Relaxed Christianity > Episode Four > “Living in the 7th Day > L7D > Relaxed Christianity was always going to end up here, at L7D. I’ve never managed to get this concept into one concise form, but perhaps now is the time. When I was teaching this to our Church Men’s Group called Brave Heart, we were almost ready to really open it up when we came to the spring/summer break and I had to stop short. Much groundwork had been laid. We restart on June 28, and I look forward to getting into the meat of it. I’m hoping these “Relaxed Christians” articles will help.

Riddle me this, Batman! When is a surrender not a surrender? When is a sacrifice not a sacrifice? The answer is, when you love what you are doing. I have a daughter-in-law who has created the most beautiful flower garden around her house and on their property. I look at what she has done and it inspires me to want to do the same. But you know what? I don’t! Because…I really don’t enjoy gardening that much. It would be total WORK for me. In capitol letters! It’s work for her too, but she embraces that because she has a passion for it.

I also hate working on cars. Not having a lot of money I have been forced to do so many times. But I know guys who love working on their car! They put a lot of WORK and MONEY into their car, but they love it! Is it a sacrifice? Yes, there is a lot of sacrifice going into those things, but does it FEEL like a sacrifice?

One of MY things is teaching and writing. I don’t know how many people have told me they started to write a book, wanted to write a book, had a good story in mind, but it turned out to be too much WORK. Other things they loved more, crowded it out. Millions of books have been started and never finished. But for me, something in me loves doing it! I don’t even get paid to do any of this and I still do it! I’ve always been this way. My writings are my beautiful flower gardens and my classy hot rod.

Now here is the key to L7D. It is possible to fall so in love with the beauty of God’s Will, God’s Ways, and God’s Person, that your own ideas will no longer mean much to you. They will pale in comparison. Once we have had a taste of God’s Ways, we just want more and more! Yes there is a surrender, and yes there is sacrifice, but the rewards of the peace, joy, power, love, relationships, ripple effects, kingdom building, lives changed, health restored, and on and on the list goes, is so great, you fall in love with chasing those treasures! We literally cease from our own works to live in His. We begin living in the 7th Day all week long! It’s God’s Promised Land, full of the Holy Spirit and HIS wine. It’s real. And it is a beautiful place to live NOW, not someday in heaven.

Call me crazy if you like, but study these words of Hebrews 4: 9-11 > (My capitol letters and etc added. KJV) >

“There remains therefore a “REST” for the people of God. For he who has entered “HIS REST” has himself also CEASED from his works AS GOD DID FROM HIS. (On the 7th Day. Remember?) Let us therefore be diligent to enter that “REST”, lest anyone fall according to the same EXAMPLE of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful…”

There is another very powerful scripture speaking of this that we won’t get into yet. It would be too much too fast. You cannot rush over a scripture like this. God is speaking of His supernatural power and He describes it as a REST! A REST? A Sabbath? What does that even mean? We got to wrap our brain around this and that might take a little time. Read those words a few times until you think you really see it, and believe it.

The greatest challenge is ceasing from our OWN WORKS and entering into the Sabbath Day with God, DOING HIS WORKS. I push back stress, worry, fear, hate, selfishness, peer pressure, other people’s opinions, and I enter FULLY into the beauty of FAITH in GOD. You see…REAL FAITH is a Sabbath. It’s a REST. It’s perfect PEACE. It’s dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty. It’s lying down in HIS green pastures and enjoying the still waters of God. It’s a surrender.

Fear and stress are not faith. There is a complete peace in God’s Will. I will keep him in PERFECT peace whose mind is stayed on God! Yes, this is supernatural. But the book of Hebrews says it is REAL! I ask the question again, when is sacrifice not a sacrifice? When is surrender not a surrender? Yes… there is a great SURRENDER involved, but we fall in love with it. We fall in love with HIM! This next scripture explains.

Hebrews 4: 2-5 > “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word that they heard did not PROFIT them, not being mixed with FAITH in those who heard it. For we who have BELIEVED “do enter” that REST, as He has said: ‘So I swore in my wrath, they shall NOT enter My REST,’ … although the works were finished from the foundations of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the “SEVENTH DAY” in this way: ‘And God RESTED on the SEVENTH DAY from all HIS works’, … and again in this place: ‘They shall NOT enter My REST.”

Hebrews chapter three and four are the main chapters describing this supernatural REST, this SABBATH, we can live in NOW, not later. God’s word says that He wanted to bless the Children of Israel with this supernatural life, but His words not being mixed with faith (on their part) did not prosper in them. It explains how their disobedience caused them to lose the blessing like Esau selling his birthright to Jacob. L7D is real. God has it for us! But will we believe, surrender, and enter in?

Again, I explain it this way, I have fallen so in love with the beauty, power, and awesomeness of God’s Will and Ways, that my own ideas pale in comparison. My ideas now leave a bad taste in my mouth. What I see and experience in God has become such a treasure to me that everyday has become a treasure hunt! I may not like working on a car, but I love a good treasure hunt! Who doesn’t like treasure?

Again, there is another scripture speaking of this that is just as powerful as these. We save it for next time. But I will share one real life story as we end.

My sister, who has been an insulin diabetic since like age twelve, was about to have double bypass heart surgery around age 62. Of course she was worried. Fear was knocking at her door. But I did not bring her flowers in the hospital. I brought her a glass of water with a leaf floating in it.

It was simple, but its message profound. I grabbed the glass from our cabinet at home. Nothing special. I found a leaf on the ground. Put water into glass and added leaf. The special gift and message was now ready. I explained to her there is a river that flows directly from the throne of God, and as followers of Christ we have the privilege and great power to catch the FLOW of that RIVER. Do not fight it! Surrender to it. Trust in it! RELAX. Stay in faith. Be the leaf in God’s RIVER simply surrendered to, and going with the FLOW of its will. Its current. Like a sailboat powered by the wind. I brought her a message of surrender. But we got to “desire” God’s will. To be the captain of a sailboat. Fall in love with it. Embrace and give it a big hug!

She survived the surgery and everyone laughs when she retells the story of what her brother brought her in the hospital. I don’t mind them laughing, but I just wish they would get the message. Most of them do not. Each of us everyday have the chance to SURRENDER to His great RIVER, and learn His WAYS. Give Him your first-fruits of each day. It’s supernatural. Develop an intimate prayer life. Learn to have a powerful prayer life. Surrender to His great Will. Enter His Sabbath today. God’s supernatural River is real. Mix God’s Word with true faith and see what happens. Again, mix God’s Word with YOUR true faith and see what happens. Or… do not, and live an ordinary life. Do not live in the treasures of God. I recommend, be rich in God.

To be continued.