Verse of the Day - weekend 12/5

Through the Bible - Daniel 7-12, 3 John - Jude

 

Good morning,

I attended a sales meeting this week that was held at the UNC Rizzo Conference Center.  Many of the meals were served at the DuBose house, which had been donated to the university along with 2000 acres of property some years ago.

 

The family had built gardens in the front of the house and they are maintained to this day.  I was able to walk through them one morning before breakfast.  It was a guiet peaceful place.  At the far end of the garden under the shade of some trees there was a fenced off courtyard where the husband and wife were buried.  As I looked at the scene I thought that it was a beautiful final resting place, it had been carefully chosen and must have been a special place to the couple.

 

As I thought about it more, I thought that as Christians we have an eternal "resting place" and we don't have to wait until we die to begin to experience it.  We may search the world over to find such a place, but it can only be found if we draw near to God.

 

For today's verse we'll return to Matthew 28 where Jesus calls us and gives us the assurance of rest, rest for our souls.

 

Matt 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   NKJV

As I thought more about it, I thought of the old hymn, Near to the Heart of God.  Read the lyrics and consider them along with the passage in Matthew as preparation for worship this weekend.

 

Near To The Heart Of God

 

There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.

 

Refrain
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God.

 

There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.

 

Refrain

 

There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.

 

This place is not a place that can be seen with the eyes.  It is seen in the mind and felt in the heart.  It is seen through the eyes of faith.  I'll close with a note about St. Augustine which I read in the "Today in the Word" devoitional (www.todayintheword.com).

 

"In his treatise, Faith in the Unseen, the fourth-century bishop Augustine of Hippo challenged the idea that nothing should be believed if it cannot be seen or verified physically. Instead, argued Augustine, nearly all of life requires trust, or belief, in things we cannot see: the will of our friends, the love of our parents, the existence of a foreign country. In short, said Augustine, if we refuse to believe what we cannot see, "nothing would remain stable in human society."

 

In the hustle and bustle of the times, though you can't see it with your eyes,  may you find this place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God through faith in Christ.

 

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Matt 11:25-12:1

 

Jesus Gives True Rest
(Luke 10:21,22)

 

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."     NKJV