Finding Rest in a Busy World

So ask yourself this this morning. If we're to be imitators of Christ, am I becoming more or less like Jesus? What he's teaching, am I using those rhythms, those models? And if the creator of the universe rested on the seventh day, who am I to think that I don't need it? Who are we to think that we don't need rest? You see, man's first full day of existence, fun fact, was a day of resting with God. [00:51:37] (34 seconds)  #RestLikeCreation

We run ourselves ragged, and then we try to find rest in naps, in days off, in bottles, in prescriptions, in vacations, in our recliners in front of the TV, and yet we still don't feel truly rested. Scripture tells us in Matthew chapter 11, Matthew chapter 11 verses 28 through 30, Jesus says, come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. He says, I will give you rest. The world tells us we've gotta do more. We've gotta hustle harder. It's better to be busy. We have to prove our worth. Rest is lazy. Right? Well, Jesus says, come. Come to me. Sit with me. Learn from me. Rest in me. [00:53:02] (82 seconds)  #JesusGivesRest

There's a author and former pastor that I really enjoy and I'm really starting to read more of, John Mark Comer, And he has a book called the ruthless elimination of hurry. And in this book, he says that sin and busyness have the same effect. They cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul. That's a heavy hitter. Sin and busyness have the same effect. You see, the enemy, he doesn't have to completely destroy us if he can distract us. He doesn't have to tear our lives apart if he can just simply distract us. [00:37:15] (43 seconds)  #BusynessDistracts

We've been carrying. We've been trying to prove. We've been exhausted, and we've been trying to find rest for our soul in all the wrong places. The rest that your soul is seeking isn't found in the world. It's not found in a day off or a nap. It's not found in that vacation or Netflix binge or that bottle. It's only found in Jesus. So maybe today, again, you can relate to a lot of this. Maybe it's time to just say no to a few things. Maybe it's time to change some of your habits and rhythms. Maybe it's time to prioritize a Sabbath weekly, [00:56:41] (41 seconds)  #SoulRestInJesus

And if you don't have Jesus, it's a lot harder. See, Jesus, he gives us rest for our souls. If you were here a few weeks ago, we had Chip Judd in the house. He's a counselor, and he taught us that our soul is our mind, our will, and our emotions. And I believe that rest for our mind is the hardest rest to find. It's the hardest rest to find, and we absolutely aren't gonna find that rest in this world. [00:55:03] (33 seconds)  #MindNeedsRest

So let's stop ignoring the rhythms of Jesus and the rhythms created from the very beginning of creation, and let's learn from Jesus. Let's learn from his pace and his rhythms. So distraction, it's not accidental. It's spiritual. Right? Jesus, he modeled rhythms of rest for us. And get this, y'all, Jesus is our rest. He is our rest. But takeaway number three, we're all looking for rest in the wrong places. We're trying to find rest in so many other things other than Jesus. [00:52:20] (42 seconds)  #FollowJesusRhythms

So after Jesus feeds the 5,000, in Mark chapter six verse 46, Jesus still goes away to pray. It says, and after he said goodbye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. So what can we learn from Jesus here, from his rhythm? We learn that our days can be demanding, our calendars can be full, wrenches can get thrown in the plan, but we can still make and have intentional time with our heavenly father. Having a lot to do in itself isn't bad. [00:49:52] (37 seconds)  #PrioritizeIntentionalRest

Consider the story of Martha and Mary. That's a popular one. In the book of Luke, Jesus enters the home of Martha and Mary, and Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. The scripture tells us that Martha was running around and that she was distracted. There's that word. She was distracted by all the things that had to be done that she felt like needed to be done, and she complains to Jesus about Mary. Right? I'm running around doing all this stuff, and she won't help me. Don't you see? [00:50:59] (31 seconds)  #PresenceOverProductivity