March 20, 2001
My grandfather said, “I’ve never harvested any crops that I planted on a Sunday.” He was not a religious man but Grandpa noticed the positive results of his commitment to take one rest day in his busy work week.
The original idea of taking one day a week as a day of rest comes from the Bible. It was called the Sabbath and was an important part of Jewish life. In the Old Testament, the people were commanded to keep holy the sevenths day of the week (holy = set aside for God) but their Sabbath activities often became ritual.
In the New Testament, the early Christians interpreted the Old Testament Sabbath as a ‘type’ or shadow of their relationship to Christ and their ‘rest’ in His finished work of salvation. They changed that special day to the first day of the week, the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Instead of ritual, it became a lively expression of corporate worship and celebration.
Today, the traditional ‘rest’ days are not what they used to be. For those doing shift work, weekend days are the same as any other days. Changed hours for businesses add to the difficulty of consistently making one day a special day.
Besides the above logistics, many people may take a day or two off work to rest; however, they often fill those days of rest with activities that are just as strenuous as work.
To add to the complication of a modern Sabbath, several traditions and beliefs stress which day it should be. Some religious groups argue the day must be Saturday; others insist that it must be Sunday.
In an effort to solve this, others feel that the day of the week is not as important as the principle behind the Sabbath: God worked six days when He formed the world and everything in it, then after declaring it “good,” He rested. (This is not to say God was tired but that He ceased from working for a day.) This principle of work and rest is included in the Ten Commandments and repeated throughout the Old Testament.
Since our calendar was not yet invented, it is folly to argue which day of the week compares exactly to that seventh day. Instead, we need to look at God’s example and activities and apply them to our Sabbath rest. God worked six days doing something significant; He created a world and established its operational principles. After He was finished, He looked at it and said it was good.
I don’t know about everyone, but for me, it is a wonderful (and rare) week when I can look back and say all that I did was significant and good, but when I can, it seems easier to take a day off and rest.
This makes me wonder if our human drive for significance gets carried away and pushes us into a sense that we must work harder and longer to accomplish something good? And from what do we get our sense of significance? Does that fit with God’s plan for our lives?
Another part of this issue is that God never stopped working after He rested. That is, He continues to be active in His world. Simply put, a rest at the end of our week of work is also prior to the beginning of another work week. The Sabbath rest is practical; we can go refreshed and rested into the next part of our work cycle. This points to the principle behind the Sabbath. While it was initiated as a day set aside for God, Jesus pointed out that “man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was made for man.”
This time of rest is also for our good. While we can spend it in many ways, some of it should include time to reflect on the good of the past week. We can rest in the significance we have as children of God, and as we rest our bodies, we prepare for the week ahead.
Most important of all, if we include time apart from the normal distractions of life to focus our attention on the glory and grace of our God, He will renew our spirit and give us peace.
Showing posts with label rest in Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rest in Jesus. Show all posts
Monday, February 26, 2018
Friday, October 6, 2017
No Rest for the Wicked .......... Parables 650
August 10, 1999
Because lots on both sides were vacant for months, our neighbor could not develop her yard. Finally, she started. However, she soon ran into contractor problems, weather delays, and other unexpected setbacks. When the yard work was finished, she could not contain her relief.
A week or so later, we were both outside. She weeded her flower bed and remarked, “Just when I thought my yard was finished, now it needs more work. I guess there is no rest for the wicked.”
We laughed together. Later, I couldn’t help thinking how we use Bible verses in ordinary conversation, sometimes without thinking. When she talked about “no rest for the wicked” my neighbor referred to an Old Testament verse from Isaiah. When most people say it, including her, they mean something like, “If I was a better person, God would let me sit down and put my feet up more often.”
After checking it out, I notice this verse does not talk about being a better person or even being more moral. Nor is it referring to relaxation or time for recreation. Instead, in its immediate context the verse says, “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’” (Isaiah 57:20-21)
While everyone is a sinner, the Bible does not call every person wicked. In the Old Testament, wicked people were thoroughly immoral and actively evil. They were ungodly, continually guilty and without any faith. In other words, they had no use for God nor any intention to trust Him. This verse applies to these people, not the average person.
