It has been nearly a month since I have written and I honestly have no one to blame but myself. I have crammed my days with so much activity that I have had very little time to rest and to just enjoy my Father and what He has given me. In my quest to be a "good pastor", I have valued my ministry above my God and His expectations of me. I have always done my best to maintain and protect my Sabbath, the day when I rest and rest alone. Yet, over the past five weeks I have let life fly past me in the name of being productive. God calls me to otherwise:
"for somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this way:And on the seventh day God rested from all His works. Again, in that passage [He says], They will never enter My rest. Since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience, again, He specifies a certain day— today —speaking through David after such a long time, as previously stated: Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken later about another day. A Sabbath rest remains, therefore, for God's people. For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience." ~ Hebrews 4:4-11
My lack of rest is rooted in a lack of faith. Really...
I say in my own mind: "If I stop and rest, how can I have an effective ministry? There's so much to do." Those words reflect an ego that says apart from me God cannot accomplish His will. His body depends on me. And that is an obvious lie and an ignorant statement.
In my constant activity, all I do is flesh out a life of disobedience. I am called to rest in Him. Be refreshed in Him. God set the example for us: Do work and be productive for six days, but rest on the seventh. I need to protect that day and trust that though I may not "be productive", I am trusting my God to bless what I have done and to rest in Him and glorify Him by sitting still.
So find that in your own life. Make that day. Rest in Him.
"Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience."
