Everlasting Rest
ICS Daily Devotions
John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
It is liberating when we truly understand that we are priceless in the sight of God because God sent Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross of Calvary. He is the Good Shepherd who will leave the 99 sheep to look for the one lost one.
Ephesians 1:5-6 (NKJV) Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
The root of rejection started in the Garden of Eden when God removed Adam and Eve from the garden after they had sinned against Him. Thereafter, men started on their quest to look for love and acceptance in the fallen world, without knowing that the acceptance that would bring lasting rest to their hearts is a restored relationship with God. The redemptive work of Jesus Christ has caused us to be accepted and hidden in Christ.
This positional truth has nothing to do with what we have done but purely the grace of God and His Agape love towards us. It will bring us to a position of rest, where we don’t need to perform to be accepted. It is revolutionary because we have always been asked to perform and do well in life for men to love us with Phileo love, which is conditional, but through this new identity, we can now rest in Agape love, which is unconditional.
Romans 5:1-2 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
The new identity in Christ gives us confidence that we have direct access to His throne of grace to find help and mercy in times of need because we know that we have peace with God and are accepted by Him. We can get off the performance treadmill through which we previously tried to get His acceptance because He accepts us based on what Jesus has achieved for us and who we are in Christ. We are seen as righteous, blameless, and holy because we are hidden in Christ. We can have faith that He is listening to our prayers prayed in Jesus’ name!
Therefore, let us add on our identity in Christ. We are loved by God, we are His children, and we have peace with Him. Having our identity in Christ will help us to weather any storms in our lives.
Sermon Series: How to Do Well in Your New Identity?
