Originally posted: 08/11/2019

It was staggering, the attention given to God’s warnings of impending curses as compared to His promised blessings. In the English translation there are almost four times as many words given to proclaim the curses over the blessings.

And I couldn’t help but wonder why the emphasis was not reversed; why not spend the time elaborating on His lavish blessings awaiting a people committed to obedience?

I had left my house with that question in my thoughts. And somehow in a brief seventeen-minute commute something clicked.

I approached an intersection to turn right and a car heading the opposite direction was waiting to turn left onto the same road. And I thought what comfort there is in laws and how thankful I was that I, as the other driver, not only knew the law of right-of-way, but also chose to obey it.

Then I remembered the conversation I had with my husband about his commute home from work the night before. A very busy intersection had a malfunctioning traffic light and he shared how unnerved he felt in his attempt to make it through that intersection in safety.

And that’s it, isn’t it? When all are moving along, obeying the laws, there is a freedom from worry; there is rest from anxiety and fear. When all are obeying the laws, making it through life safely is not derailed by the malfunctioning acts of disobedience.

But as soon as the laws are ignored, or worse, removed, an overwhelming susceptibility to doubt, dread and despair ensues.

In His thorough and detailed description of the curses resulting from disobeying His Laws, our Heavenly Father, in His love and grace, was extending His Invitation to Rest.

“Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. ⁶⁶ So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life,” (28:65-66).

His Invitation to Rest is implicitly stated in His depiction of the absence of His Rest; what we are destined to encounter when we reject His Invitation.

Consider His Invitation to Rest

• His Invitation to Rest provides peace
  • The result of rejecting His Invitation to Rest
    • “…no resting place for the sole of your foot”
• His Invitation to Rest expels fear
  • The result of rejecting His Invitation to Rest
    • “…a trembling heart”
• His Invitation to Rest imparts sight
  • The result of rejecting His Invitation to Rest
    • “…failing of eyes”
• His Invitation to Rest encourages our soul
  • The result of rejecting His Invitation to Rest
    • “…despair of soul”
• His Invitation to Rest removes doubt
  • The result of rejecting His Invitation to Rest
    • “…your life shall hang in doubt before you”
• His Invitation to Rest produces assurance
  • The result of rejecting His Invitation to Rest
    • “…and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life”

How shall we respond to His Invitation to Rest?

Jesus invited any and all to come to Him for Rest. But before accepting His Invitation, we must first recognize our need. We accept His Invitation by acknowledging our condition apart from Him, weary and heavy-laden, and admitting we need His Rest.

Coming to Jesus is not coming to a religion or a to do list; it is coming to Him for relationship and for what we cannot achieve for ourselves, His Rest.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30).

He gently invites us to come to Him in faith, to walk in relationship with Him through life, and allow Him to bear our burdens.

• His Invitation to Rest provides peace
  • “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful,” (John 14:27).

• His Invitation to Rest expels fear
  • There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love, because He first loved us, (1 John 4:18-19).

• His Invitation to Rest imparts sight
  • “He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
    And recovery of sight to the blind…” (Luke 4:18).

• His Invitation to Rest encourages our soul
  • “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly,” (John 10:9-10).

• His Invitation to Rest removes doubt
  • These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life, (1 John 5:13).

• His Invitation to Rest produces assurance
  • I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, (Philippians 4:13).

Disobedience causes the road signs and signals of life to malfunction, ending in disastrous doom. It is obedience to His laws that provides order and clarity along this journey we call life.

The Lord calls us to obedience for our good. It is His gracious heart’s desire to open His heavens and overtake us with His blessings!

“All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God… ¹² The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens…” (28:2,12).

And when we are in relationship with Him, our obedience is never a burden; it is a response of love.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome, (1 John 5:3).

We RSVP to His Invitation to Rest by obedience. Let’s RSVP today!

Let’s Grow Together!