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Matthew 11: 28
Finding Rest
The world today is full of hustle and bustle. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, and everything needs to be done now. This seems doubly to be the case in a busy hospital with too few staff and too many patients! In such an environment, how can anyone be still and find rest?
In Genesis 2: 2 - 3 we see how God had finished the work He was doing by the Seventh Day of Creation, so He took that day to rest, and so made it a rest day for humanity as well (Exodus 20: 11; 34: 21). This is more than an opportunity for rest, it is a command, and even more it is a gift of God, for we rest not just from our own labours, but in the Holy Sprit we find a true ‘Sabbath’ rest in the presence of God Himself (Isaiah 63: 14; Hebrews 4: 9 - 11). It is something we have to take a hold of, not something that just happens. Rest is something that God want us to take up, and it is our burdens He asks us to lay down at the foot of His cross (Matthew 11: 30).
It is so easy to put off taking a break, spending time with God, or just resting with friends when the pressure is on. But this is not slacking or wasting time, it is a divine command, something God has created us for, and something that He offers us if we will but come to Him. Work can become a burden of slavery, even when it is done in His name, so don’t let it, because He came to free us from all yokes of burden (Galatians 5: 1).
So let God give you rest.
Action
Carve out time for Him. Make a decision to take that Sabbath rest day once in every seven, and in every day find that time of rest to receive what God wants to give you.
