Psalm 62:5-8 "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope
comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will
not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock,
my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge."
Webster's Dictionary gives the following definitions for
rest: peace of mind or spirit: freedom from activity or labor: a state of
motionlessness or inactivity.
I don't know about you but I find that rest by any
definition is not easy to come by in my life. There are always things to do,
trials to face, battles to fight, giants to slay. Some of these are physical battles like laundry,
dishes, grocery shopping, homework, or maybe illness. Others are spiritual such
as spending time in the Word, praying, church attendance, Bible study, and working for the Kingdom.
Still others are emotional: fear, worry, anger, depression, etc.
We need rest! I need
rest! How do we find it? Where does it come from?
Here are some observations about rest.
1. Rest is
found only in Christ. Matthew 11:28-29
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am
humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ”
2. Unrest is
a real condition that affects the Church.
How many times have you heard someone say or have you said, “I'm
worn out, I'm tired, or I'm exhausted?”
I've said them all just this week.
Let's read Matthew 11:28-29 from the Message
translation. “Are you tired? Worn out?
Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your
life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with
me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything
heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live
freely and lightly.”
Wow!
I love that! Here Jesus is asking
if we feel tired, worn out, and burned out. All the complaints I listed are
addressed in this verse. If this wasn't an issue in the church Jesus wouldn't
have addressed it.
3. Jesus offers
a solution to our restlessness.
a. Come to
him. In 1 Peter 5:7 we are invited to give him our cares and to allow him to
carry them, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
b. Get away
with him. We read in Mark 6:31 that even Jesus and the disciples had to get
away on occasion. “Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place
and rest awhile.’ He said this because there were so many people coming and
going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat.”
Getting away with Christ may look different for each of us but the common
goal is to take time to sit in his presence. To give our cares up and exchange them for peace,
joy, and rest.
c. Walk with
him. We must invite Jesus into every facet of our life. If we seek his guidance in every area and set
our priorities to match his we will find our lives are less stressful and more
restful. I read a devotion this week
by a lady who at age 32 was diagnosed with cancer. She had led a busy life full of hustle and
bustle and not much rest. When she was
diagnosed with cancer her life had to change.
While she was in treatment she had to put aside all the activities she
had once participated in, all the activities that had seemed so vital. During that season she learned to seek God’s
will in her priorities. She realized
that there had to be a balance between busyness and rest.
d. Learn the
rhythm of grace. Webster’s Dictionary defines grace as: a special favor
: privilege: disposition to or an act or instance of
kindness, courtesy, or clemency: a
temporary exemption: reprieve
2 Corinthians 12:9a “My grace is all you need. My power works best in
weakness.”
I believe there is a two-fold meaning in the phrase “Learn the rhythm of
grace.”
1. We must learn to extend grace to others when
they interfere with our schedule. Often
our busy day grows busier through the actions and decisions of
others. We must learn to show grace
rather than growing impatient in those times.
2. We must learn to extend grace to ourselves. How many times have you had a “to do list”
for your day and never reached #5 out of 10?
If you are like me (for your sake I hope not J) you go to bed at night (much
later than we should) thinking of all the things still left undone and unaccomplished
and wake up to begin the rush to achieve your goals again the next day. Living
like this is a drain to our emotions, spirit, and body. We must learn to prioritize and then take one
task at a time. Life is too short to
rush through. When we set our hearts and
minds on fulfilling a list of things each day, we often miss the God
moments. We may overlook someone in need
and we will never find rest. We must
give ourselves the grace to slow down and rest.
The grace to leave things undone and move on without guilt, anxiety, or
frustration.
I decided to use the tools my husband the Bible
scholar showed me and translate Matthew 11:28-29 from the Greek myself. Keep in mind that I am no Greek scholar but
it was fun! Below please find my
interpretation and some special notes I found in the Greek lexicon** on line as
well as my own personal notes J.
Matthew 11:28-29 (Larabee Translation)
"Come here toward me everyone who is weary, tired, exhausted
(with toil, burdens or grief) and place your burden upon (me), and I will
permit or give you rest and draw you up**.
Put this (my) yoke (burden) (all the heavy commands of the law**) upon
you and be in the habit of separation.
Since my disposition is mild and gentle of spirit, I exist to be
present. You can find what you've sought
after and receive rest. I will breathe
the breath of life into you."
**of troublesome laws imposed on one, esp. of the
Mosaic law, hence the name is so
transferred to the commands of Christ as
to contrast them with the commands of the
Pharisees which were a veritable 'yoke'; yet even Christ's commands must be submitted to, though easier
to be kept
**Draw you up can mean: to bear away what has been raised,
carry off: to take off or away what is attached to anything
JJesus
actually takes off the burden that was placed on us or attached to us (by
ourselves or others) and carries it on his shoulders.
When we take on the yoke of Christ, we still must walk in
obedience, however, it is easy to obey one who loves us so very much. We must also remember that it is not in our
strength that we obey, but by his grace and his power, by his Spirit!!!
All Scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated J
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