Sabbath Rest: Trusting God Enough to Stop.
Mark 2:27-28
“Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!””
Even though it's been a while since I've worked, I still love the feeling of Friday. The excitement and the opportunities the weekend brings are nice to look forward to. Kind of like a gift. It is a gift.
The Sabbath—to stop, to rest. I felt the Lord leading me into a deeper understanding of what the Sabbath means for followers and how we should enter into this Sabbath rest. This isn't an excuse we can use to tell the wife we can't do chores because God called us to sit on our butts and watch the game. Setting a day apart is important, and it shows we actually trust Him.
As with almost everything, the battle here is internal, and the challenges change from person to person. Honoring the Sabbath is an act of faith. Refusing to rest from work, the worry of finances, or the worry of sustaining our lifestyle can reveal that our trust is not where it should be. The importance here is resting our minds and releasing the cares and worries of this life so we can be in His presence, meditate on His Word, and thankfully spend time with loved ones.
How this looks for you is between you and God, but it is important and necessary! Your trust in God should be bigger than your reasons to worry.
Your identity is not defined by your output or hustle. Your identity is defined by being a loved child of God.
Running on empty, burning out, and being anxious about bills can be avoided by accepting this gift of Sabbath rest. You do not sustain your life; your Heavenly Father does.
Put away the devices, go for a walk in God's creation, point out things that catch your eye, and enjoy the gifts God's given you. As leaders, we need to usher our families into this rest from God by talking about and focusing on Him. Make the day about peace and satisfaction in God and His provision.
This is a gift from our loving Father. Rejoice and be glad in it.
Thank you, Father, for one more day. Amen
Hebrews 4:8-11
“Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.”
