Tag Archives: rest

It’s Time to Rest, July 6, 2020

Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

This week marked the 244^th birthday of the United States, but the way things look in some of our larger cities, anarchy may replace democracy before the year ends. Rioters still take to the streets with cries that they will burn down our cities if they don’t get what they want. But will giving in to the demands resolve the issues? The answer is no. It just puts a different bully in the seat of power.

Are the actions taken by some of our authorities right and fair? No. Will the world ever be fair? No. Can you have a fair and just system in place while we struggle with race, gender identity, religion, social injustice, political ideology, and a host of other issues that plague us? Not while people are involved. Whoever is in power puts their spin on what is right, and the opposition will complain about injustice.

The framers of our constitution began an experiment in democracy that the world had never seen. It worked when we elected statemen more interested in the good of the whole than in their reelection and party politics. Unfortunately, over the last four or five decades, we failed to elect statesmen. We now choose between politicians who advance their careers instead of their communities. It happens on both sides of the aisle. Democrats, Independents, and Republicans all leave their state and federal posts significantly wealthier despite their meager salaries from those seats.

What is the answer to our dilemma? First, we need to become educated individually and as a nation. Few of our high school graduates can point to any given state on a map if asked to name them other than California, Florida, New York, and Texas. Many think Chicago is a state instead of a city. Many are confused when told Washington, DC is not a state and has no Senators. Most do not know how the House determines how many of its 435 seats each state and territory get. Most think the President spends tax money – he doesn’t; he only approves the budget. The House is responsible for the budget, which they continue to handle poorly.

When we understand how a representative government works, and that real change comes through discourse and the ballot box, not from rioting in the street, change can be made. The thuggery that destroys private property only inflames those who would willing sit across a table from them, try to understand, and make real change. As long as violence seems the only answer, it will only receive violence in return.

We see the same thing happening in Jerusalem as Jesus proclaims a new way of perceiving God’s kingdom. The Pharisees see violence against Rome as the way to find release from the Roman empire. Self-proclaimed messiahs had come before Jesus to lead revolts against the empire, and their tombs showed their failure.

Jesus came with a new message. His disciples declared him as Messiah. But then, his friends abandoned, denied, and betrayed him. He willingly gave himself to the unjust trial before the chief priest and the Sanhedrin. He endured the torture and cruel crucifixion of the Romans. He bled and died in the most excruciating and humiliating way men could die.

Not just in his trial and death, but throughout his ministry, many around him mocked him. His words in Matthew’s Gospel show us how fickle protests like we see today can be:

¹⁶‘What picture shall I give you for this generation?’ asked Jesus. ‘It’s like a bunch of children sitting in the town square, and singing songs to each other. 17 This is how it goes:

You didn’t dance when we played the flute,
you didn’t cry when we sang the dirge!

18 ‘What do I mean? When John appeared, he didn’t have any normal food or drink – and people said “What’s got into him, then? Some demon?” 19 Then along comes the son of man, eating and drinking normally, and people say, “Ooh, look at him – guzzling and boozing, hanging around with tax-collectors and other riff-raff.” But, you know, wisdom is as wisdom does – and wisdom will be vindicated!’ (Matthew 11:16-19 NTE)

That’s what I see in the autonomous zones and the call to disband police in our country. No cops, then they cry about injustice when a murder happens in the zone and help doesn’t come. Protesters were injuring innocent bystanders, then standing behind the police for protection from citizens who want revenge on the perpetrator. We are fickle. We don’t stop to think. We fail to sit and listen to each other. Our politicians and especially our media, take the worst events and blow them out of proportion to enrage each side of any argument until no middle ground can exist.

We need to stop. We need to look to the cross. We need to remember a Savior came to show us how to love the unlovable. He died for us all to forgive and finally defeat sin and death and the grave. The kingdom of God came in the form of a human, King of kings. His power usurps all powers, not through violence, but love. His grace overshadows all injustice, not through overthrow, but servanthood.

Believing in Jesus as Messiah, God come to earth to deliver us, and following him results in his spirit residing in our hearts, directing our actions. Those actions will not end in violence against our neighbor but acts of love and kindness. Those actions will demonstrate the fruit of his spirit as Paul enumerates: “love, joy, peace, great-heartedness, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control. There is no law that opposes things like that!”

