Resting sounds great, but . . .

. . . .  but isn't work important?

Work.

Some wag said that it was one of the "four letter words" -- you know, the ones that shouldn't be said. Economists would tell us that working means autonomy and material success. Philosophers would say that work defines who we are and gives meaning to our lives.

When we open our Bibles, we see that work is not only good but necessary. God worked by creating the world in six days - not only that, but He set Adam and Eve to work once He had made them:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15, NIV)

In both the Old and the New Testaments, we learn about the value of work; we even see that there are consequences when we don't work.

One who works his land will have plenty of bread,
But one who pursues worthless things lacks sense. (Proverbs 12:11, NASB)

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either....Now we command and exhort such persons in the Lord Jesus Christ to work peacefully and eat their own bread.(II Thessalonians 3:10, 12)

In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23)

Opting out of valid work is the equivalent of laziness, or the character trait called "slothfulness." We can't expect to see the fruits of our labor (whether material or spiritual) if we are not willing to work.

But Snoodles! We are studying resting in God! Why all this talk about work? Because many people today have made work a false deity. It's an idol in their lives. In western societies, we don't view work as a means to an end as much as we did - like harvesting crops so that our family can eat - nowadays we associate work with the amount of money we earn, and with how prestigious the title on our office door. And the only way to make more money, or to advance up the ladder of the corporation, is to work more. We all know or have known people who were chasing success and made work their top priority. They made their work their god. And they were not usually happy people. 

Sleep deprivation is a real issue in our world today. Not only have we deluded ourselves about the importance of wealth and titles, we also have convinced ourselves that we must be constantly busy. Constantly "doing." We modern-day Marthas have lost sight of how to be Marys. We neglect the beautiful and the restful when we act this way. We need to listen to the psalmist:

It is in vain that you rise up early
    and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
    for he gives sleep to his beloved. (Psalm 127:2)

So, in addition to being unhealthy to neglect our rest, it's vain. Hmmmmm, the definition I find for vanity says "excessive pride in one's accomplishments." Maybe this is because when we work so hard for money, title, and possessions, we tend to view our accomplishments as our own -- we forget all about how God has gifted us with what we have! 

We can look at resting, then, as an act of trust. We can let our guard down because we know that God will provide for us. Relaxing means that we don't have to control everything; we are worth more than "many sparrows." (Matthew 6) 

Resting is also rejuvenating to our bodies and souls. We are revived when we make time for solitude. When we use silence to listen to the Lord speaking to us. We can see Him in the beauty around us as we take a leisurely walk, and hear Him in the song of the bird on the limb above our heads. Rest is a balm for our souls - some days we are so harried that we don't even stop long enough to breathe or to eat properly. Rest brings us back and helps us focus on what is most important; it helps center us on our faith in God, caring for our families, and concentrating on our relationship with Him. 

Slow down for a day and see what happens. If you simply cannot take a whole day, set aside a half-day, or a couple of hours. Your soul will be revived and recharged. It's when our hearts are prayerful that we are most attentive and "tuned in" to the God's stirring in our hearts. We'll re-discover who we are and who we are meant to be. When we empty our hearts and minds of the distractions of the day, God can fill our cup to overflowing again. You see, when our hearts are filled with His love, we are better able to give of ourselves without being depleted! 

Our minds will be clearer, too. It's a matter of discipline to make ourselves take time for a nap. To read a book. To attend an hour of prayer or preaching. To take a leisurely walk. To pray in the solitude of the early morning. But the results? We will discover that our minds are less foggy. Less restless. Our thoughts will be clearer. And His peace will settle upon our souls.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Friday slowdown

I can remember singing this hymn at the Christian school I attended. In my innocence, I knew nothing of the tempests that life can bring! What a comfort to hum or sing this old standard now!

Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness,
No shelter or help is nigh;
Carest Thou not that we perish?
How canst Thou lie asleep,
When each moment so madly is threat’ning
A grave in the angry deep?

• Refrain:
  The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will,
  Peace, be still!
  Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,
  Or demons or men, or whatever it be,
  No waters can swallow the ship where lies
  The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;
  They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
  Peace, be still! Peace, be still!
  They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
  Peace, peace, be still!

Resting with God

There's another great example for us about rest and the importance of rest in our lives. Remember the time that Jesus and His disciples were in the boat and the storm came up?

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40, NIV)

Think about that . . . Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, was sleeping.

Jesus spoke about rest, too. Let's look at the ninth chapter of Luke:

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:57-58)

Sometimes God chooses to rest in us. God desires that our souls be a sanctuary where He can rest His head. Are our souls and hearts busy, even frantic? Fractured with the cares and stresses of our everyday lives? Or are we resting in the knowledge that He holds our lives within His caring hands? Are our souls at peace? Quiet?

