A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

Hebrews 4:1-13 New International Version (NIV)

4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his 
rest still stands, let us be careful that none of 
you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For 
we also have had the good news proclaimed to 
us, just as they did; but the message they 
heard was of no value to them, because they 
did not share the faith of those who obeyed.
3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, 
just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They 
shall never enter my rest.’”
And yet his works have been finished since 
the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere 
he has spoken about the seventh day in these
words: “On the seventh day God rested from 
all his works.” 5 And again in the passage
above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to 
enter that rest, and since those who formerly 
had the good news proclaimed to them did 
not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God 
again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” 
This he did when a long time later he spoke 
through David, as in the passage already 
quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden 
your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God 
would not have spoken later about another 
day. 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. 11 Let us, therefore, 
make every effort to enter that rest, so that no 
one will perish by following their example of 
disobedience.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. 
Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates 
even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; 
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. 
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the 
eyes of him to whom we must give account.

I personally feel like the commandment to “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you” (Dt. 5:12) has slowly faded away in our culture. Believe me, I know it is difficult finding any time away from your studies and activities, let alone a whole day! Nevertheless, God commanded it so we need to obey it. Keeping the Sabbath doesn’t mean strictly not doing your homework on Sunday…It also means to take some of that day to spend with God. Read your Bible, take a walk in God’s beautiful creation, pray. All of these are great ways to grow closer to God. Two of the verses from above really stand out to me, verses 11 and 13. “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience” (Dt. 4:11). This sentence puts into effect how serious God is about keeping his commands. It basically screams “learn from others’ pasts and do what I say or else!” The last part of this scripture that I want to highlight is verse 13. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes
of him to whom we must give account” (Dt. 4:13). I love the phrase “everything is uncovered.” There is no hiding our sins from God, He knows everything we do. During this time of Lent I challenge you to be more intentional about the time you spend with God and to grow into a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior.

Hanna House is a sophomore majoring in communication at Southwestern College.

Boasting in Confident Foundations

Hebrews 3:1-6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a 
heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle 
and high priest of our confession, 2 who was 
faithful to him who appointed him, just as 
Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 
3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more 
glory than Moses—as much more glory as the 
builder of a house has more honor than the 
house itself. 4 (For every house is built by 
someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 
5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house 
as a servant, to testify to the things that were 
to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over 
God's house as a son. And we are his house 
if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our 
boasting in our hope.

I must confess and apologize to my community of faith for my late post having just experienced what snow storms will do to Chicago flight connections. I just returned from Venice, Italy, where my wife Cheryl and I, along with close friends Joni and Steve Rankin, experienced the awesome sights of the Basilica of Saint Mark. When we speak of art in worship and the power of artistic expression to connect us with the mystery of God, there is none greater in my opinion than this house of worship. Every kind of stone, wood, glass, tile, precious metal and jewel worked by thousands of artists with great skill and time was on display. The church is truly indescribable! The church is also sinking and slowly falling apart.

I do not want to imply any lack of appreciation for the reverent sacrifice made in the creation of the Basilica of Saint Mark nor the wonder and glory of this expression of worship, but the very point of creating it illustrates what it cannot adequately do—fully represent the glory of the house of God built in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the builder of all things and the artisan of who we are—our author, builder, and perfecter. We are the precious materials of His glorious work still in progress. We are designed to be more than the expression of the very nature of God but the dwelling of His presence if we hold fast to that purpose whose foundation was laid unsinkable and without decay in the cross. What a hope; what a purpose; what a confident foundation!

Martin Rude is the director of outreach ministries at Southwestern College. 

The Lord Saves

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
    and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron.

    The Lord is always good to us even when we think we are far from help.  From the verse above, the Lord loves us and cares for us so much that he will come and save us from any hardship or trouble we are experiencing.  He cuts through bars of iron and breaks chains for us.  The Lord finds us in the darkness and brings us back to His glorious light.  The Lord loves us so much that He will satisfy our hunger and thirst.  He will always be there for us even when we don't call for Him.  We will struggle without Him but He will be right there when we cry for His help.  He will be there to pick us up when we fall and when we need Him the most.  The Lord will also be there when we don't think we need Him.  The Lord is always there with His unfailing love, watching over His children.  

    ​Remember that you are loved by a glorious God this season of Lent.  Be thankful for His amazing and endless love.  If you are struggling with hardships or trials in your life, God will be there to help you through them.  This may not be the way you expect your problems to be solved, but it will be God's way.  He knows what is best for us.  So trust in the Lord and cry out His name.  He will be right by your side to come to your aid.  The Lord will always do anything to save His wonderful and priceless children. 

