Friday, July 3, 2020

FMF: People

So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God.
For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors,
just as God did after creating the world.
So let us do our best to enter that rest.
But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
(Hebrews 4:9-11, NLT)


I don't often think about Sabbath as a gift, much less a special gift.  I usually think about it as another obligation.  I have to rest today.  Will God be upset if I wash laundry?  How full can I fill the sink with dirty dishes before God will not care if I wash them?  It's nonsense, and it's the wrong perspective.

The book of Hebrews gives me a better perspective, the right perspective on Sabbath.  Yes, God wants us to rest from our labor.  If you have kids or know young kids, you may have seen a child so tired that when trying to put him down for a nap, he throws a fit, crying, "I'm not tired."  The grown up knows the truth even when the child does not.  Sometimes we are those children, and God is our Father trying to get us to stop for a moment for rest.

But Sabbath is a special gift.  It is one day a week when we collectively stop and practice Heaven.  We remember "the special rest that is still waiting for the people of God."  When you think about it that way, I feel especially foolish for the way I've negotiated my rest.  It's like I'm asking God, is this enough Heaven?  No, I want all the Heaven I can get.  I want access to God, quality time with Him.

We have learned to labor; Lord, help your people to practice rest.



This post is a prompt from Five Minute Friday and was written in approximately five minutes. For more information, visit fiveminutefriday.com.

4 comments:

  1. I love your screaming child for a rest picture. So true - a fellow fmfer

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have never thought about the Sabbath in this way, Amie; thank you for opening my eyes.

    And thank you for stopping by my blog toay.

    As the world around me fades, your header, "All the things you thought before just faded into grey..." takes special meaning...it's now like the pearlescent glow that suffuses a sunrise fog, before the daylight comes.

    Thank you for this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, too often we fight against rest instead of seeing it as a gift! Visiting from FMF #9.

    ReplyDelete
  4. that's a powerful word picture - we scream like toddlers that we're not tired, but God knows that the more we fight it, the more we need the rest. We certainly do need to "practice heaven" as we honor the Sabbath.

    Thanks for visiting my FMF - sorry I'm a bit late in reciprocating!

    ReplyDelete