Rest

Good Morning,

Exodus 34:21 (NIV)
"Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest."
Mark 6:30-32 (NIV)
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

In these two sections of Scripture we hear about rest from both God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. For that reason, the hearing from both on the same subject, I would say that it's a very good idea to follow the direction that we hear from them. Unfortunately, too often, we don't.

I have wondered in my own life why Sunday afternoons, after attending services and eating a nice lunch/dinner, that I often heartily enjoy going into my living room, getting comfortable in my recliner, turning on the television, and promptly falling sound asleep for a nap. I mean, I know that there are other things, much more productive things, that I could be doing during that time (sometimes just a short few minutes and other times as much as a couple of hours), but it's just feels so very good to simply rest like that. I believe that it very well could be God sort of forcing me to be obedient in what He has told me about rest.

What are your "Sundays" like? With the 24 hour, seven day work weeks we are now faced with, I know that it could very well be your day of rest might not be Sunday. Could be Tuesday or Friday or any other day. Point being, I think, we need to have a day where we spend time in worship and then in rest. It's important to our bodies, of course, to rest from our work, but it's also equally important for us to rest our minds and to simply, well, rest.

Here's what God is telling me, and therefore you I guess: Get some rest! Don't spend your day off from your work doing more work. God is telling us that in addition to worship services, we also need to simply rest and relax.

If you're not doing it, my friend, you need to. For many reasons, but first and foremost, because God says so!

Love, peace, and blessings,

David