Rest and Relaxatioon

During a winter vacation trip to Florida my wife and I had the privilege of walking up and down the beach.  It was fun to enjoy the warm rays of sunshine and experience the cool water of the Atlantic Ocean lapping at our feet.  We enjoyed relaxation and refreshment in this beautiful setting and saw other people enjoying the same thing.  I turned to my wife and said, “I think I could be one.”  To which she asked, “Be one what?”  “I think I could be a ‘Beach Bum’, I said.”  Of course, I was kidding, but in a sense, I was just expressing how wonderful it was and how great it felt to take a break from the regular routine of work.  The Bible talks about rest and shares some valuable truths about it.

1)    God wants all of us to rest and be refreshed.  Jesus told His disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).  God wants us to have rest, so He created both the day and the night. 

2)    God is the only one who can give us spiritual rest.  The psalmist says, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him” (Psalm 62:1).  When God talks about rest, He is concerned that we not only have physical rest but that we also get spiritual rest.  That rest can be characterized as an inner peace of heart and mind which is possible through a personal relationship with God.

3)    God does not make the decision for us to receive His rest; we do.  The writer of Hebrews very pointedly says, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11).  In order to obtain the rest that God offers, we must make a personal decision to receive Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord.  When we do so, Jesus promises us a place in heaven with Him.  He says, “In my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have old you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).

So, is it time for you to rest?  Have you spent some time apart from your regular routine (no matter what that routine is) to get some physical rest?  Are you aware that only God can give you spiritual rest?  Do you know that God cannot make the decision for you to receive His rest?  Maybe this would be a good time for you to personally receive the spiritual rest that God provides.  Turn to Him in prayer and ask Him to come into your life and make you the kind of person He wants you to be.