Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. (Exodus 20:8-11)
So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; 10 for those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs. 12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:9-12)
He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (Mark 6:31)
What God says to us about rest and relaxation is different from what the world says.
Our full rest comes at the end when we go home to be with the Lord.
In the meantime, the Lord gives us a sabbath rest. The Lord gives us one day in our week which is set apart solely for the purpose of spiritual and physical rest. It is so important that our Lord commands us to remember that day and keep it holy.
The Lord also calls us apart from the activity of our daily lives to spend time in the Lord's presence in prayer. (Mark 6:31)
How are your Sundays different from the way the world spends Sundays?
Are you letting the Lord call you away to a "deserted place" all by yourself with the Lord?
What is that like in your life right now?
If you have taken a vacation recently, how is it different from the way the world takes vacations?
How can vacation times be both physical and spiritual rest?
How do we prepare for the final rest? (Hebrews 4:9-12)
Pray for each other!