As for its concept of rest, Scripture uses a word that sometimes means being idle with your feet up, but it usually means “tranquility.” In our culture, it is difficult to imagine being free from inner or outer tension and strife but in the Bible, a person at rest was not agitated or troubled in any way. They had an inner peace that made it possible for them to face all sorts of trials and circumstances. It is this kind of rest that eludes wicked people.
According to God’s Word, this rest is not a psychological gimmick. The way to achieve such peace is by trusting or resting in God through a deep faith in Him. This faith knows He is far greater than any threat we might face. That gives us confidence to focus on Him. When we do, our hearts are at peace. But the wicked cannot find this rest. They are not interested in its source. Even if they were, they would try to manipulate God rather than simply trust Him.
My neighbor used the word “rest” rather than “peace” which is used in that verse. Her choice is legitimate. The one is closely related to the other. The word “peace” comes from “shalom.” Shalom is used over 250 times in Scripture. Jews still use it today as a greeting. It basically means a state of completion and fulfillment, wholeness and unity. This condition includes restored relationships and deep contentment. The Bible links shalom as a result of being in the presence of God.
The bottom line seems to be that rest is a state of mind, a gift from God, yet partly our choice. We can be agitated by the weeds and the necessity of using our lawn mower or we can choose to enjoy the presence of God — who lives both in the back yard and in the hearts of those who trust Him.
Because lots on both sides were vacant for months, our neighbor could not develop her yard. Finally, she started. However, she soon ran into contractor problems, weather delays, and other unexpected setbacks. When the yard work was finished, she could not contain her relief.
A week or so later, we were both outside. She weeded her flower bed and remarked, “Just when I thought my yard was finished, now it needs more work. I guess there is no rest for the wicked.”
We laughed together. Later, I couldn’t help thinking how we use Bible verses in ordinary conversation, sometimes without thinking. When she talked about “no rest for the wicked” my neighbor referred to an Old Testament verse from Isaiah. When most people say it, including her, they mean something like, “If I was a better person, God would let me sit down and put my feet up more often.”
After checking it out, I notice this verse does not talk about being a better person or even being more moral. Nor is it referring to relaxation or time for recreation. Instead, in its immediate context the verse says, “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’” (Isaiah 57:20-21)
While everyone is a sinner, the Bible does not call every person wicked. In the Old Testament, wicked people were thoroughly immoral and actively evil. They were ungodly, continually guilty and without any faith. In other words, they had no use for God nor any intention to trust Him. This verse applies to these people, not the average person.
As for its concept of rest, Scripture uses a word that sometimes means being idle with your feet up, but it usually means “tranquility.” In our culture, it is difficult to imagine being free from inner or outer tension and strife but in the Bible, a person at rest was not agitated or troubled in any way. They had an inner peace that made it possible for them to face all sorts of trials and circumstances. It is this kind of rest that eludes wicked people.
According to God’s Word, this rest is not a psychological gimmick. The way to achieve such peace is by trusting or resting in God through a deep faith in Him. This faith knows He is far greater than any threat we might face. That gives us confidence to focus on Him. When we do, our hearts are at peace. But the wicked cannot find this rest. They are not interested in its source. Even if they were, they would try to manipulate God rather than simply trust Him.
My neighbor used the word “rest” rather than “peace” which is used in that verse. Her choice is legitimate. The one is closely related to the other. The word “peace” comes from “shalom.” Shalom is used over 250 times in Scripture. Jews still use it today as a greeting. It basically means a state of completion and fulfillment, wholeness and unity. This condition includes restored relationships and deep contentment. The Bible links shalom as a result of being in the presence of God.
The bottom line seems to be that rest is a state of mind, a gift from God, yet partly our choice. We can be agitated by the weeds and the necessity of using our lawn mower or we can choose to enjoy the presence of God — who lives both in the back yard and in the hearts of those who trust Him.
