October 13 I Tuesday

Isaiah 41-42

1 Thessalonians 1

“By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work.” —Genesis 2:2

In the last couple of decades, we have seen a revolution in technology that even our grandparents would find very hard to believe. We readily have access to information, not just through television or radio, but also through the Internet. We are more connected than ever since almost all of us carry a cell phone, so wherever we are, we can be easily contacted. Many of us even own

smartphones, which combines the basic cellular function with the Internet, allowing us constantly to be up to date with the happenings around the world through social media.

We would think as a result of all these technological advances that life is pretty easy these days. When our grandparents first envisaged the possibility of this kind of world, they probably thought, “Man, look at all the time these folks are going to have for leisure.” Yet ironically, we have never been busier, and because of that, we find tension building up because we do not have space in our own lives to breathe. A word that keeps recurring in our mind—and much needed in our present day—is “rest,” as we are working harder and longer than ever.

When we study the concept of “work” and “rest” from a biblical standpoint, we realize that both “work” and “rest” were ordained by God. In fact, it is interesting to note that “rest” was ordained before “work” was established. On the seven days of creation, God took the seventh day to rest, not because He was tired, but because the work was finished. The first man, Adam, was created on the sixth day of creation, which was great, because what happened the next day? It was a day off. In other words, on the first day of Adam’s existence, it was a day of rest.

Human beings were not designed to rest because we are tired, as God did not rest because He was tired. Humanity was designed to work out of a position of rest. This is why under the New Covenant, the day of rest moved to the first day of the week, which is in keeping with Adam’s experience. God rested on the seventh day. Human beings rested on the first day; this is symbolic of the fact that God created us with all the resources we need for all that He requires of us. God rested because He was finished, and we ought to remember the work is finished.

May we take time to rest in our life and remember we are created to work out of a position of rest.

Prayer: Creator God, thank You for creating humanity to work out of a position of rest. Teach me how to rest properly in You.