A GIFT FROM THE CREATOR

 JUNE 28, 2022

Leviticus 23:3

3“ ‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.

Mark 2:27

27Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

James 1:17

17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Ephesians 2:8-9

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.



Rest is a Gift.

Rest—to relax, pause, breathe, and be at ease

Sabbath—a time set aside for rest, typically one day per week.

In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to observe a Sabbath, one day a week when they would rest. In the New Testament, Jesus makes it clear that God intended the Sabbath more as a gift than as a law. It’s important to God that we rest.

Busyness often makes us feel like we’re accomplishing something important, but that feeling can be counterfeit. Take for example, a principle of muscle building and strength and conditioning, MUSCLE IS BUILT WHILE RESTING, NOT WHILE TRAINING. In fact, trainers will tell you that without resting the body, the chances of injury and fatigue rise. So, “Pumping it out,” without building rest into one’s routine can have negative consequences.

I believe the same is true for us when we think about our lives. Focusing on activity, keeping busy may feel like we are really producing, accomplishing more. Many suggest without proper resting the opposite is true.

I was challenged by these words in a conference I participated in, “We often use activity to numb ourselves of our need for intimacy with God, the Giver of every good and perfect gift.” Including the gift of rest. We must take deliberate action to establish healthy boundaries around the different parts of our lives, work, family, rest, etc.—so that no one area becomes an idol in our lives.

Reflect: 

Do you have a specific time set aside each week when you don’t work? 

What would it look like to begin to create a space like that in your life?