Hebrews 4:9-12:
9 “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
God’s Word tells us to rest. From God’s example in Genesis to Jesus calling us to “come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden”, we are told to rest. In a world that constantly drives to try harder, work longer, and be better than the next person, we may get the sense that rest is contrary to the way things should be.
And yet, God calls us to it. It is necessary. It is good.
The author of Hebrews helps us see that our striving to be more driven, may cause us to miss the grace offered to us in Jesus. That grace that came through the finished work of Jesus on the cross means that we no longer need to work to earn salvation; we can rest in the finished work of Jesus.
Work is necessary, to be sure, so that God’s Kin-dom can be seen by the world; but Hebrews reminds us not to be so worried about the world that we burn ourselves out trying to make a difference. There will be a day of ultimate rest for all of God’s people. But until that day, let’s remember that we can take those moments and times during our week and just sit, rest with Jesus on the back porch, and allow God’s grace to wash over us again.
The two-edged sword of work and rest will cut through our constant striving and show us that balance in life leads to peace and joy.