Are you really busy?

I hear it all the time, “I know you’re really busy …” and “You must be so busy …” Thankfully, the first quarter of 2012 has been less busy for our family. No less to do, no fewer commitments, and no less pressure, but we’ve enjoyed a renewed commitment to finding the Spirit’s rhythm for our shared life. On facet of this is returning to sabbath rest.

I’ve mentioned the meaning of Sabbath rest before. It signifies more than a weekly day off. Here’s another dimension for how we can live out the implications of God’s design for our taking time to rest each week:

“The purpose of Sabbath rest is not simply to rejuvenate yourself in order to do more production, not is it the pursuit of pleasure. The purpose of Sabbath is to enjoy your God, life in general, what you have accomplished in the world through His help, and the freedom you have in the Gospel – the freedom from slavery to any material object or human expectation. The Sabbath is a sign of the hope that we have in the world to come.”
—Timothy Keller

J.R. Vassar writes on Sabbath rest [an excerpt]:

“The real issue of Sabbath is this: When it comes to the ultimate issue of life, being fully forgiven and accepted by God, our only hope is to cease from our work and trust in His work for us in Jesus. We are not saved by our efforts; we cannot earn our acceptance before God. Our works are not sufficient. We must cease from our efforts and trust in God’s provision. We must rest in Christ and his finished work for us. If we can rest in Christ for the ultimate issue of our life, can we not rest in Him for a day?”

 

Be convinced of this:

While we rest in Him, God works.