Day 7

Romans 1:19–20 CSB

19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

Genesis 2:1–3 CSB

1 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. 2 On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.

Intro

Rest From Work

We live in a hustle culture world. Where everybody lives life at a very fast pace, and we live very busy lives. In fact, many people wear their busyness as a badge of honor. When you ask somebody how they're doing a lot of times the answer will be “oh I've just been so busy.”. In fact, sometimes, I wonder if maybe we worship being busy. I wonder if we idolize a busy life because the world tells us that you have to hustle to make it anywhere. I'm not by any means promoting laziness. Because as we know, the Bible teaches that laziness is a sin. But at some point somehow someway, we have to realize that there can be too much busyness.

One of the key things that we need to understand is that God rested after he finished his work. He did not rest because he was tired.

Isaiah 40:28 CSB

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding.

He rested because he was done. What I mean is is there should be a rhythm or season that goes from work to rest. We tend to go from work to work. Or we go rest to rest. We need to understand that not all jobs can be completed in a day, but there needs to become a point in a day where you say you are done. One of the keys to being able to find good rest is to set a finish line each day.The finish line needs to be realistic. Some people have a hard time stopping their work for the day because they have not set a finish line ahead of time. And if you don't have a finish line and you just go until you can't go any further, you don't ever actually rest. One of the keys to finding rest, is having a sense of completeness to your work. You may not be able to build an entire house in a day. But you can have a single task that goes towards building the house that you finish in a day.

I think we often confuse busyness with productivity. I look at busyness like running on treadmill. You're doing a whole lot but not actually going anywhere. I believe that times of rest actually help you be more productive.

Rest For Work

You see we don't just rest from work. We rest for work. Rest allows you to prepare for the next workload. And I understand that some people may find this discouraging because it makes it seem like there is an endless cycle of tasks to complete. But I think a reality that we all need to accept is that there is always work to be done. You will always have something to do. You will always have a fish to fry so to speak. But you will never actually be productive in anything if you never have a moment of rest.

We see in scripture that when Jesus took time away to go into the wilderness to pray or escape for a while. He always came right back and went to work. He was setting an example for us that we need our time to refuel and reload to go into the next task at hand.

Luke 5:15–16 CSB

15 But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.

Jesus would withdrawal to the wilderness to the mountains to wherever he could go and be alone for a while to refuel and restore his spirit and prayer so that he could get back to work in the ministry he was carrying on with. He would withdraw from a crowd so that he could be ready for the next one.The rest that he took allowed him to be more productive and more fruitful in his work.

Rest is an act of trust

Sometimes our refusal to stop reveals something deeper. We think everything depends on us. “If I don't do it, everything will fall apart.” But biblical rest says: “God is still God when I stop working.”

Psalm 127:2 CSB

2 In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food— yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves.

Rest becomes an expression of faith. When we stop, we acknowledge:

God is my provider. God is my sustainer. God is in control. The world does not depend upon me.

Meaningful Rest

Rest looks different for everybody. However, you find rest. It needs to be meaningful. There was some trouble with the legalistic methods used by the Pharisees that Jesus had to confront.

Mark 2:23–27 CSB

23 On the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, picking some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He said to them, “Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry—26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests—and also gave some to his companions?” 27 Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

Rest is not about the activity. It's about your soul and your spirit. Your mind in your heart. And yes, of course your body. For some rest is sitting on a beach reading and doing nothing. For someone else it's a multiple day hike in the mountains. Both are restful in their own way. It is not realistic to go to the beach and disappear to the mountains all the time.But the point that Jesus was trying to drive home is that the Sabbath is for your benefit. God's desire is, and I encourage you to fulfill is to find meaningful things that restore you and allow you to feel rested. Read a book, go for a walk, take up, knitting, whatever you decide to do let it be part of your routine so that you don't experience burnout. The Pharisees treated it like you are supposed to serve the Sabbath. The Sabbath was designed to bless you. It is a time for us to reset refuel and grow closer to God.Rest is a holy act. That is why God declared the Sabbath holy and blessed it. Because rest itself is holy.

Holy Rest

Rest creates space to enjoy God

The seventh day wasn't merely about stopping activity. It was a day God blessed and sanctified. God created space for humanity to enjoy what He had made and, ultimately, to enjoy Him. Sometimes we're so busy doing things for God that we neglect simply being with God. Prayer becomes another task. Bible reading becomes another task. Church becomes another task. Ministry becomes another task. But God doesn't merely want our productivity.

He wants our presence.

There are moments when the most spiritual thing you can do is stop producing, become still, recognize God's goodness, and enjoy His presence.

Psalm 46:10 ESV

10 “Be still, and know that I am God……

God created rest and called it holy. He blessed the day of rest. His desire is for us not to just find rest in our hobbies in a vacation or our other favorite activities. God wants us to find rest in him. He gives us rest. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”. It's not wrong to take a vacation, but a vacation should be used as an opportunity to get closer to Christ. It's not wrong to have a hobby, but that hobby should Not and cannot replace being in the presence of God and drawing close to him.