THE REASON FOR REST
Daphne Powell
Today's Scripture: “The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.” Ecclesiastes 4:5, ESV
Theme: God never meant the Sabbath to be seven days a week. One is sufficient.
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
“And he [Jesus] said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’” (Mark 2:27, ESV).
How many times have we said, “I’m tired”? So, we miss church, Bible study, or serving because we are tired. When the Sabbath comes around, we think, ‘What a great time to rest! I’ll stay home!” But the issue is why are you tired? Is it because of the world? If you spend six days getting tired from worldly activities, then you have the Sabbath rest wrong.
Your days should be full of spending your time on Godly things: serving others, caring for others, or spending time in His Word. Yes, your work is in there, also. But He graciously wakes us up every day. And every day, we should honor Him. We should be tired because we empty our cups, do honest work, and pour into others.
THE REASON FOR REST
God has given each of us a talent, a divine gift that is meant to be exhausted in service for Him. Every day when you wake up, your praise and worship is to offer up your body as a sacrifice, using up everything He gave you. And then repeat that the next day and the next. By the seventh day, The Sabbath, you get to rest. That’s the real reason for the Sabbath; it’s to recharge in Him.
Jesus was the example. He traveled miles, days, even weeks to spread the word of God. He ate most meals hosted by a follower, then shared His testimony or gave a message, and performed many miracles. The reason for rest was that He needed it. He needed physical rest. He needed to sit in peace and silence and connect with the Father. He needed to be still and listen to what the Lord had for Him.
When are we still? When do we reconnect? Can we really listen if we are also moving and busy. The rest is for us to know Him, to know what His will is in our lives, and to build up our armor.
LIFE IS IN THE WAY
It’s easy for life to get in the way. I recently read an article that stated out of 24 hours a day, we only have about 20 minutes of pure, uninterrupted solitary relaxation time away from family, work, sleep, or entertainment. Think about that: God gave us a gift, and we give Him twenty minutes. How are we honoring Him with our time and talents if we continue to let the world get in the way?
We walk from our air-conditioned homes to our air-conditioned cars to our air-conditioned jobs and back to our air-conditioned homes. And we are tired. It is understandable that we are tired. I am tired, too, … but the why is what determines if we are honoring the Sabbath. I want to be tired because my day follows Jesus. Because my day begins and ends in service to Him. I want to be tired so the rest I take on the Sabbath fills me up again.
INTENTIONAL
The Sabbath is just one day a week. In this world, we have responsibilities with work and children, so maybe the Sabbath is a Tuesday for you. The important thing is to honor the Sabbath. We must be intentional in making God the priority daily and not just allowing a Sunday service to become our only connection. Six days a week we should be active, not passive, in our faith walk. Our cup should be empty so that on the Sabbath we can rejoice, restore, and refill our cup.
We set our alarms and fill up our calendars with the world. We must intentionally set our alarms and fill up our calendars with Godly actions. We should have a day blocked off that reminds us it’s the Sabbath. Our family and friends should know that the Sabbath is serious to us. It’s only intentional if we make space for God over the world.
Make It Personal: Someone recently asked if I am tired from all the running around that I do. My answer is, “I hope so.” I am intentional about every day, doing something for the Lord. This is not my time but His, and I plan to use it for His glory.
Pray: Dear Lord, I pray that we wake up every day wanting to do Your will in our lives. I pray that we use the Sabbath days given to us to restore and fill up our cups by Your Spirit. Amen
Read: Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Romans 12:1
Weekly Memory Verse: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8, ESV