Silence, you know, can be very intimate. When you are with an old friend, someone you know well and who knows you well, you don't always have to be talking, do you? We can sit in a room with a trusted friend and not speak a word. The silence is not strained. It's comfortable. When with a loved one, silence can be more comfortable, more intimate than conversation. 

Silence can be a sign of God's trust in us, too. Far from being a sign of neglect, it can mean that He is working in the quiet. Do we trust Him to work? Or do we ramp up our cries for His help?  In John's gospel, Mary and Martha may have thought they and their brother were being neglected by Jesus. After all, Jesus lingered two more days before coming to their home, and by that time, Lazarus had died. But after that silence, Mary and Martha (and Lazarus) were drawn into a new closeness with God and a bright new knowledge of His power - Lazarus was raised from the dead.

Oswald Chambers noted that, "When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible - with absolute silence, not a silence of despair but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation."

What if we could provide places within our hearts that allowed our Savior to abide in us so deeply that He could quietly dwell in us and know of our love for Him? That allowed us to feel His presence even more strongly? That allowed Him to guide us?  It's a lovely thing to think about, but how can we make this real in our lives? We know that Christ is in us because the Bible confirms what we feel in our hearts: 

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. (John 14:23, NASB)

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (I Corinthians 3:16)

It's a concept that may take some getting used to, that God would want to rest His head. That He would desire the silent, peaceful rest of two soul-mates. That He would find our hearts a sanctuary . . . . but if we become a people accustomed to reflection and prayer, we will have more calm in our lives. We need to pull over, to take the "off ramp" from the rat race that the world says will make us happy. If we try God's way of rest, of slowing down, of pausing to appreciate the beauty of His creation, we can re-discover His peace.

 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. (John 14:27)

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! (II Thessalonians 3:16)

Thoughts on rest

This week we are thinking about rest, and it may be an unusual time to choose that topic: this is the new year! Full of potential. Full of possibilities! We are motivated and determined and ready to work hard at making this a better year!

As I mentioned last time, though, the Spirit whispered to me that I just need to rest in Him. We recently touched on the story of creation, but I'd like to linger there today. Let's look at these two verses:

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:2-3, NIV)

As we said a couple of weeks ago, God rested after creating the world and all of its inhabitants. Our Father God, Who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, rested.  No, He didn't NEED to rest; He did that so He would set an example for us that taking a break from work is not only important -- it's necessary for humans!

Also in the Pentateuch, we read that God blessed that seventh day and made it holy. Look at the words in Exodus:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 For six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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. 11 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. (Exodus 20:8-11, NASB)

God went into detail here, to make things clear for Moses (and for us). This repetition of the concept means that God wants us to remember that resting is crucial for our mental, emotional, and spiritual health, not just for our physical well-being. God created work. He also created rest. The seventh day is intended to be kept holy by refraining from unnecessary work. Now, that doesn't mean that we need to obsess over it like the legalistic scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day . . . 

But it does mean that Sundays need to be kept for faith and for family. Years ago, that was standard operating procedure even for those who were not devoted to faith. Sunday was a day that was set aside. It was different. Over time, though, the world has encouraged us to go shopping, to dine out, and to even do chores on Sundays. After all, Saturdays are filled with soccer games, recitals, football games and more - we just HAVE to mow the lawn or clean house on Sunday, since it's our only day to catch up on work around the house!

I truly believe that there are circumstances and situations when we must do "everyday" things on Sunday. I get that. And I believe, too, that our Father God understands. But I also feel that we are called to live contrary to the world when it interferes with divine law. I believe that we honor God when we try gradually to reclaim our Sundays; when we try to make Sunday a blessed and holy day for ourselves and our families. Attend a local church service. Put off an extra activity and post a reminder for getting it done on Monday. Have a nice, leisurely meal. Pray. Take a nap.

It will help to think about what is actually necessary for that day. "Extra" things like grocery shopping or a sporting event can be set aside -- though we can't set aside cooking or washing up those dishes, which we kinda must do even on Sunday. (Grin)  Sunday will become a day of rest that we look forward to every week.

What are your thoughts about resting on Sunday?

Prayer requests

 

It's been a while since we gathered on our knees to support one another in prayer. It's a very special part of this study blog, and it's one that has given comfort and support to many of us in our daily lives.

Are we wondering what this new year will hold?  Are we looking ahead with fear or with faith? As believers, we have great news to tell others and to remind ourselves: God knows each and every twist and turn of 2021!

So what's a person to do?

Pray!

The list of things we can pray for is endless. Here are a few starters:

First, let's pray that we will know the love of Christ - that our eyes will be open to seeing Christ's love in new and fresh ways.

