Day of Rest

In the western world, we eagerly look forward to weekends.  Originally the idea of the weekend was to have one day off to worship.  That is how God set it up.  Man wasn’t content with that idea and expanded it to two days with one of them for good old fashioned time to enjoy oneself.  Neither idea seems to have been embraced by our modern culture.  Attendance at worship services in nearly every church is in decline.  Increasingly people are running hither and yon to catch up on everything neglected from Monday through Friday.  Big jobs, little jobs, shopping jobs, even turning pleasure into a job that must be done before Monday’s call to work returns.  Everything except resting and worshipping has filled our free time.

How is that working out for society?  People are all too tired to know or care.  The confessions of the populace are that they are stressed.  They are not relaxed.  Would better jobs with better pay solve that?  No!  Satan is always offering us counterfeit ideas to what God had in mind.  More money will not make us less stressed.  More money will give us more expensive ways to occupy our time instead of rest and worship.  Bigger jobs around the house, bigger shopping trips to buy bigger things to make our more expensive houses and cars provide us more joy; that is Satan’s plan.  It never works out well for people.  Satan, on the other hand gets quite a kick out of it.  Remember he is the thief who comes, Jesus said, to steal (our joy) kill (our bodies) and destroy (our souls). 

Jesus had a better plan.  He said to His disciples, “Come apart and rest a while”.  God had set up that program after the sixth day of creation.  He ordered rest not just for man but also for animals and the land in His laws to the Israelites.  He ordered even more than that.  God ordered three weeks of annual vacation time.  It was to be spent fellowshipping with friends and family while worshiping Him.  God had the whole plan laid out.  He laid it out with the love of His people in mind.  He cares about our bodies and minds as well as our souls.  He wants us to be refreshed in spirit and flesh.  Thank God for His care and plan a restful weekend meditating on the words of this new song.

Almighty God of peace and rest, guide us toward Thy will most blest

To do our toil when toil is due and then find Sabbath rest in you

And grant us peace when work is done and grant us joy found in Thy Son

              That all our life in work and play may your great love and grace display 

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