Friday, October 14, 2016
And He will give you rest .......... Parables 497
January 9, 1996
My husband and I begin this year with a rest. For us, it is not only a new year, but a new beginning. Just over a year ago, my parents moved in with us; just three weeks ago, they moved into a residence for seniors.
All four made the transition with mixed emotions. My parents were excited yet apprehensive about another change in their lives. Would this new home be a place of rest, peace and security for them? Would they make new friends? Would their old friends visit them? Would their health continue to be stable? We hoped so.
Bob and I have a different adjustment. We are long-term tired. Although mom and dad are easy to get along with, being care-givers is time and energy consuming. A long rest is important right now. Not only do our bodies need it, so do our emotions and our souls. God did not intend that we stay on the fast track indefinitely. Rest is part of His plan for us.
God’s plan for rest considers high stress situations. When a wicked queen named Jezebel threatened the prophet Elijah, he ran several miles then fell under a tree utterly discouraged. He cried out to God but God did not respond with lofty revelations. Instead, He made sure Elijah was fed and had some sleep. After rest, God encouraged his spiritual life.
God’s plan also places work before rest. The Genesis account of creation says God worked for six days then rested on the seventh. He proclaimed this a special day for the people of Israel. They also worked six days and rested on the seventh.
The pattern changed slightly in the New Testament. The Scripture writers said the Sabbath days were a “type” or a shadow of a greater rest to come. After Jesus was crucified for our sins and rose again, people could enter His rest. Then they would “cease from their own work just as God did from His” and enjoy life in His kingdom.
This was a rest (and a kingdom) for both now and in the future. Anyone who labors to please God and then discovers “salvation is not by works of righteousness we do” but by “grace through faith” also discovers an inner rest in their soul. They no longer feel the stress of pointless behavior. In the future, they will also enter an eternal rest where they will enjoy God forever.
It seems New Testament Christians no longer held the seventh day as their day of worship. This external “shadow” Sabbath was swallowed up by its internal fulfillment. Because of their deeper, inner rest, believers began to celebrate the victory of Christ over the grave on the first day of the week, Sunday.
This placement in the week has a practical side. Many of us realize that our work and all that we do is blessed whenever we pray before we begin doing it. We realize that our week is blessed also — whenever we begin it with praise and worship. Starting with God brings renewed focus and commitment. We take time to ask for wisdom and grace for each coming situation.
Our hope is to begin the year with rest and worship. We want to praise God for His goodness in 1995 and renew our focus for the year ahead. We want to recommit our future to Him, asking for grace and wisdom in the multiplied choices that lie before us.
Whether others can take a vacation or not, we hope those who know and love God will start their year with Him. Resolutions are okay but depend too much on our own strengths. A commitment to follow and obey the Lord brings the added benefit of much higher resources!
My husband and I begin this year with a rest. For us, it is not only a new year, but a new beginning. Just over a year ago, my parents moved in with us; just three weeks ago, they moved into a residence for seniors.
All four made the transition with mixed emotions. My parents were excited yet apprehensive about another change in their lives. Would this new home be a place of rest, peace and security for them? Would they make new friends? Would their old friends visit them? Would their health continue to be stable? We hoped so.
Bob and I have a different adjustment. We are long-term tired. Although mom and dad are easy to get along with, being care-givers is time and energy consuming. A long rest is important right now. Not only do our bodies need it, so do our emotions and our souls. God did not intend that we stay on the fast track indefinitely. Rest is part of His plan for us.
God’s plan for rest considers high stress situations. When a wicked queen named Jezebel threatened the prophet Elijah, he ran several miles then fell under a tree utterly discouraged. He cried out to God but God did not respond with lofty revelations. Instead, He made sure Elijah was fed and had some sleep. After rest, God encouraged his spiritual life.
God’s plan also places work before rest. The Genesis account of creation says God worked for six days then rested on the seventh. He proclaimed this a special day for the people of Israel. They also worked six days and rested on the seventh.
The pattern changed slightly in the New Testament. The Scripture writers said the Sabbath days were a “type” or a shadow of a greater rest to come. After Jesus was crucified for our sins and rose again, people could enter His rest. Then they would “cease from their own work just as God did from His” and enjoy life in His kingdom.
