sabbath – Somerset Church of Christ

July 20, 2023

Rest from Work

man sitting on green chair near trees and mountain under blue sky at daytime

Psalm 127:2 says, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for he gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” There are not only reminders, but also plenty of commandments to take rest from work. There are studies that show that the most productive countries in the world are countries where vacation days are mandated.

In the beginning of creation God rested: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).

Coming up in August we will talk a lot more about the importance of rest. God in the workplace also means we find God in rest. And we rest in God. God created rest and God Himself rested. It’s vital to take time each day to rest and be renewed. Life can be difficult and unnerving. We are better people when we rest. We are less irritable, less stressed, more productive, and much better connected to God.

February 22, 2023

The Importance of Rest

Everyone who has ever read the Bible at all is familiar with the creation narrative. On day seven God rested from His work and called the day holy: “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:3 ESV). Hebrews echoes the holiness of resting with God: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9, 10).

Jesus, of course, invites people to enter into his protective rest: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). There is ample evidence that rest is not only beneficial for our walk with God, but it is actually commanded.

God designed us to rest from our work. When we do, there is a clear link to peace. Over and over again the scriptures tell us that we will find peace when we rest. Psalm 23 is a very clear example of this. A huge part of working on our relationship with God entails resting both with and in him.

September 27, 2021

Philemon the “Refresher” of Hearts

Rest. God did it on the seventh day. The Sabbath was a day of rest for all the Israelites. In fact, it was mandated that nobody do any work on the sabbath. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to rest and pray. Rest is vital to be refreshed. In the US we average 6.8 hours of sleep a night. Sleep is important. Rest is important. When we don’t take time to rest we burn out and our health suffers.

Philemon must have known this well because it was his love for the saints that compelled him to refresh their hearts: “I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the saints. . . For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” (Philemon 1:5, 7 ESV). Paul also says to Philemon: “Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ” (vs. 20).

This “refreshing” means to give rest to or to make to take rest after laboring. Apparently Philemon knew the value of his fellow saints and recognized that burned out Christians were of little use for the kingdom. As fellow Christians, our love for one another should compel us to refresh others. There are unlimited ways we can do this, but it’s vital that we all take time to rest from our labors so we can continue to the work of the church.