Work Hard. And Don't Forget to Rest.

 By William Boekestein - Posted at reformation21:

Published September 2, 2024

For people listening to God’s voice, the importance of work is a given. The Bible is a record of God working to redeem a people to work for him. And the fourth commandment presents a proper ratio for work: “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work” (Ex. 20:9). Over eighty-five percent of your week should be largely occupied by ordinary labor.

You were made to work.

But you weren’t made to only work. “The seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God: in it thou shalt not do any work.” Especially successful people are tempted to believe that their work is ultimate, that the meaning of their lives consists in production. To honor God’s intention for balanced living, you need a theology of rest that you thoughtfully implement on a daily and weekly basis.

You Need a Theology of Rest

A theology of rest is simple: God “knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Ps. 103:14). By commanding rest God cares for his children. You need time when you are not producing but only receiving, when you are not earning but only trusting.

God grounds the rule of weekly rest in his creation of the world and his rescue of Israel from Egypt. At creation God initiated a rhythm of work and rest. You work because God works. But you don’t share God’s omnipotence. God didn’t need to rest from his creative works. You do. You also need a day to remember that the Lord is your salvation, that he has rescued you from spiritual Egypt and will give you eternal rest in heaven. You can’t create that rest. You must receive it. And you can begin to experience it now as you gladly rest from your sins and from trusting in your perceived righteousness. You can’t do that as a disembodied spirit—you must set aside real time, on a real day, to practice rest in a world of real toil.

Besides accounting for fourteen percent of your life, the Lord’s day is meant to be like a pace car to keep your whole life in step with God. It helps calibrate your heart. It manifests your priorities. And it is one of the clearest ways that you testify to God’s sufficiency.[i] The Sabbath principle safeguards against basing your life on productive effort to the neglect of a trusting walk with the Creator. Your rest is not a work by which you engender God’s favor. It is just the opposite. We who “labor and are heavy laden” stop from our striving and receive Jesus’ promised rest (Matt. 11:28–30).

Like all doctrine, a theology of rest must be lived out; it must become woven into the fabric of your life.