RHYTHMS - Week 8
RHYTHM OF REST
Matthew 11:28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG)
John 10:10 I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
Genesis 2:1-3 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.
Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
Shabbat: “to stop.”
Mark 2:27-28 ”Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Why Practice the Rhythm of Resting?
Reminds us of God’s Providence
Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God
Renews us Physically and Emotionally
Picture: We are a triune being: body / soul (mind, will, emotions) / spirit. All three of these areas are connected together. If we don’t take care of them, the other areas can be effected.
Isaiah 40:31 those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.
3. Realigns us to God’s Pace
"Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” – Dallas Willard
“If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.” - Corrie Ten Boom
Hurry Sickness: epidemic characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness. Symptoms include: irritability, hypersensitivity, restlessness, workaholism, emotional numbness, out of order priorities, escapist behaviors (overeating, binging, social media), not practicing spiritual disciplines, & isolation
4. Refuels our Passion
Shabbat can also mean “to delight.”
“The Sabbath is an invitation to enter delight. The Sabbath, when experienced as God intended, is the best day of our lives…Sabbath is the holy time where we feast, play, dance, sing, pray, laugh, tell stories, read, paint, walk, and watch creation in its fullness.” - Dan Allendar