This was a rest (and a kingdom) for both now and in the future. Anyone who labors to please God and then discovers “salvation is not by works of righteousness we do” but by “grace through faith” also discovers an inner rest in their soul. They no longer feel the stress of pointless behavior. In the future, they will also enter an eternal rest where they will enjoy God forever.
It seems New Testament Christians no longer held the seventh day as their day of worship. This external “shadow” Sabbath was swallowed up by its internal fulfillment. Because of their deeper, inner rest, believers began to celebrate the victory of Christ over the grave on the first day of the week, Sunday.
This placement in the week has a practical side. Many of us realize that our work and all that we do is blessed whenever we pray before we begin doing it. We realize that our week is blessed also — whenever we begin it with praise and worship. Starting with God brings renewed focus and commitment. We take time to ask for wisdom and grace for each coming situation.
Our hope is to begin the year with rest and worship. We want to praise God for His goodness in 1995 and renew our focus for the year ahead. We want to recommit our future to Him, asking for grace and wisdom in the multiplied choices that lie before us.
Whether others can take a vacation or not, we hope those who know and love God will start their year with Him. Resolutions are okay but depend too much on our own strengths. A commitment to follow and obey the Lord brings the added benefit of much higher resources!
Monday, April 20, 2015
Sunday Shopping .............. Parables 263
April 17, 1991
A North Dakota city sends advertising flyers into southern Saskatchewan hoping to encourage Canadian shoppers. One of those flyers recently featured this catchy headline: SINNER APPROVES SUNDAY OPENING.
The lead line in the story explained: “North Dakota became the final state to repeal its Blue Laws when Gov. George Sinner signed a Sunday-opening bill Wednesday....”
I’m tempted to take potshots at terrible puns however the more important issue is what do we do with our Sundays. At the risk of stepping on some traditions, dare I suggest the word “Sunday” is not in the Bible? Instead, the word “Sabbath” is mentioned many times. It was a day of rest inaugurated by God, first for Himself and then for His people. He created on the first six days, then on the seventh He “ceased from His work and rested.”
Later, He commanded the Israelites: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it you shall not do any work...”
The seventh day was special for Israel. Exodus 31:13 says, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, my Sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am the LORD that makes you holy.” Verse 16 and 17 say, “The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath... throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant... It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever...” When the nation of Israel turned away from God, they were sharply rebuked by the prophets. Nehemiah said; “... Did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.” God took Sabbath-keeping seriously.
However, by the time Jesus came, Sabbath-keeping had become ritual and tradition, characterized by rules and bondage instead of refreshment and rest. The day became more important than the people it was intended to benefit. So Jesus helped people, even on the Sabbath, and that enraged the Jews. After He rose from the dead, the disciples began to meet on the first day of the week, worshiping together and celebrating the resurrection.
Christians don’t always agrees about Sabbath and Sunday. Some feel the Sabbath still must be kept on the seventh day. Others impose Sabbath laws on Sunday. Some see the original law as an analogy that was fulfilled in Christ. (The book of Hebrews explains how the Old Testament Sabbath illustrated a rest that comes when we cease from our own labors to earn merit before God and rest in the salvation provided by Christ. Consequently, failure to enter into that rest has far more serious results than failure to relax on Sunday.)
The Apostle Paul handled the argument this way: “One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).
So what about Sunday shopping? Personally, I can sin on Sundays whether the stores are open or not. That isn’t the issue. Christians need to worship God together, so having one day a week to do it is practical, regardless of complex Sabbath theology.
Not only that, worship is a command. Given the fact of our sin nature, open malls, fishing holes, football games, and sunny picnic sites just might add to the temptation to disobey it. While we need to remember, regardless of the temporary “benefits” of skipping worship, we will eventually suffer from that sin (just as we will from any other sin), we also need to remember that Jesus said the Sabbath was made FOR US, not to ruin weekend plans. Liberty to rest and worship goes far beyond any so-called freedom to shop on Sundays.
