Are you tired? Is your striving against sin leaving you exhausted and routinely defeated? Listen to the wisdom of Solomon:

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;…

It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors;

For He gives to his beloved even in his sleep…

Psalm 127: 1-3

Striving after holiness is vanity if we push past the open hands of Jesus – the very one who is waiting to give us His holiness. The writer of Hebrews was right when he said, “we may share His holiness…” (Heb. 12:10). It has always been in the heart of God to share his divine nature with us.

Take Adam as an example: Never toiling and never earning the fruit of the ground by the sweat of his brow, Adam relaxed and waited upon God. He knew that in the cool of each day, he would receive all he needed from the presence of his Creator. Only after the fall do we see Adam working the ground and eating the bread of “painful labors.” Sin ruined everything.

But the story doesn’t end there. Paul declares that God has reconciled all things to Himself by the blood of Jesus and has declared peace for all His adopted children (Col. 1:20). Because of Jesus, we who live in Christ are now the beloved of the Father, adopted and chosen according to His will (Eph. 1:5).

Because of our standing in Jesus, we can see the fulfillment of Solomon’s wisdom: we are the beloved children of God – we have no need to fight to produce our righteousness. We need only to ask by the authority He has given us as children, and then enjoy the freedom and truth found in the these words, “He gives to his beloved in [their] sleep.“

Do you see that striving is vanity? Why should we strive when He is ready and willing to give to us in our most unproductive state; sleeping. This truth reveals the depths of His nature; His love is free and unconditional.

He is ready to give you life. Rest and abide, grow strong in faith and accept your Father’s gift in Jesus.

Abiding in Him,

TJMcPherson