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Our final Rest Word is a special one to celebrate release day: en. It’s another preposition of rest that means “resting in” and conveys the idea of intimacy. ⁠

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This tiny word conveys the very heart of God’s purpose for us. It’s the heart of His kingdom. It’s the reason Christ came to earth.⁠

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That we may rest within Him intimately for eternity – now as well as forever. ⁠

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That we may be one with Him and with each other, just as Father is EN Jesus and Jesus EN Father – that we may be one EN them both, that the world may believe.⁠

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That we might experience His kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy resting EN the Holy Spirit. ⁠

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That we might abide EN Him and He EN us and bring forth much fruit. ⁠

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For EN Him is life.⁠

The power of Christ “rests upon” me in a powerful way as I embrace my own weakness.⁠

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Epi is a preposition of rest: “resting on or upon.” We see this word used consistently in Scripture in the phrase “upon earth” or “on earth.” God has placed us on this earth and we are to rest upon it where He put us. ⁠

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However, we are not to rest IN earth or the things of earth. We rest IN heaven. As we will see tomorrow, that is reserved for Christ alone – and another preposition of rest. ⁠

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#releaseday countdown: 1! In @erikamathewsauthor’s stories today: your rest remains. This is the LAST DAY to Preorder Resting Life!  Preorder here.

THIS is the message of the Christian life. A life in Christ is a life of rest – and because God rests, we too rest. Even from the beginning, God ordained the seventh day as one of rest and then later commanded His people to keep that day. ⁠

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Today, there remains a rest to the people of God. If we are God’s people, receiving His rest isn’t optional. ⁠

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What does that mean for you and me?⁠

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It means receiving Him into each situation in your life – each present moment. As you do, He WILL reveal Himself and be your rest. He will be enough for that moment. And He will keep you within Himself.⁠

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The rest remains. Are you receiving it?⁠

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#releaseday countdown: 3! In @erikamathewsauthor’s stories today: sharing rest with others. Preorder today to get the book automatically delivered to you on release day! Link in bio.⁠

⁠ Preorder here.

So often we strive to do our best and to accomplish the tasks before us in our own strength. Yet Christ says, “I will give you rest. Ye shall find rest to your souls. Rest in me and wait patiently for me.”⁠

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He has won the victory. Today, take His yoke – receive whatever He gives you – and look to Him in trust, listening for His voice – and then receive the rest He grants your soul. ⁠

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How does receiving His rest impact YOUR normal life today?⁠

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#releaseday countdown: 4! In @erikamathewsauthor’s stories today: how to remain in rest. Don’t forget to get your preorders in for the book!  Preorder here.

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Safe. Well. Happy. Friendly. Welfare. Health. Prosperity. Peace. Rest. ⁠

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All of these are positive terms – terms we’d wish to describe our lives. And all of these terms are present in the meaning of the powerful Hebrew word shalom. ⁠

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And all of this can be your true present reality – in spite of whatever might be going on in the physical realm.⁠

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Why? Because Jesus is the Prince of Shalom. He IS our Shalom. And as we abide in Him and He in us, we indeed dwell in a peaceable habitation, a sure dwelling, and a quiet resting place. Whatever life holds, our kingdom abiding place is sure.⁠

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And THAT is the security of rest.⁠

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#releaseday countdown: 5! In @erikamathewsauthor’s stories today: how to enter into rest⁠

⁠ Preorder here.

🌟 Free chapter! 🌟⁠

In honor of Resting Life’s release THIS WEEK, I’m giving you a sneak peek! Visit restinglife.com/chapter1 to read a full chapter for free! ⁠

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If you haven’t preordered the whole book yet, here’s your final reminder – there’s still time! You’ll be one of the first to read the book once it’s launched! Link in bio.⁠
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The #RestContest is still going on until Friday noon, so don’t forget to enter! Everyone who enters gets a discount on a paperback as well as entries into the grand prize giveaway. Simply post a creative photo of the word “rest” with the #restcontest hashtag. OR – if you’re not on Instagram, send your photo to erika [[at]] restinglife [[dot]] com.
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Meanwhile, happy Sunday and enjoy the free chapter! May you embrace the rest of our Savior today.

Let me know in the comments what you think of chapter 1!⁠

⁠Scripture speaks: God rests. God is a resting God. Without this foundation, rest is meaningless. God created us in His image (Genesis 1:27) and His desire is to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 12:2, II Corinthians 3:18). Therefore, because true rest is a fundamental attribute of the Creator, it possesses key significance in and to His creation. Mankind did not invent rest; God bestowed it upon the world through being Himself at rest. ⁠

Notice that this passage never specifies when God ended His rest—and the remainder of Scripture also never makes any such specification. In fact, it says the opposite: God is still resting. ⁠

~ Resting Life, p. 11-12⁠

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We as human beings know God as a resting God . . . He stopped work. He ceased. He rests. He shabaths.⁠

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#releaseday countdown: 8! In @erikamathewsauthor’s stories today: rest and joy⁠

Preorder here.

When we worry, it is often because we are attempting to organize and order our own lives with “both the hands full.” We are living from our own self rather than allowing Christ’s life to live through us. While we may possibly succeed in getting “both hands full,” travail and vexation will not only prevent us from resting, but they will also prevent us from enjoying what our hands grasp. ⁠

Instead, a handful with quietness is better. Quietness is restfulness—a peace of our spirits as we fully trust the LORD. Quietness is the Hebrew word nachath, which indicates a “descent” or rest.  Thus, the concept of humility is strongly implied—as well as the “descent” of the Spirit upon our lives. ⁠

What we often do not remember in considering the “handful” God gives us is that He is fullness, and when we rest in Him and allow Him to fill our hand, we will have all that we need! As we rest in Him, receiving His life into our being, He will not leave our hand half-empty. He will bless us in more ways than we can dream of and give us restfulness. God loves us and we can trust Him—what more do we need?⁠

#releaseday countdown: 9! In @erikamathewsauthor’s stories today: rest for you and I today⁠

Preorder here.

Nuach is rest that is given from God; it is a verb of rest. Gesenius’ Hebrew Lexicon gives a fuller picture of the definition for nuach: “to rest…to set oneself down, to settle down in any place for rest. The primary idea is to breathe, draw breath.” ⁠

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“Sitting down and drawing breath” signifies completion, full trust and surrender, and contentment. ⁠

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Settling down is continual; it is not simply that we only pitch a tent and perhaps later on move our tent somewhere else. We are settled in heavenly places with and in Him. Nothing can move us. ⁠

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Today, settle yourself down in Christ your dwelling place and breathe in His Spirit. That’s rest.⁠

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⁠#releaseday countdown: 10! In @erikamathewsauthor’s stories today: Moses and the Dwelling Place⁠

Preorder here.