When we let his spirit work in and through us, our world will change. We can be part of its renewal. We can see “God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” We can exercise his will wherever we might stand. And in doing so, we can hear the words Jesus prayed and his promise to those who struggle in this life. Listen to the prayer from Matthew:

At that time Jesus turned to God with this prayer: ‘I give you my praise, father, Lord of heaven and earth! You hid these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to children! ²⁶Yes, father, that’s the way you decided to do it! ²⁷My father gave me everything: nobody knows the son except the father, and nobody knows the father except the son – and anyone the son wants to reveal him to.

²⁸‘Are you having a real struggle? Come to me! Are you carrying a big load on your back? Come to me – I’ll give you a rest! ²⁹Pick up my yoke and put it on; take lessons from me! My heart is gentle, not arrogant. You’ll find the rest you deeply need. ³⁰My yoke is easy to wear, my load is easy to bear.’ (Matthew 11:25-30 NTE)

Do you want to rest from your struggle? Do you want help with your burden? Do you want real change to happen in your life? It won’t change the world, yet. It might not change our country, yet. But it will change you when you give yourself to him. Today is the day of salvation. Call on his name and let him take the load, and he will give you rest.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

It’s more than just rest (Mark 6:31) July 28, 2016

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 13

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 6:31
Jesus (to the disciples): Let us go out into the wilderness for a while and rest ourselves.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The fourth commandment is an interesting one. It tells us to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. It tells us to do all our labor during the first six days of the week and to rest from our labor on the seventh day. When God gave Moses and the Israelites that command, they worked hard just to survive. Tilling the land, harvesting crops, preparing meals, protecting themselves from wild animals and marauding enemies, these men and women worked from before sunrise until after sunset at hard labor to survive. It’s not the same as what we think of as hard work today.

Even in our “hard labor” jobs, we have tools and mechanical aids that lighten the load significantly compared to what those Israelites used to eke out their existence. You’ll remember it was later in Israel’s history that the Philistines took away their metal tools, so they didn’t even have those to plow the land. Not like our tractors and combines and robotic factories today. No nail guns or power saws or machines to tamp and mix cement for construction. These folks worked hard.

God commanded them to rest from their labor on the seventh day. The interesting thing about that ancient Hebrew word for labor, though, it’s also used for serve, service to God, worship. The Israelites considered their everyday labor a means of worship. A way to serve God through the use of their hands every day. For six days they were to give their hard labor of service to God in a physical way, then on the sixth day, God commanded them to rest, set it apart, make it different, keep it holy.

We don’t do the kind of physical labor people did in Jesus’ day. I’m not sure we could keep up with them today. I’m not sure we could keep up with our grandparents in terms of physical labor on a day to day basis. We’ve gotten pretty soft as the generations have passed along. We think eight hour days are too long, even though a lot of us spend too much of that time stealing from our employers by checking our Facebook, Tweeting our friends, Instagramming with our social circle. Recent surveys tell us the average worker really actually works less than five hours of that eight they get paid for every day.

We think we need our four weeks of vacation and sick leave if we’re just tired of working. We figure fathers need paternity leave since mothers get maternity leave. We really don’t work like our ancestors did and I don’t think they complained nearly as much as we do about wages, time off, unfair working conditions, and all the other things we seem to complain about today.

Still, the commandment is valid. In our weakened condition, we still get overwhelmed by the stress and strain of the world just as our ancestors did. We don’t have to work as hard to survive anymore. God has allowed us to use our mental capacity to invent tools and equipment to ease the physical burdens of life. But we still suffer through the same temptations, emotions, and evil our ancestors did. In fact, we probably face more evil because we have more leisure time on our hands.

The question becomes, what do we do with that leisure time and what do we do when we rest from our labor? Now few people work six days a week at their jobs. 40 hours is the standard and most people have the whole weekend free. But what do you do with it? Do you honor it and make it holy? Do you remember, like the Israelites that your labor, whatever it might be, is service to God, and then your rest is a time to remember Him and should be made holy, set apart, different?

