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Sigue brillando...  Shine on... 

5/17/2016

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"Por tanto, queda un reposo para el pueblo de Dios. Porque el que ha entrado en su reposo, también ha reposado de sus obras, como Dios de las suyas."  (Hebreos 4:9-10)

UN DESCANSO

Suena a un cuarto oscuro, silencioso, una cama cómoda y nada programado para la mañana… un día lluvioso, un café premium mexicano  (la marca Punta del Cielo me cae bien)… la tele no necesaria, Spotify, tal vez… disfruto a Darol Anger en las mañanas, aunque David Gilmour me funciona hoy.

Consideramos que “descanso” quiere decir el cese de labores, tiempo de recuperarnos, despejar la mente, prepararnos ante lo que sigue. Tal vez no sea el próximo “lo que sigue”, pero algún día, el último “lo que sigue” nos transportará a un estado de descanso que trascenderá a todos los descansos anteriores. De naturaleza y alcance, será mucho más de lo que nos imaginamos.

UN DESCANSO  σαββατισμός  “Sabbat”

"...queda un reposo para el pueblo de Dios." ​
​
“Aquí, una vez más, un autor bíblico usa un concepto de Génesis como metáfora por algo real a un nivel más profundo. En este pasaje, las obras de Dios se refieren a la obra de creación, de la cual Dios descansó el séptimo día. Dios creó, y luego descansó de crear.”
Seven Days That Divide the World, by John C. Lennox.(trad. de Greg)
​"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his."  (Hebrews 4:9-10)

A REST

Sounds like a dark, quiet room, a comfortable bed and nothing scheduled for the morning... a rainy day, premium Mexican coffee (Punta del Cielo brand works)... TV not necessary, Spotify maybe… I enjoy Darol Anger in the morning, although David Gilmour is doing it for me today. 

We take rest to mean cessation of labor, recovery time, clear the mind, brace for what's next. Maybe it won't be the next “what's next”, but one day, the last “what's next” will transport us into a state of rest that will transcend all previous rests. Its nature and scope will be beyond anything that we could have imagined.

A SABBATH REST  σαββατισμός 

"There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God."
"Here, once more, a biblical author uses a concept from Genesis as a metaphor for something real at a deeper level. In this passage, the expression “God’s works” refers to the work of creation from which God rested on the seventh day. God did the creating, and then he rested from it."
Seven Days That Divide the World, by John C. Lennox. Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

​​Este versículo establece una similitud entre el descanso de Dios después de crear y el descanso que nos espera. ¿Cómo fue Su Sabbat? ¿Qué sucedió después de que cesó de crear? ¿Cómo define lo que nosotros podemos esperar?

Cuando Dios cesó de crear, lo que vino a ser no se pareció mucho a mi mañana floja con café y música tranquila. Su creación no fue una cosa estática que pudieras capturar, ni con el último modelo de tu celular. El descansó de crear, pero Su creación se desenvolvió y brilló… aun se desenvuelve y brilla… más allá de nuestra capacidad para comprenderla… como diamantes locos.

Aunque no creamos nada, trabajamos la salvación que nos fue dada gratuitamente cuando le abrimos el corazón al mensaje del Evangelio. Dios no trajo luz a nuestras vidas con un mandamiento para esconderla. Esto importa después, después que partamos de este mundo, después de la resurrección.

¿Será que pensemos más en lo que obtendremos que en lo que haremos?

"Los entendidos resplandecerán como el resplandor del firmamento; y los que enseñan la justicia a la multitud, como las estrellas a perpetua eternidad."  (Daniel 12:3)

Después de tanto hablar de la revelación progresiva de Dios, los pactos que revelan en términos cada vez más específicos lo que El preparó para Su pueblo, para la humanidad, para la eternidad… un sólo punto se destaca:

Fuimos creados para brillar.

En cuanto descansemos de nuestras labores terrenales, ese es el descanso que nos espera. Y algo de la calidad de nuestro reposo, la luminosidad de nuestro brillo, se correlaciona con el esfuerzo que invertimos en briilar para Jesús antes que cesen nuestras propias labores.

Insistimos demasiado, queremos mucho en poco tiempo, ni siquiera logramos no obstruir que la luz en nosotros salga enteramente como debe. Sin embargo, debemos esforzarnos siempre en compartir a Jesús a los demás. Debemos practicar el brillar para la gloria de Dios ahora.

Puede que así sea menos brusca la transición cuando lleguen las órdenes para nuestro traslado final.

​This verse establishes a similitude between God's Sabbath rest and the rest that awaits us. What was His Sabbath rest like? What happened after He ceased to create? What does that say about what we can expect?

When God ceased to create, what came to be did not look exactly like my lazy, late morning with coffee and soft music. His creation was not a static thing that you could capture, even with the newest iteration of your cell phone. He rested from creating, but His creation unfolded and shined... still unfolds and shines... beyond our ability to comprehend… like crazy diamonds.

Although we create nothing, we work out the salvation that was freely given to us when we opened our hearts to the Gospel message. God did not bring light into our lives with a commandment to hide it. This matters later, after we leave this world, after the resurrection of the saints.

Do we think more about what we will get when we die than about what we will do?

"And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."  (Daniel 12:3)

After all the talk about God´s progressive revelation, the covenants that revealed in ever more specific terms what He had prepared for His people, for humanity, for eternity… one “given” stands out:

We were created to shine.

When we rest from our earthly labors, that is the “rest” that awaits us. And something about the quality of that rest, the brilliance of our shining, correlates with the work put into shining for Jesus before our own labors cease.

We push too hard, we want too much too soon, we can’t even keep our own selves from blocking the light sometimes. But we should work at sharing Jesus with others. We should practice shining for the glory of God now.

​It might make the transition easier when our final transfer orders come through. 
​You reached for the secret too soon,
you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night,
​and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

Pink Floyd - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"

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    Greg Smith

    Greg grew up in Menomonee Falls, WI. His ministry began in 1976: 5 years in Central America, 36 in Mexico. His passion is church planting and discipleship.
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    Greg enjoys being married to Carol Ahola-Smith. Both have been missionaries (Japan and Mexico); both watched their first spouses precede them in death.
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    Together, they have a heart for writing, mentoring and teaching.  They enjoy long walks and good coffee.

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