Rest vs Work ... where do I draw the line

As a Christian I am supposed to work right?  But we are also told to rest.  Where do I draw the line?

While it is true that the Bible teaches a strong work ethic, this is not the whole picture.  Before we were ever commanded to work we were given instruction on rest.  In Genesis chapter 2 God sets the standard for rest in the setting aside a day for rest.  Yes it is true that before the fall and the curse and our calls to work and such things, God gave us instruction on rest.

So the question of where do we draw the line or how does this fit together is answered in this ...

We are called to rest as part of our reliance on God and not our own toil.  We are called to rest because God made us and knew we would need it. We all can get tired and feel the need for a break and yet we often do not take a break until we are over tired.  God made this plan so that every week we would receive a significant rest. So the sabbath rest was given by God for a purpose, the rest we need, our reliance on Him, a part of our worship.

As far as our work goes, we are bound to work for our lives.  The Bible is full of instruction about work and being diligent.  Yet we are never told that our work requirement caused the sabbath to be put on hold.  So do your job, do it well and with a good heart being thankful for the opportunities that are before you.  Live out your life of worship in the workplace.  Then take regular time off for rest.  It is important.  Not time off once a year for a holiday, regular time off for rest.  Weekly is the best but I know that some of you work shift work and do not have that opportunity.  So as a rule of thumb every time you have your regular days off (weekends, shift change, etc...) set one day aside for your sabbath.

Then we have the hard part of learning what it means to rest...  we will tackle that topic later.

Cheers

Preacherman

April 8th, 2010

Psalm 16 is a great chapter for a Sabbath time. "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.  I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."  Verses 1&2 (ESV)

I love the reminder that the Lord is where we can take refuge.  In Him we can find peace and rest.  Today I am reminded that the busy world around us will still be there tomorrow and no matter how much we try to do we will never get everything done.  There will always be another issue, problem, job, battle to fight, person to see, meeting to hold, and thing to do.  But my God has called me to take some rest and to know that He is the one who will take care of things.  Take refuge in Him!

Also I am so reminded that I have no good in me on my own.  I may be able to do nice things.  I may do things that others applaud and like.  Yet because I am a broken and sinful person I cannot truly do anything good.  My own works will always be tainted by my selfishness and pride.  This is the human condition, caused by our fallen nature.  As we live in relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ He can do good work through us to make a difference in this world.

So take time to rest in the Lord, let Him re-charge you and then use you for His good work.

Cast your cares on the Lord

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  -  1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)


As we take some time to spend in the Presence of God we are called to seek humility and remember God's strength and great mercy.  It is He who is our strength and the one who sustains us.  When we are down and it seems like there is little hope, He can lift us up.  We are to trust Him above all else.  Cast off your anxiety and cares and fully trust the Lord.  Our worries are not healthy for us to carry, we are to release them to God.  He is more than able to handle them than we will ever be.


If we trust the Lord like we should, then we need to continually be handing off our care, anxiety and what not.  It is hard, life can be intimidating, yet we are called to trust in Him fully.


As I ponder this passage I am challenged about walking by faith.  It is easy to say but harder to do.  I always want to find my way out, to take care of things, to fix things.  Often though I believe God wants me to rest more in Him and His great love.  This is why we are called to sabbath, it represents our need for God to care for us and our lives.  It is a time for us to rest and worship. It represents that we live for God and to serve Him and honor Him.


I want to challenge you to make a point of taking a day of rest, you may feel too busy and stressed, but the busy things and the stress points will not go away because you try to do more.  God is our only answer to these things.


The choice to follow God's directive for rest and casting off our cares is ours to make.  I would rather break my selfish driven habits of trying to achieve and instead open myself up to God and His work in my life.   Choose today how you will live, for yourself or for the Lord.