Rest

It’s interesting to me that the God of the universe, with the infinite number of ways He could have created us, made it necessary for us to rest. Of course, God Himself rested on the seventh day of creation (Genesis 2:2), and we are made in His image. But what is rest to us?

Rest is a time of restoration for our bodies, minds, and spirits. While our busy hours of work and exercise help to keep our bodies healthy and active, our times of rest rebuild and rejuvenate us down to the most minute levels. It is a time for our bodies to cleanse themselves, repair themselves, and recharge themselves.

You are probably well aware of how your body is affected by a lack of rest. There’s been a period of your life when you just couldn’t sleep well, and during that time, you just couldn’t perform at your best. After a while, your body started to ache, your thoughts became confused and you found it increasingly difficult to focus. If it went on long enough, perhaps you got sick. Perhaps you lost control of your emotions.

And so God called us – commanded us even – to rest. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” He said. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

There are two elements to this command.  The first is to remember (or keep and honor) the Sabbath day, and the second is to keep it holy.  Both can be equally difficult in the midst of a Western culture and upbringing.

Continue to Rest - Do No Work ->