Garett Britton is a junior majoring in Elementary Education at Southwestern College.

When The Going Gets Tough

Numbers 20:1-13

Water From the Rock
20 In the first month the whole Israelite 
community arrived at the Desert of Zin, 
and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam 
died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water for the community, 
and the people gathered in opposition to 
Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with 
Moses and said, “If only we had died 
when our brothers fell dead before the 
LORD! 4 Why did you bring the LORD’s 
community into this wilderness, that we 
and our livestock should die here? 5 Why 
did you bring us up out of Egypt to this 
terrible place? It has no grain or figs, 
grapevines or pomegranates. And there 
is no water to drink!”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly 
to the entrance to the tent of meeting and 
fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD 
appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to 
Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and 
your brother Aaron gather the assembly 
together. Speak to that rock before their 
eyes and it will pour out its water. You 
will bring water out of the rock for the 
community so they and their livestock 
can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s 
presence, just as he commanded him.10 
He and Aaron gathered the assembly 
together in front of the rock and Moses 
said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must 
we bring you water out of this rock?”
11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck 
the rock twice with his staff. Water 
gushed out, and the community and their 
livestock drank.
12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 
“Because you did not trust in me enough 
to honor me as holy in the sight of the 
Israelites, you will not bring this community 
into the land I give them.” 13 These were 
the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites 
quarreled with the LORD and where he was 
proved holy among them.


There are multiple times in life were we as humans face hardships and struggles. We begin to think that life was so much better last year when we weren’t dealing with ____________, or I wish I could go back before _________ happened, because life was so much easier then. Too often we dwell on our hardships. We forget to count our blessings. We see this in the story above: God has freed the Israelites from slavery. Before this mighty, powerful, and saving act of God the Israelites were being beaten and overworked. God empowers Moses to help free these people from the suffocating grip of Pharaoh.
Through the power of God and Moses the Israelites escape slavery in Egypt and soon find themselves in a desert. They complain and question God’s ability to sustain them in the desert. The Israelites even ask Moses “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place?” The Israelites have forgotten that Egypt was a terrible place. They were slaves, they didn’t have the freedom God intended humans to have. The Israelites are not counting their blessings.
However, we cannot simply read this story and say “wow they were very ungrateful people.” We have to read this story and say “wow, I am not as grateful for God’s salvific acts in my life as I should be.” The story of God found in the Holy Scriptures is a living text, it revels truths about ourselves and God. We are in the season of Lent going down with Christ, so that we may be raised up with Christ. Ultimately, God meets our needs in life whether through water or assurance that God is near. God knows the inner workings of our hearts better than we do. During this season of Lent I challenge you to count your blessings and marvel at the goodness of a God who was willing to sacrifice himself for our salvation.


Lindsey Graber is a junior majoring in Religion and Philosophy at Southwestern College.

Here's Your Sign

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 (NIV)

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his 
love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of 
the Lord tell their story – those he redeemed 
from the land of the foe, 3 those he gathered 
from the lands, from east and west, from north 
and south.
17 Some became fools through their rebellious 
ways and suffered affliction because of their 
iniquities. 18 They loathed all food and drew 
near the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to 
the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from 
their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed 
them; he rescued them from the grave. 21 Let 
them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing 
love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. 22 
Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his 
works with songs of joy.

“Here’s Your Sign” goes the bit made popular by comedian Bill Engvall. And I wonder, how many times a day does God peer down on earth and think that in his head? I’m fairly certain it’s been thrown my way more than a few times.
The writer of this Thanksgiving psalm starts by reminding us that God is good. God’s love for us is unfailing – forever. And even when we are fools, even when we mess up, even when we do stupid things – his mercy is there if we call on him. How convicting! Why is it that we stubbornly attempt to solve problems we face on our own? Why is it that we wait until things get a little out of hand to turn to God and ask for help?
Fortunately, we eventually remember. God is there. God is with us. God will help. And so we ask. And so we pray. And God sends us help. But! The psalmist is reminding us that our job is not done. “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story!” We are to look for God’s influence, mercy and love. We are to talk about it. We are to share. We are to say thank you.
Some people learn by example, others learn by experience. Unfortunately, I’m the kind that learns by experience. And, as the psalmist says, THANKS TO GOD for he is good and his love endures forever! Part of me is looking forward to when I get to heaven so that God (and my mother) can look back over my life, hand me my sign and we can have a good chuckle.

