“Near the Cross” by Mississippi Mass Choir. Lead singer Frank Williams died of a heart attack shortly after this performance in 1989. He was 45 years old.
Hebrews 3:19Hebrews 3:19 (KJV)
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (KJV)
Rest.
The boundaries of the promised land as described to Abraham. (Credit: Wikipedia).
The Exodus is a powerful metaphor for believers today. Those who did not believe that the Lord was able to give them the Promised Land, were condemned by God to die in the wilderness. Yes, conquering the peoples who already inhabited the land was hard work. Yes, the people who were already there were big, strong, and prosperous. The mistake of the unbelievers was in thinking that the people and the circumstances that existed in the promised land were bigger, stronger, and more prosperous than God. They acted on their doubt, and were denied entry into the Promised Land. They died marching in the wilderness.
The same is true for us today. Unbelief hinders our feet, so that we do not approach into the quiet place, but continue to pace and run the rat race. Unbelief is the weighted shoes that pulls us closer to restlessness and increasing amounts of fruitless labor. God’s people work hard, and many die while in His service. Yet within their hearts they know that they are not abandoned. Their hearts and souls trust and rest in the Lord. They are lifted above their bodies and above their worries. They gain fresh anointing every day to do the Lord’s work. They mount up on wings as eagles, they run and are not wearied; they walk and don’t faint. They are not weary in well doing, knowing that in due season, they will reap their rewards because they faint not.
Many are the believers who have gone before us; their faces are now a part of the great cloud of witnesses who see our striving here and now. Their backs felt the lash, and their bodies were tortured and burned. We have no such threats to our lives, but are we using this time of outward peace to cultivate the inner peace of God? Have we chosen to labor in His fields that are white for the harvest? Have we gotten so soft on our flowery beds of ease that our muscles cramp the second we lift the sickle, causing the wheat to remain in the field for the birds and insects to eat? Failure to do the work of God means that we do not believe that the work needs to be done, and we doubt any reward from the labor that He would have us to do. This is an terrible travesty.
There is a rest for the people of God. It is more peaceful and restorative than any other. But the peace of God follows the work of God. Have faith in God. Do His will. Put your hand to the plow, in faith. Do the work, while it is day. Lay all the burdens that hinder you at the feet of Jesus, and you will find rest for your souls.
Until we meet again: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10)
Verneda
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The video “Near the Cross” by Mississippi Mass Choir was uploaded on Youtube.com by chj333 on Dec 27, 2008. Verneda Lights and E-graphX Omnimedia have no ownership in this video. It is used for educational purposes only.
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