Working from Rest

Call To Prayer

Title: Working from Rest

By: Njuacha Hubert

Date:22/07/2023

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”   Mathew 11:28-30

There is a saying that men spend their whole lives working very hard to get money then latter on spend the money treating themselves from the diseases incurred while searching for the money. The main cause of that sickness is that some times the working is too much and accompanied by stress and anguish. However I am here to help us see from scripture that, that mode of operation is beneath God’s plan for you.

After God created Adam, Genesis 2:15  says “ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. “. Then after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, part of the punishment was this “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.“ (Genesis 3:17). So we see that work in itself is not a punishment from God, rather the punishment is painful work. Work that is accompanied by stress, anxiety, that is too strenuous, no joy in working etc. Work in itself is wonderful. It is dignified and fulfilling. While Adam was working for God’s purpose before the fall after the fall he was working for mere food.

Jesus Christ died for our sins and when we believe we are set free from the above curse and restored to our original modus operandi. Where we work for God’s purpose stress free and not just working merely for our needs filled with worry, anxiety, desperation, stress e.t.c. That is we must work from rest. That is why Jesus said in the opening verse come to me and rest. But He didn’t end there He said take my own work that I give and it must be easy and light. Jesus is not a liar so if you find your self overwhelmed in your service to God something is missing somewhere. Saint Paul said  “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”  (1 Corinthians 15:10). Which one came first, the hard work or the grace?

There are times we feel stressed by work. Let us rebuke this stress and claim our rest in Christ because like all our blessings in Christ, they are seized by believe or faith. Sabbath day is a day of rest. Take out time to actually relax and rest and not be over worked like some one who thinks all his blessings comes from hard work and not from providence of God. For further reflection please read Hebrew 4 which talks of believing and entering God’s rest.

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for His word. Let’s pray for more understanding and faith to believe and access His promises in Christ such as working without stress.