Recently I received a distressing email from a friend who has served as a classroom teacher for over four decades. I had asked her how she planned to spend her summer, and she indicated that she was going to take the weekend off to rest but would be working on planning the upcoming year soon. I shook my head in disbelief and fired back a response encouraging her not to rush back into work, but to set some time aside to rest in order to restore her spirit. The next season of work and ministry would be much more successful if she ceased from work for a few weeks.
The Lord God Almighty who created heaven and earth shows us how to work and rest here in the Genesis account:
- First, our Creator completed everything He set out to do. God apportioned a specific time and had a design plan for the work. Each day displayed God’s attention to detail and was designated to fulfill a significant purpose.
- Then, when the labor was finished, our Creator ceased from all activity. God stopped the work He had been doing and set aside time to delight in His creation. He intentionally reflected on all that was accomplished and rejoiced in the beauty that resulted.
- Finally, our Creator blessed the day of rest and made it holy. The seventh day of rest is uniquely set apart as a time for celebration and worship. All the other days are marked with a refrain designating a limited period of time specific to “the beginning” work of creation—“there was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day” (Genesis 1:5); but this special day will continue on throughout history and into eternity.
When Jesus returns, we will forever rest from our labor and worship Him:
“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write this: “Blessed are the dead, those who die in the Lord from this moment on!”
– Revelation 14:13
Today, you and I can set aside time to cease from our work and celebrate how God has blessed us with His grace and filled our lives with His goodness.
The same God who created heaven and earth took on flesh and walked the road to Calvary to rescue all humankind from sin and complete the work of redemption.
“But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights”
– Galatians 4:4–5
On the cross Jesus bowed his head and gave up his spirit to save you and me from sin. Our Savior finished the work and said: “It is completed!” (John 19:30).
Friend, when our Heavenly Father’s creative work was accomplished at the beginning of history, He set aside time to rest, reflect, and renew. Our God invites us to follow His example. He delights when we intentionally set aside time to cease from work and remember He has filled our life with His abundant grace (Hebrews 4:1–11). Let’s resolve to put down our to-do list this week for a few hours and enter into His rest.
As we rejoice in His faithful presence and abundant provision, God will restore our hearts and help us move forward with a renewed resolve to complete our endeavors with excellence.
