Read Exodus 31:17
Life is incredibly busy today and stress levels and the resultant diseases and issues are probably at an all time high. Work demands far more today than it ever has. Schooling is highly competitive and exhausting. Many families and individuals are on the go 24/7. And to add injury to insult
Unfortunately for many Christians the day of rest created by God has become a day to play catch-up. It’s seen as a day to catch up on work, on shopping, on yard maintenance and leisure time. “Rest” is but a dream in many minds - designated to those Sondays when nothing else is rostered on. And even worse, Church going often only adds to the burden - being perceived as something else to do, to organise and to get on board with. “Rest” just doesn’t happen or has to wait for the annual pilgrimage to one’s favourite holiday destination. Let’s be brutally honest. Many Christians put more stock and value in resting on the annual holiday than they do in resting on the weekly Sabbath that God has ordained for us. Many believers are burdened by the Sabbath and do not rest weekly, waiting for that annual pilgrimage to rest and regather themselves.
Rest, biblical rest, has 3 dimensions - past, present and future. If we consider God’s rest on the first Sabbath and how he surveyed His work and found it to be very good (Genesis 1:31) we can well agree with Gordon MacDonald in Ordering Your Private World as to the past aspect of rest:
... the rest God instituted was meant first and foremost to cause us to interpret our work, to press meaning into it, to make sure we know to whom it is properly dedicated.
Considering the present aspect, we rest in God as we are able to retune our hearts and minds to what’s important in our lives. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ we need time to reflect and rethink about what matters - God, family, people and service more than cars, bank accounts and buildings. And as we rest in God, we rededicate ourselves into the Lord’s service.
But biblical rest also has a future aspect. We rest in Christ when we can think about the days ahead and consider where God is calling us and how He’s calling us to get there. Rather than simply indulging in fun activities, which are not necessarily sinful, godly rest means considering the future and regaining perspective on one’s own mission plan for the future as well as the pathway there.
Sabbath rest can be grown and cultivated in every family. But hard decisions have to be made. Here are some suggestions to help you rest on the Lord’s Day in a biblical way that refreshes you and transports you closer to your Lord and Saviour. Remember this is not legalism, just suggestions.
· Make a decision that worldly leisure takes second place to Sabbath rest and peace.
· Refuse to allow Sonday to be a catch up day for work, study, cleaning, maintenance etc.
· Make worshipping God with God’s people a top-level priority.
· Arrive early at church and make time to sit quietly to think about the past, present and future. Have a quiet time with God before the service begins.
· If you have been rostered onto something at Church on Sonday do as many preparations as you can the day or days before.
· As far as possible avoid normal weekday chores (shopping, ironing, cooking, cleaning etc) on the Lord’s Day.
· Use the Lord’s day for relationship - with God primarily, with other believers and with family. If relationship building happens around a meal, get everyone to contribute and make the meals as simple as possible.
Prayer:
Based on today’s reading passage and notes jot down your own prayer points.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
· Pray that everyone in your congregation would be granted a great deal of Sabbath rest each and every week.
1. Jackson is rostered onto the music team this coming Sonday and wonders what that means for his Sabbath rest? Help Jackson come to an understanding of biblical rest?
2. How do pastors rest on the Sabbath?
3. How can we help others to rest on the Lord’s Day?
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