You and listen for Your leading. ...
"To the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 'Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest, and will give you this land.' Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan. But all the warriors among you shall cross over armed before your kindred and shall help them, until the Lord gives rest to your kindred as well as to you, and they too take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land and take possession of it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan to the east' " (Joshua 1:12-15).
Some of the tribes of Israel had already received possession of their inheritance in the land on the east side of the Jordan River, while the rest of Israel had not yet crossed over the Jordan to take possession of the land on the west side. But You didn't want those who had already received their possession to stay back and just rest in the blessings of their own inheritance until all their kindred, their brothers and sisters of the family of God, received their inheritance as well. So You called the warriors to arise and cross over into battle to possess the land of inheritance so that all the people of God could enter into the rest of God. There was to be no rest until all were at rest.
Our faith is personal. But it is also a faith expressed in community. We're not only called to look out for ourselves and our own spiritual journey of faith, we're also called to look out for one another, to come alongside one another in our journey to be more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). We are called to be disciples, but we are also called to "make disciples" (Matthew 28:19).
So Lord, as Your Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, moving forward and crossing over to enter into the fullness of all the inheritance we possess in Christ by the promises of God, continue to free us from selfishness, self-centeredness, and pride. Continue to deliver us from the mindset that "It's all about me," even in the journey of our own spiritual life.
As You said long ago, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13). Then we will find Your rest, as we see those You've entrusted to our care and aligned with us in our journey enter into their rest as well. This is how we fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples by first obeying the Great Commandment to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:28-31). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