Brenda Hicks is the Director of Financial Aid at Southwestern College

A Double Rainbow and a Single Promise

Genesis 9:8-17 (NIV)

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with 
him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you 
and with your descendants after you 10 and with 
every living creature that was with you—the birds,
the livestock and all the wild animals, all those 
that came out of the ark with you—every living 
creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with 
you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the
waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood 
to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant 
I am making between me and you and every living 
creature with you, a covenant for all generations 
to come:13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, 
and it will be the sign of the covenant between me 
and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over 
the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 
15 I will remember my covenant between me and 
you and all living creatures of every kind. Never 
again will the waters become a flood to destroy 
all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the 
clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting 
covenant between God and all living creatures 
of every kind on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the 
covenant I have established between me and all 
life on the earth.”

Before you read this, I would like to direct you to the video below. Go ahead, go click on it. I’ll wait. Meet you back here when you’re done.

 Are you back? Awesome. Could you feel that guy’s uncontained joy just at the sight of a rainbow (excuse me, a DOUBLE rainbow)? I can’t remember the last time I ever got that excited about a rainbow but I probably should be that excited about a rainbow because it’s so much more than just some light refracting through some water vapor. At 1:20 in the video, we hear the guy exclaim, “What does it mean?!” I’ll tell you what it means, friend: it means God loves us a whole lot. A covenant, by definition, is an agreement. So technically there should be two sides to this deal; God promised that He would never again destroy all life by a flood but what do we need to do in exchange? What’s the catch? That’s the awesome part: there is no catch. God’s promise to Noah was unconditional and completely based on His faithfulness alone. That’s how much He loves us. And we are reminded of how much He loves us every time we see a rainbow. So while, no, I will probably never break down into uncontrollable sobs at the sight of a (double) rainbow, I will always remember God’s promise, His faithfulness, and His unfailing love. And that is something worth getting excited about.

Maggie Collett is a graduate student and Graduate Fellow for Student Life and Leadership.

In His Eyes

Mark 11:15-19 (The Voice)

15 They continued into Jerusalem 
and made their way up to the temple.
Upon reaching the temple that morning, 
Jesus dealt with those who were 
selling and buying animals for sacrifices 
and drove them out of the area. He 
turned over the tables of those who 
exchanged money for the temple pilgrims 
and the seats of those selling birds, 
16 and He physically prevented anyone 
from carrying anything through the temple.
Jesus (to those who were listening): 
17 Didn't the prophets write, “My house 
will be called a house of prayer, for 
all the people”? But you have made it 
into a “haven for thieves.”
At the temple, Jesus responds in shock 
to the scene before Him. He acts 
decisively and with great emotion against 
those who have turned God’s house 
into a place where pilgrims are exploited. 
He has a message and, like the prophets 
of old, this message is better seen than
heard. Because the temple leadership 
has allowed profiteers and merchants 
to set up shop in the court of the Gentiles, 
they are making ridiculous profits. For 
the people who come long distances to 
worship, it is a normal practice to have 
merchants selling animals for the 
pilgrims to sacrifice. What is not normal 
and what is immoral is where and how 
they transact business. Jesus takes issue 
with robbers profiteering in His Father’s 
house.
18 The chief priests and the scribes heard 
these words and knew Jesus was referring 
to them, so they plotted His destruction. 
They had grown afraid of Him because 
His teachings struck the crowds into 
astonishment. 19 When evening came, 
[Jesus and His followers] left the city again.

I ask the same question every time I read this passage, Jesus is mad? I don’t recall any other Biblical narrative that tells us about Jesus getting angry. It just isn't normal…furthermore, He’s always preaching and teaching about love, kindness and forgiveness… Well, this version of the text provides a more plausible explanation of Jesus flipping tables. According to this translation, it was normal to have merchants selling animals for sacrificial purposes back then. The problem lies in the way they transact business. It is very possible that these merchants were dishonest in their business and Jesus most probably knew that the only way to reveal their dishonesty was by turning the tables for the public to see. There’s a lesson here which is easy to miss: Love what is righteous and protect it from the unrighteous. We’d be less selfish if we all stood up for what is right, and if we came to honor what is sacred (the House of Prayer) in our Father’s eyes in order to achieve what we hope for – a restored relationship with Christ because it is for all people.

Deborah Martin is a junior pursuing a B.A. in Music with a minor in Business Administration.