Way of Rest - 9

Beloved of God,
 Greetings to you and yours in the Name of our Lord Jesus. We are gradually coming to the end of our series on The Way of Rest. By now, we should be in a position to know whether the journey, so far, has been worthwhile. Once again, we thank those of you that have written back to us, at one point or the other.
 During the interval between the conclusion of the current message and the beginning of another one, we will circulate some of such mails, along with comments, where necessary. We encourage you to seek God and love Him. Nothing can be more rewarding.
 THE WAY OF REST (9)
 We continue with our sub-series on Entering into Rest. While focusing on the ingredients by which a man may enter into rest, we have considered fellowship, understanding, obedience, 'death' and hope. We now move on to consider belief and commitment.
 (6) Belief
In the Scriptures, we see a link between belief and rest: "For we which have believed do enter into rest" (Heb. 4:3). Not only must we hope in God through His Word, we must believe in Him and in His Word.
Remember, unbelief hindered the Children of Israel from entering the promised land: "And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief….Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Heb.3:18-19, 4:11).
When Jesus was asked about the steps men should take in order to "work the works of God," His answer was simple: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent" (Jn. 6:28-29). By this we understand that, relative to the things of God, belief is the foundational response of a yielded soul.
What we believe will eventually influence our confessions, actions and lifestyle. If only we will believe the Word of God, we will know rest.
(7) Commitment
Commitment takes us to a level beyond belief and faith. In fact, without commitment, faith cannot be perfected. We must remember that belief is an ingredient of faith. When, for instance, God tried Abraham’s faith, his commitment was also at stake (Gen. 22:1-18). What if the LORD chose not to prevent him from killing his son? Was he committed enough to go all the way? He certainly was. If he did not see that possibility, there would have been no basis for "accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead" (Heb. 11:19).
When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were faced with the threat of death in a "fiery  furnace," they made a statement of faith, as well as a statement of commitment. True, the LORD was able to deliver, but what if He did not? Whichever way, they were not going to worship the golden image (see Dan. 3:1-18, Rev. 12:11).
There are times when men need to echo the words of Esther: "If I perish, I perish" (see Est. 4:10-16). To some of us, that may sound like Old Testament thinking; yet the early Church upheld the same standard of commitment (see Ac.20:16-24, Heb. 11:35-37, 1 Pet. 4:1-2, 12-14, Rev.12:10-11).
Thank God for "positive confession" and faith, but what do we do if the unexpected happens? Will the heart not be unsettled?
What we need is a wholesome commitment that will help us to go through water and fire, through the mountains and valleys of life without being moved. This is a sure way of experiencing the rest that God gives. In so doing, our hearts are prepared for all things.
In any case, the peace that God gives is one that transcends understanding, peace in spite of trouble or peace in the midst of trouble.