Hebrews 4:9, “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.”

Ironically, I am writing this as I am heading on a plane for a much needed vacation. Yet as I tried to sleep on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic with my internal time clock already out of sync, I couldn’t help but think about this passage and its application and just had to write.

Let me admit that going on vacation this time around was not an easy thing for me. I avoided telling people about it out of guilt. I even hesitated telling people where I was going in fear that some might think that I wouldn’t be able to be around in the event of an emergency. I also didn’t want to give fuel to the fire for those who consistently spew hateful, negative things. On top of that, I used to pride myself on not taking vacations, days off, or by working all hours of the day and night. “No one can out work me,” I used to think to myself with pride in my heart. A man who took time off was lazy, even soft, and I didn’t want to be one of those guys who were just flat out weak. That certainly has something to do with my struggle to take time to rest.

Well, let me be even more frank: that thinking is completely man centered, sinful garbage. True, God values work. He has shown this by His six days of creation. He has worked throughout history, interacting with His people and leading them to great testimonies of faith in Him. He even did the greatest work of all on the cross willingly and unselfishly. He is a God who works.

However, God also rested. He also wants His servants to rest. In fact, His creation wasn’t complete without that seventh day of rest. Even Jesus took time to rest, going off to refresh and renew Himself with people, places of solitude, and time with His Father. Rest isn’t weak, lazy, or soft- rest, properly done, is a good thing and will make us more effective for Christ’s service.

I look forward to this time with my wife. We are going to enjoy this great creation that God made, taking time to rest and getting revived so we can serve Christ even more as we head into a busy season. Please pray for us, and learn from my own confession: take some time to rest!

Pastor Fran

P.S.: see you after my vacation  😉