BLESSED BY REST - PART 2

KEY SCRIPTURES

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Psalm 37:7 (NLT)

Remember the Sabbath day…  ~ Exodus 20:8-11

Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man. (Mark 2:27)

In this second part in our short series on rest, I’m going to talk about taking a break from work. A “sabbath.” *gasp*

That’s almost a “bad word” in our western culture of go, go, GO! An entire day where I don’t work??? Are you kidding me?! But there’s sooooo much I need to get done!!! And it’s not gonna get done with me sitting around doing nothing!

RIGHT?!

(Trust me…I’m not here to ridicule or condemn you, because this has been very, VERY hard for ME!)

In Part 1 we talked about how God started the “day” with the evening... when we would rest. (And there was evening and there was morning, the 1st day. ~ Genesis 1:5) What a blessed gift! But it gets even better... Adam and Eve were created on the 6th day, and on the 7th day, God rested.

Soooo... the first thing Adam and Eve did was have a blessed day of rest, with God.

Not only that, but there was no “evening and morning” on the Sabbath day… no start or end. A Sabbath rest is different…

Jesus told us, “Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man.” (Mark 2:27) God KNEW we needed a day to rest. He also knew that our nature is such that we would think it ALL depends on US to work hard and get things done... so He actually made it a COMMANDMENT.  (Exodus 20:8-11) One of the top 10 even!  We absolutely NEED to take a day off and rest.

We are DRIVEN people! Here in the west, we drive cattle, we drive sheep, we drive each other crazy, and we drive ourselves into the ground. But who is actually doing the driving? The same one who lies to us (John 8:44) and tells us we must keep going or we’ll fail - because we’re being lazy! I read somewhere that BUSY is just an acronym for “Bound Under Satan’s Yoke.”  YIKES!!

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. (John 10:11) He doesn’t DRIVE us, He LEADS us. He asks us to FOLLOW Him. We are weary due to using our OWN strength, not His. We are weary because we are being driven to go farther, faster, harder. He looks at us and sees we are like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36) so He says, “Come to me all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

The real question is, do we trust that?

Do we trust Him? (Matthew 14:31)

When we do, He gives us His peace.  (John 14:27)

His rest. (Hebrews 4:10)

I know it’s really hard to believe, but when you take a break and allow yourself to rest in Him, you accomplish waaaay more when you return to work. Because rest is rewarded… you are blessed by rest.

We all know that if your heart stops, you die… but I read somewhere that your heart actually rests in between each beat. This is what we need to do as well...

Studies have shown that taking small breaks periodically throughout the day gives your brain a break and you come back more focused and re-energized. You may think you’re getting more done by working through lunch, or working long hours, but just like you think you’re getting more done when you’re multitasking... you’re really not. This is where we need to work smarter not harder.

The same holds true for taking one day a week to STOP. Science once again has caught up to God and studies have shown that humans are most productive (and healthy!) when they work 6 days and rest 1.

On this day of rest, allow your body, mind, and spirit to rest... to be RESTored! Like meditation practice, this discipline is really, REALLY difficult at first, but if you stick with it you will see it has enormous long-term benefits for you. To quote a dear friend of mine, God can do more in 30 minutes than we can in 30 years.  Just like the Israelites had to trust that God was going to provide enough food for them for 2 days so they didn’t have to gather manna on the Sabbath, so He will provide for you when you obey Him and receive the blessed rest He offers you. (Psalm 127:2)

I could speak to this at length, but for now I would love to refer you to an absolutely phenomenal (incredibly insightful and comprehensive!) book on this subject called “Subversive Sabbath” by A.J. Swoboda.  I truly cannot recommend this book enough!

May your life be blessed by rest.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen

SCRIPTURES

Genesis 1:5 ~ And there was evening and there was morning, the 1st day. (ESV)

Mark 2:27 ~ And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (ESV)

Exodus 20:8-11 ~ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  For six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your resident who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (NASB)

John 8:44 ~ …the devil… he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (NIV)

John 10:11 ~ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (KJV)

Matthew 9:36 ~ When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. (AMPC)

Matthew 11:28 ~ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (NLT)

Matthew 14:31 ~ Yeshua (Jesus) immediately stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, “Such little trust! Why did you doubt?” (CJB)

John 14:27 ~ Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.

Hebrews 4:10 ~ For the one who enters God’s rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from his own works. (NET)

Psalm 127:2 ~ It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. (NLT)

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