A North Dakota city sends advertising flyers into southern Saskatchewan hoping to encourage Canadian shoppers. One of those flyers recently featured this catchy headline: SINNER APPROVES SUNDAY OPENING.
The lead line in the story explained: “North Dakota became the final state to repeal its Blue Laws when Gov. George Sinner signed a Sunday-opening bill Wednesday....”
I’m tempted to take potshots at terrible puns however the more important issue is what do we do with our Sundays. At the risk of stepping on some traditions, dare I suggest the word “Sunday” is not in the Bible? Instead, the word “Sabbath” is mentioned many times. It was a day of rest inaugurated by God, first for Himself and then for His people. He created on the first six days, then on the seventh He “ceased from His work and rested.”
Later, He commanded the Israelites: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it you shall not do any work...”
The seventh day was special for Israel. Exodus 31:13 says, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, my Sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am the LORD that makes you holy.” Verse 16 and 17 say, “The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath... throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant... It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever...” When the nation of Israel turned away from God, they were sharply rebuked by the prophets. Nehemiah said; “... Did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.” God took Sabbath-keeping seriously.
However, by the time Jesus came, Sabbath-keeping had become ritual and tradition, characterized by rules and bondage instead of refreshment and rest. The day became more important than the people it was intended to benefit. So Jesus helped people, even on the Sabbath, and that enraged the Jews. After He rose from the dead, the disciples began to meet on the first day of the week, worshiping together and celebrating the resurrection.
Christians don’t always agrees about Sabbath and Sunday. Some feel the Sabbath still must be kept on the seventh day. Others impose Sabbath laws on Sunday. Some see the original law as an analogy that was fulfilled in Christ. (The book of Hebrews explains how the Old Testament Sabbath illustrated a rest that comes when we cease from our own labors to earn merit before God and rest in the salvation provided by Christ. Consequently, failure to enter into that rest has far more serious results than failure to relax on Sunday.)
The Apostle Paul handled the argument this way: “One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).
So what about Sunday shopping? Personally, I can sin on Sundays whether the stores are open or not. That isn’t the issue. Christians need to worship God together, so having one day a week to do it is practical, regardless of complex Sabbath theology.
Not only that, worship is a command. Given the fact of our sin nature, open malls, fishing holes, football games, and sunny picnic sites just might add to the temptation to disobey it. While we need to remember, regardless of the temporary “benefits” of skipping worship, we will eventually suffer from that sin (just as we will from any other sin), we also need to remember that Jesus said the Sabbath was made FOR US, not to ruin weekend plans. Liberty to rest and worship goes far beyond any so-called freedom to shop on Sundays.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Resting and Waiting ................. Parables 230
(August 29, 1990)
Today, my body feels like it used to after 4-5 hours picking peas; no, more like after a week of forking hay or maybe breaking a horse. Muscles ache; bones ache. If I don’t keep moving, then I can’t move at all.
For all of that, it is a pleasant fatigue -- from hard, honest labor... but I would like a hot bath just the same. Work, effortless for a twenty-year old, becomes arduous after forty – that I have accepted. The Bible says, “the outer man perishes day by day” and today is no exception. However, God also has something to say regarding exhaustion.
Two of my favorite passages of Scripture are extremely comforting at the end of a day’s hard work. One is Matthew 11:28-30: “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The context and words indicate Jesus is speaking primarily to the spiritually fatigued, those who have been futile in seeking the favor of God through their own efforts, perhaps a result of adhering to a false religious system. Added to that is a heavy load, possibly the weight of sin and guilt. God’s solution to this kind of weariness is COME: be equally yoked with Jesus, the sin-bearer, who removes the sinner’s load and replaces it with forgiveness and new life. Those who seek this rest will find new energy as they experience peace with God plus a clean conscience.
The other passage is for those who have already come, but find themselves feeling “old” and overworked. It is Isaiah 40:28-31: “Have you not known? have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah didn’t reserve fatigue for the middle years; it knows no age limit. There is no limit to its origin either. One cause might be a futile effort to please God without first checking what He wants. Another is adding unassigned work to God-given responsibilities, winding up with a work load He never intended. But even doing the Lord’s work the Lord’s way doesn’t produce immunity to bone-wearying exhaustion. Jesus became so tired He fell asleep in a fishing boat during a storm.
