How Do You Rest?

The Pastor and one of his daughter’s ponder...

How important is time off, time away, vacation, recreation?
What is your plan for this?

God created the world in six days, and then He rested on the seventh. He set an example of the life we should live as His followers: work hard and then rest hard.

Read, re-read and deeply think through God’s message to you in Exodus 20:8-11.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded not to work on the Sabbath—not even collect the bread that God provided during the exodus—so that their dependence on God through rest would be a testament of God’s provision for them to the surrounding, watching nations. 

But this call to rest is NOT a call to be lazy. In Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus calls all who are burdened and heavy laden to find rest in Him. We are to pick up His yoke (possibly a metaphor for one person’s relationship to another) and learn from Him and join in His work.
It is a call to leave our own ways of trying to earn God’s favor, and recognizing that it is through Christ alone that we are made right and able to have a relationship with the God of the universe! So true rest is found in spending time away from human made means for earning money or favor, and choosing to have a fresh encounter with Jesus. During this fresh encounter with Jesus, He loves to re-create our souls, our hearts, our minds and our bodies. He wants us fully energized and alive in Him in order to give all of what He gave us away. Then re-create us again.

If rest means having a fresh encounter with Jesus, we are called to rest daily, weekly, monthly and yearly in different ways.

• Daily, what do you do to re-create your soul? Possibly, set time aside to hear directly from God through His Word and talk with Him. Relationships require two-way conversation.
• Weekly, what do you do to re-create your soul? Possibly, take a day off to extend that time with Him—maybe focusing the whole day on God himself—and to remember that our God provides.
• What do you do monthly to re-create your soul?
• What do you do yearly to recreate your soul? What vacations do you take? What inspiring experiences do you do? Who do you need to connect with?

Have you learned that Jesus is the best Soul Re-creator?

When we take time to rest in a fresh encounter with God, we will be able to have fresh encounters with both Christians and those far from Christ in deeper and more meaningful ways.

Letting The Soul Re-creator refresh our souls together,
Pastor Chris & Anikka 

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