The Blueprint for Rest

Genesis 2:2 (KJV)      

² And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

       We live in a very fast past world that demands so much of our time.  Have you ever found yourself wondering at the end of the day where the time went?  Do you look at your “to do” list and find you cannot seem to finish what you have started?  Do you feel anxious or overwhelmed on a day to day basis because of all of things you have to accomplish? 

       Life has a way of presenting us with multiple things at multiple times that seem to make our plate overflow.  I know we have many things we are obligated to, but often times we have too many irons in the fire.  I like the quote that says “The man that tries to master everything ends up mastering nothing at all.”  We have to learn how to be better stewards and managers of our time.  It starts by prioritizing and setting goals for ourselves.  If we learn to manage our time we won’t feel so rushed and we can experience true rest.

       In our text God gives us the blueprint on how to experience rest.  First of all, God had a plan before he started creating the world.  I know that sounds very elementary, but how many times we do things without planning and thinking it all the way through.  It is good to have a spontaneous idea, but it is better to take time to develop the idea before taking action.  God worked in stages to finish his plan.  We have to remember we cannot get it all done in one day.  It is fine not to finish everything in one day.  I really believe if God wanted to finish creation in one day he could have done so.  I think he took his time to teach us the value of not rushing to complete things.  He also demonstrated to us everything has a process in which it must go through before it is completed.  The scripture also teaches us everything has a natural sequence of order and we should live in a world of order and not chaos.  Most of us live in a world of organized chaos. 

        How often are you pushed to complete assignments and then in haste you do not do your very best?  When we learn to take our time and become better stewards and managers of our time then we can rest.  After God finished working, he could rest because all of his work was good.  When was the last time that you have felt a sense of fulfillment at the end of the day?  Can you lay down at night to rest knowing you gave God your best with the day he gave to you?  “Your life is a gift from God, and what you do with it is your gift back to him!”

God bless and keep you is my prayer.