ENTERING INTO GOD'S REST (4 OF 10)
Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11
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Entering into God's Rest (4 of 10)
Series: 10 Commandments
Patrick Edwards
Exodus 20:8-11
Introduction
The concept of ''resting'' is not one very well thought of or promoted in our culture. Resting is associated with inactivity or doing nothing; therefore, to rest is seen as unproductive. In the workplace we highly value productivity and producing and so most of us strive to avoid seeming lazy. In our social circles there at times almost seems to be a competition as to who is the busiest and most tired, as if the goal in life is to be the most strung out person in our community. Sometimes it not even external influences, we ourselves create this pressure to be working and never still. I remember the first time I went to Albania I really struggled to adjust to the pace of life over there because people were just much more relaxed than I am. I was constantly like, ''We need to go, go, go,'' and everyone would just laugh at me and tell me to chill out. Even some of the most fit athletes I know still resist resting. As anyone who has ever done any serious running or weight training knows, your rest day is the most important day of the week because it's when your body essentially rebuilds from your week of hard work. And yet, even though we know our bodies need the rest, I've still known lots of men and women who just couldn't get over feeling useless because they didn't work out that day. (I've, personally, have never had that problem)
But I think a lot of this attitude we have toward resting comes, simply, from a misconception of rest in the first place. You see we tend to define rest as the absence of action; as doing nothing. In physics rest is the state of being stationary or not movable. It's the opposite of motion. But biblical rest isn't doing nothing; it isn't stationary. Rather it's a way of thinking and of ordering one's life. You see, the very first example of rest we find in the Bible is with God Himself. In Genesis 2 we read, ''So the heavens ...
Series: 10 Commandments
Patrick Edwards
Exodus 20:8-11
Introduction
The concept of ''resting'' is not one very well thought of or promoted in our culture. Resting is associated with inactivity or doing nothing; therefore, to rest is seen as unproductive. In the workplace we highly value productivity and producing and so most of us strive to avoid seeming lazy. In our social circles there at times almost seems to be a competition as to who is the busiest and most tired, as if the goal in life is to be the most strung out person in our community. Sometimes it not even external influences, we ourselves create this pressure to be working and never still. I remember the first time I went to Albania I really struggled to adjust to the pace of life over there because people were just much more relaxed than I am. I was constantly like, ''We need to go, go, go,'' and everyone would just laugh at me and tell me to chill out. Even some of the most fit athletes I know still resist resting. As anyone who has ever done any serious running or weight training knows, your rest day is the most important day of the week because it's when your body essentially rebuilds from your week of hard work. And yet, even though we know our bodies need the rest, I've still known lots of men and women who just couldn't get over feeling useless because they didn't work out that day. (I've, personally, have never had that problem)
But I think a lot of this attitude we have toward resting comes, simply, from a misconception of rest in the first place. You see we tend to define rest as the absence of action; as doing nothing. In physics rest is the state of being stationary or not movable. It's the opposite of motion. But biblical rest isn't doing nothing; it isn't stationary. Rather it's a way of thinking and of ordering one's life. You see, the very first example of rest we find in the Bible is with God Himself. In Genesis 2 we read, ''So the heavens ...
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