Sabbath Rest

Yesterday we discussed the ways the early church responded to the question "what should we do?" by praying, speaking boldly, and surrendering what they had for God's Glory. if we want to be able to practice this kind of lifestyle effectively we will need to lean into Gods invitation to "Sabbath Rest". As our lives get busier and the world's pressures continue to increase, so does the need for us to be diligent in practicing the spiritual discipline of rest.

The Discipline of Rest

God knew from the very beginning of creation that we needed rest. On the seventh day of creation, God modelled this. 

"Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done.” — Genesis 2:3

From the very first week, God gave us a rhythm of rest and work to follow. 

When God called the Israelites to be His chosen people, He gave them a covenant to live by, a set of laws that would set His people apart from how the rest of the world operated. At its heart was ten commandments or 10 rules to live by. These ten laws are still universally accepted by Christians worldwide centuries later, at least most of them. We teach our children to obey their parents and not lie, steal or kill. We agree on the importance of worshipping God alone, being faithful in marriage and keeping prying eyes from our neighbor's wife and home.

The one commandment we seem to ignore or even brag about breaking is number four: take a day off to focus solely on God.

God gave His people the Sabbath, a day to stop work, worship and rest. A day to take our focus off the striving of the world around us and reconnect with our creator. A day to step back from control and look to God, the sustainer of all things, and entrust our lives to Him afresh.

Faith to Rest

Taking a day off takes a lot of faith. Our world doesn't reward people who stop working. We are contactable and interruptible 24/7. We are inclined to join in the hustle and answer every email as soon as the notification comes through, fill every available minute with activity and productivity, squeezing the most out of every moment. Stopping to rest is countercultural. Resting in God is a spiritual discipline.

And there are seasons where we can't just drop everything and put our feet up for the day. If you have small children or care for the elderly or disabled, you can't neglect your responsibilities. We can't just take Sunday's off. Many jobs in health care, emergency response, retail and hospitality require a workforce every day of the year. I have worked in the church for many years, and Sunday is by far the busiest day of the week, both for paid church staff and many of the volunteers who served.

Jesus made it clear by His interactions with the Pharisees that the Sabbath wasn't a legalistic religious practice. The Sabbath, the discipline of rest, was created by God for our good. We can let go of the guilt of not doing it perfectly and take hold of the gift God is offering us.

Jesus invites us, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." —Matthew 11:28

While many of us can't follow a day of rest exactly as it is described in the Old Testament, we can incorporate the spiritual discipline of rest into our own season of life. We can be intentional about disconnecting from the hustle of the world and regularly reconnecting with God, resting in Him, casting our cares on Him.

Here are a few practical ideas of how to incorporate the discipline of rest into our lives:

• Designate a day each week to be your rest day(maybe Sunday is the best day). Depending on your work roster, it may or may not be the same each week.

• Get the chores and errands done in the other six days of the week, leaving one day free.

•  Cook a double portion once a week, so you don't have to cook on your rest day.

•  Turn off notifications from your phone on your rest day.

• Plan to do something that takes your focus off the worries of the week. It may be a walk on the beach, spending time in the garden, coffee with an encouraging friend, a game with your children or toasting marshmallows in the backyard.

•  Listen to worship music, do some scripture writing or Bible journaling, read a book that brings God's truth to life for you.

• ‘ Waste’ some time with God. However you connect with God best: through nature, Bible study, acts of service, quiet solitude or worship. To explore different ways of experiencing God, read this book.

•  Make it fun. Fill your rest day with the things that rejuvenate your soul and fill your spiritual tank.