Zen Or Zoe

Monday, November 6, ‎2023 Good morning, Lord Verse of the Day: Ephesians 1:9-10 9 He has enlightened us to the great mystery at the center of His will. With immense pleasure, He laid out His intentions through Jesus, 10 a plan that will climax when the time is right as He returns to create order and unity—both in heaven and on earth—when all things are brought together under the Anointed’s royal rule. In Him Memory verse: Philippians 4:8 ►Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Today's reading: JEREMIAH 37-39 HEBREWS 3 Zen or Zoe My Dad was a hard working man. He developed heart disease but had to make a living so kept on doing what he had to do. I was about 10 when this started and I remember Dr. Tony Vita told him, "John, when you're out there working, take 30 minutes after you eat lunch and lay down in the shade and be still and nap. I remember Daddy in the shade under a gravel truck on the ground, asleep. He didn't have an alarm and we didn't have to wake him. In thirty minutes, he would slowly get up and we would go back to work. He made himself be still with his eyes closed, asleep or not, and we knew he needed this time so none of us made a sound. Have you ever wondered what God did on the seventh day when He rested? Genesis 2:2 ►...the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. What did the God of us all do when He rested? There is no way to tell. It is not for us to know. We are created in His image and for us to be completely at rest means we must not have a muscle engaged and we must put our minds in neutral from worry of the world. How hard is that? Some find it impossible. But there is a real rest for God's people in Christ. Rest should not have to be explained. Hebrews 4 says: 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. God set a day for rest and called it 'now'(today in most translations) and then the scripture says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”Hebrews 4:7 Hearing God's voice 'is' rest. When we hear God's voice, He is life and peace. 'Zen' is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition. Zoen, or zoe, is the word in the Greek we translate as life, both physical and spiritual, as in abundant life in John 10:10. This life, our life, emphasizes being like Jesus. We have His mind to use-we don't have to conjure temporary peace. Meditation on Him brings peace and brings us into His real rest. The world seems to be 'zen' crazy at the moment. The enemy has created ways over the centuries to occupy the minds of the lost creating false euphoria that promises peace. Being involved in zen or yoga can be done by Christians if we remember that Jesus is the focus of all meditation. Otherwise, we leave the door open to the enemy when we 'empty our minds'. Our greatest problem in not entering God's rest is that of self. We have to do all this other stuff before we consider that God has already provided peace and rest. People would argue that life gets in the way of being at rest and being peaceful. It is sin that keeps us from being at rest and knowing His peace. It is us hardening our hearts and thinking we must follow some 'man-contrived' way to peace. Rest is today. Rest is now because God is now. His love is alive and moving and will move us into rest as we live our lives if we live it and learn it as we pursue Him. God loves you as much as anyone in existence and wants the greatest rest for you-His rest-His peace. ...because he loves us... Father in Heaven, Forgive me for hardening my heart and stiffening my neck when You speak. Get my attention-whatever it takes-fill me with the greatest desire for you. Father of rest... In the name of Jesus, Amen