Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- July 14, 2013
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11
It is hard for some people to rest from their work. They love their work, enjoy their work, and may even worship their work. Hard, smart, and productive work is good, but worshiping work is bad. It is reckless and leads to ruin. It may be relational ruin, physical ruin, or even financial ruin. But work that is worshipped gets out of hand quickly. God is the only one who deserves worship. It is good to be proud of your work with pure motivation and to produce quality, but do not allow work to become an end in itself. Your true identity does not come from work; if it does you are positioned for a roller coaster ride of emotion. One day you will feel secure and another day you will be swept away by insecurity.
As a follower of Christ, your identity is found in Him. This is one reason why rest from work is vital. When you work all the time you tend to drift from your moorings of faith in Christ to faith in yourself. It becomes a trust issue. “Can God be trusted enough for me to rest from my work?” Of course He can handle the work that remains. He divinely redeems the time of your limited work and produces more lasting results; results that will last longer than if you had worked all the time. After all, you are His workmanship in Christ Jesus. When you take the time to cease working, God is allowed to accelerate His work in you. Some of God’s best work takes place when you don’t work. He works better when you don’t. His work is a work of grace, and it is a beautiful sight to behold. So, enjoy your Sabbath rest as He works on your heart. Allow Him to draw you to Himself so when you go back to work you are refreshed and revitalized.
There is a trap to avoid as you take a break from work and enter into God’s Sabbath rest. You can physically be away from work and still be at work mentally, so free your mind from this split-focused activity. Do not make your mind jealous over your body’s freedom from work. Rest your thoughts from work, and you will discover your thinking is more robust and innovative when you reengage in your work. During your Sabbath rest, shift your thinking to the bigger thoughts of God and His plan. Superimpose simple faith in Him over the complex issues that are assaulting your rest.
Your mind, body, and emotions are all part of your Sabbath rest. If your Sabbath rest from work involves people, then relate to them with relevance and relationship. Let them see the sincerity of your involved presence. Do not act as if you wish you were somewhere else. Your rest is a time for you to relate the ways of God to others. Your life is a testament to God’s faithfulness. Let others read it up close and personal. Your Sabbath rest can be a catalyst for others to reengage with God. Set the example and watch others follow. Your Sabbath rest gives others permission to do the same. It’s not always easy to get to God’s rest, but once you arrive it is well worth the effort. His rest ignites your obedience and trust. So, rest from work and rest in Him. Then watch your work become better.
Taken from the July 14th reading in the 365-day devotional book, “Seeking Daily the Heart of God” volume 1… http://bit.ly/Tv6y9a
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© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.
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Thanks so much for this timely post. This is so difficult for me even though rest is so much what I need right now. As a business owner, I never shut down – either doing the work or thinking about the work when I am away. Rest is a big part of living an orderly life. I personally need to begin making this a priority. Thank you for your ministry.
As I have read God’s holy word, and studied the Hebraic roots of our faith, I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit to observe the True Sabbath, Saturday. Nowhere does the Bible tell us to worship on the 1st day of the week. This was decreed by Constantine. Scripture also tells us that when the Abomination of Desolation takes place that we pray that our flight not be on the Sabbath. The 4th commandment is to be obeyed by ALL!