Take time to rest!

Our culture invites us into constant activity and exhaustion.  In our world of unending hurry, we are trained to fear silence and even to avoid rest itself as a sign of insignificance (if we’re not working or doing something productive, who are we, anyway?).  Thank God that this is not what Jesus invites us into.  Any one who reads Matthew 6 or John 15 will have a hard time missing Jesus’ vision of a slow life of trust and surrender.  And the Bible makes is clear that Sabbath, as a discipline we engage for the sake of our souls, is essential for establishing a healthy, whole rhythm for life.  In Sabbath, we acknowledge our limitations.  And we acknowledge that we need a rest far greater than what 24-hour break can provide.

Taken into consideration, the Sabbath rest is an act of intention. God commanded us in Exodus 20: 8-10: Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gate”. Believers should consider the Sabbath as a day of retreat; one in which we honor our Creator, cease from work and remove ourselves for a while from the stress, mental challenges and physical fatigue that labor often brings. We draw away, whether we enjoy our occupation not. Your Sabbath does not necessarily have to be Sunday, but could be any day of the week set aside to come apart from work in order to rest. In doing so, we not only gain physical respite but also experience the blessing of having spent time in the presence and worship of our God. This is why it is so critically important that we worship as a body of believers to encourage and uplift each other to our Creator for restoration and hope.

This discipline restores and replenishes the soul. Rest is important. It has been scientifically proven that lack of rest affects our immune system, our ability to handle stress, our thought processes, and even our ability to work. This discipline of a Sabbath rest not only rejuvenates us spiritually, but physically and emotionally as well. A healthy follower of Jesus Christ is one who takes time to rest. 

You know I love ya, Don