According to Isaiah, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual burn out also have a practical solution: WAIT on Him, and He will re-new our strength. WAIT is from the Hebrew QAWA, meaning “to look to God in faith, eagerly expecting He will meet the current need.” This doesn’t mean we can pray and never have to sleep again, or read the Bible and never need a restful walk in the garden. What it does mean is expecting God to be our resource for restoration, and trusting Him to not only provide the means but also the opportunity. God created love, beauty, friends, even night time: all sources of renewal. He also gave us His Word and His Spirit; both minister to weary hearts with words of strength and encouragement.
So often we think we need another nap or more and more vacation time, when what we really need is the consistent ability to wait on the Lord. It is learned through spending time with Him on a regular basis, needy or not, in both good times and bad. It is a lifestyle, not an action for crisis only.
There is nothing wrong with being tired and sore from doing whatever the Lord has given us to do, but rest is honorable too – a hot bath or a night’s sleep might sooth aching muscles and restore physical well-being but rest and renewal at the feet of the Lord refreshes the spirit.
Today, my body feels like it used to after 4-5 hours picking peas; no, more like after a week of forking hay or maybe breaking a horse. Muscles ache; bones ache. If I don’t keep moving, then I can’t move at all.
For all of that, it is a pleasant fatigue -- from hard, honest labor... but I would like a hot bath just the same. Work, effortless for a twenty-year old, becomes arduous after forty – that I have accepted. The Bible says, “the outer man perishes day by day” and today is no exception. However, God also has something to say regarding exhaustion.
Two of my favorite passages of Scripture are extremely comforting at the end of a day’s hard work. One is Matthew 11:28-30: “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The context and words indicate Jesus is speaking primarily to the spiritually fatigued, those who have been futile in seeking the favor of God through their own efforts, perhaps a result of adhering to a false religious system. Added to that is a heavy load, possibly the weight of sin and guilt. God’s solution to this kind of weariness is COME: be equally yoked with Jesus, the sin-bearer, who removes the sinner’s load and replaces it with forgiveness and new life. Those who seek this rest will find new energy as they experience peace with God plus a clean conscience.
The other passage is for those who have already come, but find themselves feeling “old” and overworked. It is Isaiah 40:28-31: “Have you not known? have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah didn’t reserve fatigue for the middle years; it knows no age limit. There is no limit to its origin either. One cause might be a futile effort to please God without first checking what He wants. Another is adding unassigned work to God-given responsibilities, winding up with a work load He never intended. But even doing the Lord’s work the Lord’s way doesn’t produce immunity to bone-wearying exhaustion. Jesus became so tired He fell asleep in a fishing boat during a storm.
According to Isaiah, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual burn out also have a practical solution: WAIT on Him, and He will re-new our strength. WAIT is from the Hebrew QAWA, meaning “to look to God in faith, eagerly expecting He will meet the current need.” This doesn’t mean we can pray and never have to sleep again, or read the Bible and never need a restful walk in the garden. What it does mean is expecting God to be our resource for restoration, and trusting Him to not only provide the means but also the opportunity. God created love, beauty, friends, even night time: all sources of renewal. He also gave us His Word and His Spirit; both minister to weary hearts with words of strength and encouragement.
So often we think we need another nap or more and more vacation time, when what we really need is the consistent ability to wait on the Lord. It is learned through spending time with Him on a regular basis, needy or not, in both good times and bad. It is a lifestyle, not an action for crisis only.
There is nothing wrong with being tired and sore from doing whatever the Lord has given us to do, but rest is honorable too – a hot bath or a night’s sleep might sooth aching muscles and restore physical well-being but rest and renewal at the feet of the Lord refreshes the spirit.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Learning how to rest ...................... Parables 026
School holidays are officially here but most of us realize that we seldom take a rest from learning.
