Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Finding Rest

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!!!

I also found it interesting that where other interpreters used the definition “rest for your souls” at the end of verse 29, another definition in the lexicon was breath of life.  When we come to Jesus for rest, he breathes the breath of life into our souls bringing refreshing and rest!!!!

All Scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated J

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