God Gives Rest to His Loved Ones

By Donna Turpin

 

            We live in a high stress, high tech world…and the clock is always ticking.  Whether you are juggling car pool schedules while managing a home or downloading email on a Palm Pilot in the airport there is no doubt that life in the twenty-first century is on “fast forward”.  Demands come at us from every direction: church, family, work and community.  We must take time to rest and renew or the stress will take a toll on our health, productivity and our relationships. 

 

God Has Commanded us to Rest

 

            Without a Sabbath Day, everyday would be the same with no time dedicated to reverencing our Heavenly Father. Rest and renewal keep us from depleting our energy. God knew this time of rest would be needed so He established it when He created the world. Genesis 2:3 says “And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from His work of creation.”

            Rest was a part of the original formula for life in God’s plan.  In Exodus 23:12 the Bible directs man to "Work for six days, and rest on the seventh. This will give your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It will also allow the people of your household, including your slaves and visitors, to be refreshed.”

            Even the land was to rest on the seventh year in Exodus 23:11 …”but let the land rest and lie fallow during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest any volunteer crop that may come up. Leave the rest for the animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.”

            Although we no longer live in an agrarian society, and cattle do not need to be tended at most homes in the St. Louis Metro area, the concept still applies today.  God has directed us not only to take rest for ourselves but to also provide rest for our household, guests and others key to our circle of influence.

 

Choices and Priorities 

 

            Thousands of things constantly vie for our time and attention on a daily basis. In the frantic pace we keep we often wonder how we will ever reach the promised rest and renewal. We forget however, that rest and renewal are a choice -- a matter of priorities. Therefore, the answer to obtaining rest and renewal can be found in our own choices. What are our priorities when it comes to setting aside quiet time with God and our family to build both relationships? Are we filling our minds with worldly thoughts or are we drawing closer to Jesus?

            To reach the goal of renewal we must make a conscious choice to put our focus on the Creator and not on the created circumstances around us. We must make time in our schedule for key relationships -- God and family.

            It is said, “If you really want to see what someone values, look at their checkbook.”  In this hurry, hurry world that could also be said of our calendars.  We must reserve time for God and our families for these relationships to be healthy and growing.

            Managing time is a lot like managing any other resource God has entrusted us with.  He has given us the priorities in His word …God, family, personal health and growth, community.  The tough part is to apply the lessons in the Bible to our daily lives when there are so many competing requests.  Whether we are managing money or time it is a fact of life that each of us are only given so much to spend…and the world will take everything you have and want more.

 

Get Away and Get With God

 

            Renewal can come from quiet time spent reading, praying, playing a game or taking a hike and the rewards of communing with God can be everlasting.  "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God." (Luke 12:21) 

            If you are interested in getting away to a quiet place for personal renewal or for a family outing there are many wonderful Christian Camps and Retreat Centers available.  One quick resource is the drop down search engine available at Christian Camping International’s website: http://cci.gospelcom.net/ccihome/PPF/pg/Directory/campsearch.asp. You might also check out http://www.crosssearch.com/Recreation/Camps_and_Retreats/ and http://groupsmag.com/RTTG2002web.pdf.

 

Trust God Who has Promised Us Rest

 

            In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Psalm 23 reminds us that God will be with us, providing rest and protection for his sheep, through all the phases of life, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul….”

            My sister used to say that being in the great outdoors helped her to be grateful to God which took the negatives away from her mind and her body...restoring her soul.

            In Psalm 127:2 we are told: “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.  Numbers 10:33 reminds us that the Israelites “…marched for three days after leaving the mountain of the LORD, with the Ark of the LORD’s covenant moving ahead of them to show them where to stop and rest.” While doing God’s work, they were reminded to renew their minds and bodies by taking rest.

 

In 20 Years What Will Really Matter?

           

            As I close this article I am reminded of Kurt Warner’s foundation name First Things First.  When we make choices with our time or money we are setting priorities for both ourselves and future generations.   

            In our household we truly do view holding quiet time for God and each other as a conscious choice.  Sometimes we just have to turn off the TV, turn on Christian radio or music, turn up the joint prayer and turn down invitations to stay focused and centered.  My husband and I have found that starting and ending the day in joint prayer helps keep our priorities as a family more in balance. 

            We try to remember as a family  “what will be important in 20 years”…and we have learned that the time we invest in the Lord’s Kingdom through our children and community produce great rewards both in this life and for the future.  I should note here that these lessons have been learned by us the hard way, but the blueprint was available in the Bible all along…we just failed to read it earlier in life.  We seek ways to include God and Christian education in as many ways as possible to fill our minds and our travel time with positive thoughts.  Radio theatre, Christian movies, Christian talk radio and music, the Bible narrated on CD, and small group Bible studies with area families are just a few of the tools we have incorporated to keep renewed.  And, we try to take time to enjoy God’s beautiful scenery as often as possible.

            The world is waiting to fill your calendar if you let it. I would urge you to seek God’s way to help you chart a fresh course…with rest.

 

Donna Turpin, is the Marketing Director of Lake Williamson & Cedar Creek

Christian Retreat & Conference Centers headquartered in Carlinville, IL which is about an hour and fifteen minutes out of St. Louis, MO. For more information about Lake Williamson or Cedar Creek Retreat Centers visit their web sites at www.lakewilliamson.com or www.cedarcreekretreat.org. Mrs. Turpin can be reached by calling 800-500-5922 or by e-mail at dturpin@lwccag.org. Scripture references were taken from the New Living Translation and King James Versions of the Bible.