I have been doing some research concerning education. One article describes the learning experience something like this:
An effective learner involves himself fully, openly, and without bias in new experiences or information, making thorough observation and giving thought to what has been observed. The learner than forms concepts or conclusions from those observations and uses the results to make decisions or solve problems in the future.
A simple illustration: A young child goes to a friend’s birthday party, tries to take the new toys home for himself, and gets spanked for his efforts. He sits on the front step, thinks about the experience, reflects on the results, and tires to imagine how his friend might feel about it, as his mother suggested. After a time, he concludes that it is not a good idea to take someone’s toys. It might seem like it would bring pleasure, but it brings pain. The next time he plays with his friends, his conclusion helps him to respect their belongings.
It seems as if many of us go through life learning things like that . . . the hard way. Or we try to learn backwards, forming our theories according to what we desire and then exhaust ourselves to push experiences to fit them. Or we try to do something and it doesn’t work but we keep doing it over and over, and never learn from the mistakes that we make.
According to the information that I have, anyone who does not learn has neglected or misconstrued one or all of these learning stages and suffered the consequences. Personal bias can hinder correct observations, and learning from false or incomplete information results in false or incomplete conclusions. Some learners just never think through new information. Another possible reason for failure to learn is to look, examine, agree, but leave it at that, without any application to life.
Some people have called Jesus Christ the Master Teacher. That distinction alone merits a look at His perspective of learning. Of This topic He says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me: for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28).
Learning from Christ, according to the four stage learning experience, would involve:
1) Approaching what He says, fully open, leaving aside any bias.
2) Making a thorough observation of His teaching as recorded in the New Testament.
3) Forming conclusions from those observations.
4) Using those conclusions in future decision -making.
One lesson that Jesus offers to learners is that He came to give rest to the weary of soul. That could be a student glad to be out of school, a home maker needing a break, a worker looking forward to days off, or someone without a job and weary of the concerns of his situation. Whatever summer vacation holds for each of us, it, or anytime, is a good time to learn from the Master Teacher what real rest is all about.
I have been doing some research concerning education. One article describes the learning experience something like this:
An effective learner involves himself fully, openly, and without bias in new experiences or information, making thorough observation and giving thought to what has been observed. The learner than forms concepts or conclusions from those observations and uses the results to make decisions or solve problems in the future.
A simple illustration: A young child goes to a friend’s birthday party, tries to take the new toys home for himself, and gets spanked for his efforts. He sits on the front step, thinks about the experience, reflects on the results, and tires to imagine how his friend might feel about it, as his mother suggested. After a time, he concludes that it is not a good idea to take someone’s toys. It might seem like it would bring pleasure, but it brings pain. The next time he plays with his friends, his conclusion helps him to respect their belongings.
It seems as if many of us go through life learning things like that . . . the hard way. Or we try to learn backwards, forming our theories according to what we desire and then exhaust ourselves to push experiences to fit them. Or we try to do something and it doesn’t work but we keep doing it over and over, and never learn from the mistakes that we make.According to the information that I have, anyone who does not learn has neglected or misconstrued one or all of these learning stages and suffered the consequences. Personal bias can hinder correct observations, and learning from false or incomplete information results in false or incomplete conclusions. Some learners just never think through new information. Another possible reason for failure to learn is to look, examine, agree, but leave it at that, without any application to life.
Some people have called Jesus Christ the Master Teacher. That distinction alone merits a look at His perspective of learning. Of This topic He says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me: for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28).
Learning from Christ, according to the four stage learning experience, would involve:
1) Approaching what He says, fully open, leaving aside any bias.
2) Making a thorough observation of His teaching as recorded in the New Testament.
3) Forming conclusions from those observations.
4) Using those conclusions in future decision -making.
One lesson that Jesus offers to learners is that He came to give rest to the weary of soul. That could be a student glad to be out of school, a home maker needing a break, a worker looking forward to days off, or someone without a job and weary of the concerns of his situation. Whatever summer vacation holds for each of us, it, or anytime, is a good time to learn from the Master Teacher what real rest is all about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)