Greetings My Fellow Disciples:
Grace be with you, mercy and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Genesis 2:2-3 declares that “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”
Summer is here!! Summer, I think, is the time for a change of pace. Students are out of school and home from college. The days are longer and things seem to move just a bit slower. Summer time is also the time when many of us take some time off. The Bible doesn’t tell us that we should all take a fancy vacation to an exotic place, but the above scripture does remind us of the importance of rest.
On the seventh day, God rested. Notice that the text doesn’t say that God was tired or exhausted or completely run down. It simply says that God rested from work. God’s behavior sets before us an important truth—we all need time to rest. We need time to be resorted and recreated. We need time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life; away from stress and responsibilities and obligations. We need rest. If we don’t rest bad things happen. We get run down, our immune system suffers and we are prone to illness. When we don’t rest we get burned out and can become ineffective at work and at home. When we don’t rest, we risk losing our connection with God because we are so distracted and busy and tired! We need rest and summer time is the perfect time for resting.
I encourage you to find some time each day to rest. It doesn’t have to be a long period of time; 20-30 minutes is good. You also don’t have to be still; although you can be if you want. Do something fun. Do something that makes you laugh. Spend time with loved ones or friends. Do something that relaxes you. I also encourage you to take a longer period of rest once a week. For a few hours, if you can, take a break from all that worries you or occupies your time. Set aside your chores, work or responsibilities. Don’t forget to spend time with God, too. Enjoy God’s quite company and find rest in the presence of God.
I wish you a peaceful and restful summer!
In Service for Him,
Bishop Alton A. Smith
Pastor
