“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’”
I’ve mistakenly equated the fourth commandment with God’s index finger wagging in front of my face. Instead, his stance on Sabbath is arms wide open and waiting for me to run into his embrace. Sabbath is a personal epistle from Jesus with news about your life. Sabbath is an invitation for intimate conversation. It is an intentional quieting, transforming information into tangible experience, into words and sentences that harness our purpose and calling. Rest provides fine-tuning for hearing God’s messages amidst the static of life. Passing on the messages he sends for others without distorting the meaning can sometimes prove to be risky. Sabbath-keeping provides good practice in discernment.
Reflect:
Read Matthew 11:28–30. What habits or rhythms in your life provide the time and space for you to come to Jesus and experience rest in this way?
Pray:
Spend time in quietness before God; when distracting thoughts come to mind (as they inevitably will), simply acknowledge them and then refocus. Simply rest in God’s presence.
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
We’ve got little information on Jesus’ appearance and personality. But that’s the way God designed it.españolFrançais
How groups like Hillsong learned to let go of the literal in favor of creative collaboration.españolPortuguês
