Rest. What do you think of when you hear the word? A long nap? A night of uninterrupted sleep? A vacation on a beach somewhere or a cruise in the Caribbean? I've just finished reading a book, The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry. It's a short but thought provoking read. The author makes the case that rest is far more than a break from physical labor but a renewal of the mind, body and soul. (1 Thess. 5:23).

The problem is that we live in a world that never stops. We work 50+ hours per week for 50 years to do what? Play golf? Vacation more? What is the end result of our lifetime of labor? A man named Solomon asked that question thousands of years before. "Then I looked on all the works that my lands had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun" (Eccl. 2:11, NKJV) 

In the beginning of creation, God established a way for man to get rest. In Genesis 2:2-3, God established the Sabbath (the 7th day), as a day to rest from our work. God set the example by ceasing "from all His work which He had made." The Sabbath was part of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:8-9). By the time of Jesus, the Sabbath had become a legalistic trap controlled by man-made laws that had nothing to do with the original purpose. As Jesus said, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Hebrews 4:9 says, "There remains therefore a rest to the people of God."

While some will argue that we should strictly observe the keeping of a day, the New Testament focuses much less on a day (see Col. 2:16-17) but on a state of mind that brings rest. In other words, Christ is our rest. Surely, there are simple adjustments that we can make to build more health and balance into our routine. Eating better, taking walks, reading and praying and finding recreation can all help us find rest. Most of all, being spiritually satisfied in Christ will allow our mind to rest from the "cares of this world." 


                                                                                                                                                                  - Pastor Carpenter