..may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, (Ephesians 3:18, NIV)

Next, let's pray that we will love God's Word. Scriptures tell us all we need to know about Who God is, and the scriptures also tell us what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. It's His Word that changes and sanctifies us. Let's be a people who love God's Word.

Let's also pray that we would desire Christ above everything else. Let's think about it . . . without the Holy Spirit, we would only love ourselves. God brings our hearts to life and gives us hearts that love and desire to obey His Word.

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. (Ezekiel 36:26, NLT)

Let's pray this year that God would show us the idols of our heart, and that we'd be quick to repent. Let's think less about "us" and have more gospel joy, the joy of telling others about Him. And not just tell others, but love others, as Christ loves them. Let's not forget to pray that God's will should be done, and remember that our time here on the earth He created is a short one - let's not waste a moment!

Recently, we discussed having a prayer journal and the positive effects of keeping one. Perhaps the new year is a good time to start. Through our Savior, we can come to the throne of grace and find help in our times of need. When we are dissatisfied with the "fast food" offerings of the religions of this world, we will long for the rich and satisfying love of Jesus Christ. We will pray with confidence in His care, and we will see answers.

Join me in prayer, won't you? If you have a request that we can pray for, please leave a comment here.

Rest

 

I've always been a busy person. I suppose you would call me a "Type A" personality; I have multiple irons in the fire at any time during the day! There's working at our home-based business, travel (at least before Covid), and in years past, homeschooling kids while maintaining a (mostly) clean house, etc.  The local homeschool cooperative and the sports teams, too, needed my organizational skills and ideas. Worthy causes all. (Grin)

Sometimes we humans are reminded of our mortality. For some of us, it's when we lose a job. Others are brought to a halt by health issues. Yet others may be reminded of our vulnerabilities when caring for a baby or a loved one who is ill . . . 

Whatever the reason, we may be face to face with the fact that we are "running on fumes." Our stores of energy, or our battery levels, if you will, are depleted.  Our bodies need to recuperate and slow down - in spite of our enthusiasm for worthy causes. We may be forced to cut back and allow more time for solitude, reflection, recreation, and even sleep.

Terms like "quality time" and "finding a balance" are tossed about at seminars and studies; how do we find that balance that our culture says is workable? Is there something more that we need to learn about the value of slowing down?

Especially at this time of year, when we are boldly determined to make changes . . . we clutch our list of resolutions tightly in our hands and muster all of the enthusiasm that we can. We are motivated! We will work to make change happen!

I think that it's important even as the new year begins to make plans to slow down a little. To allow our bodies, minds, and souls to find rejuvenation. I may be talking contrary to many who are working to fire us up about goals for the new year -- and those goals are important -- but I think that rest is important.  I think the Bible has some principles that apply to us and will help us incorporate more leisure into our daily lives . . . and I think we will see some positive results.

I hope you will join me as we study a simple concept: rest.

Happy New Year!

 

Aaaahhh.....a fresh, new start!

Doesn't that sound good?

Personally, I think that each morning that I wake up is an awesome fresh start, so a whole new year? That's awesome!

I guess on a really basic level, resolutions are part of everyday Christian life. As believers, we resolve afresh and anew each day to seek God. We resolve to glorify Him each day. We can only do that if our natural minds are transformed:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  (Romans 12:2, NIV)

It also requires some self-discipline:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (I Corinthians 9:24-25)

What are our resolutions this year? Are we making any? (Grin)

New Year's can be the perfect time to commit ourselves to being disciplined and developing habits that will help us run the race and win the prize.

Are we planning to get into God's Word more? Get creative, follow a "read the Bible in a year" plan, or sign up for a daily devotional. Subscribe to a weekly sermon app on our phone, or dwell on a particular verse every morning . . . 

Are we resolving to pray daily? Set aside some time for prayer so that we don't feel rushed; use some of the prayer list tips we covered a couple of weeks ago.

Are we determined to work on our problem areas? Let's ask God to reveal the sin in our lives so that we can acknowledge, confess, and repent. Think about finding a godly person to be accountable to; meet or have virtual meetings with them and pray together.

Focus on and cultivate our positive habits: maybe there are other areas in our lives that are positive ways to improve . . . eating better, sleeping better, exercising more (raising my hand here) or even getting more organized. 

And let's remember; we aren't doing this alone. It's not just about our willpower.  The world we live in is pretty cynical about resolutions. Statistics say that we are likely to drop back into old behaviors five or six times before we truly "change our ways." And it takes a few weeks to actually cement a new habit in our lives!

I guess it's little wonder that many resolutions don't make it past the month of January. But as Christians, we have a greater power at work in us that can enable us to see things through. The Spirit of God works within us. Since He is for us, who can prevail against us?

And even better - we know that we have forgiveness and grace when we do slip up. Let's resolve each and every day to choose to live for our Savior!

Happy New Year to all!