“You must deny yourselves and not do any work because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins” (Leviticus 16:29-30).
Do you ever feel like a hamster running on a wheel? You strive and drive and bear down harder, but you don’t seem to get anywhere?
You say to yourself, “I’m just trying to get ahead!”
But you keep slipping behind.
A lot of us bring that same striving strategy to our faith. We suppose that God will love us more or give us greater blessing, if we only strive to do better, give more, work harder, and thus earn His approval.
This type of striving is not only dangerous to our happiness and health, it’s deadly to our souls. God wants us to stop striving and start trusting Him.
In the book of Leviticus, God told the Israelites that He wanted them to set aside a special day every year called the Day of Atonement (in the Hebrew, Yom Kippur). On this day they were to rest from their wanting and their working and to remember that they needed a substitute to stand in their place for the redemption of their sins. This day pointed to and was fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Christ has done the work that we couldn’t do. He has once and for all paid for our sin and offered us eternal life and full acceptance by the Father, adopting us into His very family. We cannot add to this work. It is finished. We can only rest from our wanting and working and receive His work on our behalf.
Where are you still striving today? Stop your wasted whirling and dizzy spinning. Start trusting and depending on Christ for all.