Rest from yourself

When you live in the Law, you are heavy laden, stressful and worried, and this happens because in the Law you depend on your own strength and merits for your success. But when you live in the Grace of Jesus, you live rested all the time because you don't depend on what you can get by your own, but you trust that what Jesus won is yours too. Grace is better!

Jacob was trusting on his own strength to fix his life, to escape from his past and from the consequences of his actions. In spite of being Abraham's grandson and Isaac's son, God's men in that time, he felt unworthy that God was with him because of the things he's done. But God was with him, the problem was that he didn't know that and he didn't feel worthy of it!, and we know this because we see that when Jacob decided to take a rest when he was running from his brother, he took a rock as pillow, lay down, and had a dream: open heaven above him with a ladder wherein angels were going up and down, and then God, besides of confirming to Jacob the same covenant made to his father and grandfather, He speaks to his heart saying: "I am with you" (Genesis 28:15).

I think that it was there when Jacob's heart healing started. I imagine him crying saying: "But God, how can you love me if I hurt people, I deceive them, I seek my own benefit, I'm known as an usurper, I lied to my own family. Lord, I'm not worthy that you are with me." And I believe that those words kept ministering Jacob: "In spite of your bad behavior, I love you, I am with you." Wow!

Now, in what moment did Jacob receive that revelation? When he decided to rest! That's the secret: you have to rest from yourself, from trying by your own to win God's and people's approval, from trying to be worthy to be called His son. REST!

If you labor and are heavy laden, come to Jesus and rest. In Him you'll find the rest that your soul needs (Matthew 11:28-29). Jesus didn't come to give a to-do list to win His favor, but He wants to teach you that He already won it for you. Your attitude won't be anymore: I have to win the blessings of God, but it will be: I will go to take what Jesus gave away.

Jacob thought he was running from his problems, but he wasn't running from his true problem: himself, the innate trying to win things. Besides, most assuredly he thought he was running from God too, but God never abandoned him, but Jacob didn't realize that. Jacob just closed his eyes, and behold, God was there.