By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:2-3
Spring Break
It’s that time again...classes are let out and families look to see if dad and mom can get some vacation time so the family can take a break from the normal activities and get away for some fun. Spring Break is highly anticipated by students and teachers and even some parents. Let’s back off for a while and give ourselves a rest!
God is very interested in the topic of rest. To Him, rest is not just wasted time. No. Rest, properly understood, has value, worth and purpose. In fact, it’s essential to our physical and spiritual well-being. As we examine the balance of work and rest in our lives we will see that we were designed for rest to be a regular part of our lives.
God himself rests. Anything that God does is by definition a good thing. No one would accuse God of being lazy or unproductive. Yet the Bible tells us clearly that both God the Father and God the Son took time for rest. (See the passage above.)
Why does the Bible tell us this? Because the balance of work and rest that we see in God’s creative activity is intended to be a model for us. Whether or not you believe that we should literally set aside the seventh day of every week as a formal day of rest, it certainly shows that we should follow a regular pattern of ceasing from our labors. It tells us that a lifestyle of uninterrupted labor, day after day, is not good for us, nor pleasing to the Lord. If God chose to rest, then we should as well. We should follow His example.
In the same way, we see that Jesus also rested. He often withdrew from people in order to spend time alone with God. As Luke tells us, "...[T]he news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." – Luke 5:15-16
Similarly, Mark writes that: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ’Everyone is looking for you!’" – Mark 1:35-36
One of the striking things about these passages is the fact that Jesus withdrew from the crowds just when he was most in demand. There were thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of people waiting for Jesus to heal them, to teach them, to bless them. They were primed. They were ready. The opportunity was great. The need was great. And yet, Jesus was nowhere to be found.
Wasn’t that irresponsible, to take a day off when there were so many people needing his help? Wasn’t that a bit self-indulgent? No. Not in the least. You see, Jesus understood that the need was endless. But in order to accomplish the purpose for which God had sent Him, he had to remain physically and spiritually strong. And that required regular times of prayer and meditation, regular times of rest and recuperation.
As servants of Christ we need to understand that He knows we need to take a break at times as well. He called His disciples to rest and replenish after a taxing day of ministry. "The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ’Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place." – Mark 6:30-32
So don’t feel so guilty when it is time for you to stop and refresh yourself with rest.
Scripture to Claim:
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Hebrews 4:9-10