Rest Even if it’s a Busy Time
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”
Exodus 34:21 NIV
Even in Exodus, thousands of years ago, people were too busy for God. As Moses says “even during plowing season and harvest” you can hear people giving excuses about why they can’t rest on the Sabbath:
It’s harvest time, every day counts.
We are plowing the fields, if we let them sit and not sew our seeds right away, weeds will get in there.
This is a bad week to do that, maybe next week we’ll have our loose ends tied up and it will be a good time to have a break.
Just like our work is different now than it was then, our excuses are different too. They might center around work, or recreation, or even our feelings.
Let’s stay home since we’ve been going so much this weekend. We need a break.
I’m going to do a little work from home just so I can be ready for Monday.
I heard Matt is preaching this weekend, and the game starts at 11:45, so let’s just go straight to the game.
This isn’t all about going to church on Sunday, it’s about having discipline to stick with what you are committed to no matter what flimsy excuse comes your way. When Paul said, “Don’t give up meeting together” it wasn’t to keep chairs warm and parking lots full. A key part of our rest is that we participate and share that rest-time with others.
Ninety percent of rest is who we share that rest with. That’s how couples falling in love can talk on the phone until 3:00 a.m. and every kid has to go home from grandma’s house way too soon. You can lose an hour reading Facebook or talking about the Bible with friends because we rest best when we are interacting with the right people.
Commit, be there, and rest when you are supposed to rest. It’s better than plowing and harvesting, and your buddies are looking forward to hang out with you.
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What are the easiest excuses you listen to that keep you from participating in the life of the church?
What are the habits that make you miss opportunities to grow in your faith along with the rest of God’s people?
What times have you grown in your faith just by showing up? Can you do that again?