Rest in his promise
Tonight we spent time thinking about rest.
We read three Bible passages to help us understand what rest looks like in the Kingdom of God and what it means: Exodus 20:8-11, Hebrews :1-11 and Matthew 11:28-30
Rest is important, important enough that God modeled it for us and included it in the commandments he gave his people. We have been created with an inbuilt need to rest.
In Exodus 20, we are set an example by God of work followed by rest. Amongst other things, that rest allows time to look back and find satisfaction in what has been accomplished, just as God looked at what he created and saw that it was good. In this passage we also see a community being encouraged to rest together.
In the Hebrews passage, however, we see a deeper meaning to the rest we are promised. This rest is about being at peace with God. We no longer have to work to earn God’s favor. We can rest in the salvation he has given us.
Also, we can rest because we can come home. We do not need to keep wandering and searching just as the Israelites did in the desert. Rest is available to us. However, we are reminded that it is a choice and we need to “make every effort to enter that rest”. For, as St Augustine puts it, “our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you”.
In the passage from Matthew, Jesus offers rest to the weary and promises that his yoke is easy and his burden is light if we will walk alongside him.
God has given us eternal rest but as we continue to live in the “now”, we still need to remember to stop, rest and be restored.
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