Note before sharing the devotional: the last two years have been marked by constant pushing toward several goals simultaneously and constant enduring all the while. But a checkpoint is within sight. God provides rest for all who need it, and He commands us to rest, because He Himself rested:
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:2-3, NKJV
“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 your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11, NKJV
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28, NKJV
A Rhythm of Rest
Where did the idea of a seven-day week come from? Throughout history, cultures have experimented with varying the number of days in a week, but the most enduring pattern for human work and rest is woven into how the Creator made us.
When God first created the world, He finished all He wanted to do in six days. He could have moved on to the next project on His to-do list, but instead, God intentionally rests and enjoys His creation. This is the standard pattern of work and rest created for us from the beginning.
How we create and produce reflects how we are created in His image. Just like God, we make things and name them. We work and then rest. When we intentionally stop working to enjoy the blessing of just being in a relationship with God, one another, and His world, we reflect His image, too.
When God rests, that does not indicate laziness or exhaustion from work. From the beginning, God models a rhythm of work followed by rest and reflection. Rather than pausing out of tiredness or when we finally finish our long list of projects, God asks us to plan a time to rest every week.
When it comes to knowing when it’s time to take a break, choose the rhythms of our Maker over our exhaustion-driven routines. He intends to bless you.
https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.2.2-3.ESV
Where did the idea of a seven-day week come from? Throughout history, cultures have experimented with varying the number of days in a week, but the most enduring pattern for human work and rest is woven into how the Creator made us.
When God first created the world, He finished all He wanted to do in six days. He could have moved on to the next project on His to-do list, but instead, God intentionally rests and enjoys His creation. This is the standard pattern of work and rest created for us from the beginning.
How we create and produce reflects how we are created in His image. Just like God, we make things and name them. We work and then rest. When we intentionally stop working to enjoy the blessing of just being in a relationship with God, one another, and His world, we reflect His image, too.
When God rests, that does not indicate laziness or exhaustion from work. From the beginning, God models a rhythm of work followed by rest and reflection. Rather than pausing out of tiredness or when we finally finish our long list of projects, God asks us to plan a time to rest every week.
When it comes to knowing when it’s time to take a break, choose the rhythms of our Maker over our exhaustion-driven routines. He intends to bless you.
https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.2.2-3.ESV