Entering Christ’s rest releases us from all outer pressure to conform to a standard of excellence and produces an inner motivation to enjoy and express the excellence of Jesus’ life.
There are essentially two types of Christian activity: performance-oriented activity that comes from a heart seeking to be at rest with God and purpose-oriented activity that flows from one who is at rest and has the same vision and purpose as Jesus.
True excellence is not just productive behavior, but productive behavior with peace. Without the essential ingredient of inner peace, the search for excellence will become laborious. On the other hand, lack of excellence in lifestyle and ministry is unacceptable to anyone who is a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus modeled the "excellent life" and gave us the secret: "I say what I hear the Father say and I do what I see the Father do." Some who had their own definition of excellence did not think He performed well, but He accomplished all the Father had for Him to do. When He had done so, He sat down at the Father’s right hand.
By faith in Him through the promise of God, we can enter that rest He now enjoys. Through His life, death and resurrection, He justified us. Therefore, I am free from any pressure to perform for God’s acceptance. He also reconciled us. So, I am free from the pressure of rejection-oriented behavior. He became the propitiation for my sins. I never need to help pay for my sins. He redeemed me and set me free from the slave mentality. He regenerated me and made me a new species of life with the desire and capacity to live His life of excellence.
When I by faith enter into the reality of His finished work, I, too, sit down on the inside. Only now am I free to hear what He says and see what He does. As long as I am striving, I cannot hear or see properly. The inner directives of His life can be received and obeyed only as we abide in Him. And remember, He is sitting down.
Matthew 11:28-30
Hebrews 3 and 4
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