God didn’t need rest from the labor He expended to create the universe. He spoke and light appeared. He spoke and water separated the firmaments. He spoke and the sea stopped at the coastlines. He spoke and all the vegetation and animals in the world came into being. Then He made man in His image. God just said the words and things happened. God spoke. He didn’t need rest from what He did. But He commands us to honor the Sabbath because we need rest.

We need a Sabbath to stop from our self-imposed busy-ness and remember Him. We need a Sabbath to do something different from our every day labor to give our physical bodies and our minds a chance to recover from the labor we gave to Him the other six days of the week. We need a Sabbath. That’s why God commands us to remember it, use it, honor it, set it apart and make it different and holy.

How are you doing with that fourth commandment these days?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

We need the Sabbath (Mark 2:25-28) July 13, 2016

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 81-83

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 2:25-28
Jesus (turning toward the Pharisees): Do you remember the story about what King David and his followers did when they were hungry and had nothing to eat?
They said nothing, so He continued.
Jesus: David went into the house of God, when Abiathar was the high priest, and ate the bread that was consecrated to God. Now our laws say no one but the priests can eat that holy bread; but when David was hungry, he ate and also shared the bread with those who followed him.
The Sabbath was made for the needs of human beings, and not the other way around. So the Son of Man is Lord even over the Sabbath.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I wonder how many of our religious rules and regulations we get wrong. The Pharisees, the priests, the scribes, those in positions of authority within the constructs of the religious order of the day built their whole existence on upholding and enforcing their understanding of those rules. If people didn’t believe in those rules or live by them at least most of the time, then their livelihood disappeared.

The Mosaic law described how the priests and the tribe of Levi would gain its wealth. They would get a portion of most of the sacrifices the people made to God. That was their pay as the intermediaries for God. It was their wages for caring for the tabernacle and then the temple and the synagogues after the desporia. If those rules and regulations fell apart, how would the priests and scribes make a living? They might have to figure out some other kind of work to feed their families.

It wasn’t that the work of the priesthood was easy. They often started their day at two or three in the morning to begin preparing the fires for the altar, sharpening the knives, cleaning the utinsels used for the various rituals of the day. The traffic in and out of the temple every day was pretty significant. It was much more than the town hall or the city court house or even the nation’s supreme court. This place was the center of everything for the Jews. So things were busy and the priests and their families were responsible for keeping it running smoothly.

So we might understand a little about why the Pharisees came down so hard on Jesus and His disciples. They were breaking the rules. God said not to work on the Sabbath and they grabbed a handful of grain as they walked through the field because they were hungry. The Pharisees considered taking that handful of grain off the stalk harvesting so they were breaking the Sabbath.

But the Pharisees forgot why the Sabbath came about in the first place. God didn’t get tired and need rest after He brought everything into creation on those first six days. He set aside the seventh day for humankind to rest. God has infinite energy and power. He doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t rest. He doesn’t take a day off. But He knows that we need to stop from our labors and remember who brought all of this into being in the first place.

Part of our problem today is we somehow forgot about taking time off to remember God and His goodness to us. I don’t think it really matters what day of the week it is, we just need to stop and spend time remembering Him. And that hour and a half on Sunday morning doesn’t cut it if that’s all the time we give to Him. We need to stop, slow down, quit our busy-ness, set aside time to meditate on God and the blessings He gives us. We need to remember the Sabbath, not as a day on which we must follow a bunch of dos and don’ts, but as a time to worship and praise our Redeemer.

I wonder what would happen if we started remembering the Sabbath again? I’m not too sure we know how anymore. What if we spent one whoe day in worship and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ relaxing in the company of each other, hopefully safe from the evils of the world as we share in that one day together each week? What if we stopped doing all our household chores and our shopping and our sports and other activities we didn’t have time for during the other six days of the week and spent that whole day on things related to our salvation instead of on things related to ourselves? Would that make a difference in our spiritual lives? Would it change the dynamics of our families? Would it change our churches?

The Sabbath isn’t about making or breaking rules and regulations. Jesus made that clear when He spoke to the Pharisees that day. But have we gone too far by just forgetting it all together? Maybe it’s time we pull out that Exodus verse and see what it’s all about again. Maybe it’s time we remember God set aside a day for us to focus on Him instead of doing the things we usually do every day. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for the needs of human beings. It’s about time we start realizing just how much we need to use that day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.