May 23 I Tuesday

1 Chronicles 19-21

John 8:1-27

“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 that, because of all these technological advances, life is pretty easy these days. When our grandparents first envisaged the possibility of this kind of world, they probably thought, “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. Yet, it is interesting to note that “rest” was ordained before “work” was established. On the seventh day of creation, before God commissioned Adam to work the Garden of Eden, God took a day of rest—not because He was tired, but because the work was finished.

       We, too, were not designed to rest because we get tired, but because we are designed to work out of a position of rest. God rested on the seventh day of creation, after all the work had already been accomplished. But for Adam, who was created on the sixth day, his first day of existence was a day of rest! The work did not start until after. Work follows rest in the created order, which is why, under the New Covenant, the day of rest was moved to the first day of the week. This is symbolic of the fact that even before the work begins, God has created us with all the resources we need for all that He requires of us.

       In this busy world, we all know the need for and value of physical rest, but even more important is to remember that we are created to work out of a position of spiritual rest in our Creator.

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