A Hurried Existence, Part 3

A hurried life is quite empty; beware!

"We do not rest because our work is done; we rest because God commanded it & created us to have a need for it."

We need rest.
And, this is difficult for someone as driven for accomplishment as myself. When is the last time you heard someone say, "You look so rested & renewed."? In my life this statement is rare. I suppose I have only heard it a few times during my ministry & it has only been when I was able to get away to attend a retreat or time of renewal. And, during that time I spent a significant amount of time resting & receiving ministry from the Lord.

One author stated, "God gave His work meaning & acknowledged its completion. In doing so, He taught us that there is a necessary exercise of appreciation & dedication for our routines." In essence, the Sabbath is to 'close the loop' on our work; it is the completion of the cycle.

May I offer 3 meanings of Sabbath Rest: (please forgive my inability to acknowledge the source, I failed to take complete notes).

1. The rest God instituted was meant...to interpret our work, to press meaning into it, to make sure we know to whom it is properly dedicated." It causes us to ask questions such as: What does my work mean? For whom did I do this work? How well was the work done? Why did I do this? What results did I expect & what did I receive?
2. True rest is happening when we pause regularly amidst daily routines to sort out the truths & commitments by which we are living.
3. When we rest in the biblical sense, we affirm our intentions to pursue a Christ-centered tomorrow. We ponder where we are headed in the coming week, month, or year. We define our intentions & make our dedications."

Selah.