| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: Rest, refresh, renew” Our Bible verse for today: “On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” Genesis 2:2 (CSB) Our thought for today: “God wants you to rest” For a large part of July, I will be on vacation. I’ve been eagerly looking forward to this for months. I’m going to take the first week of July to prepare myself psychologically to go on vacation; then I’ll spend the first week of vacation trying to convince my mind and body that I really am on vacation; and then I’ll spend two weeks actually resting, refreshing, and renewing. That, of course, means no work. But I also do not want to stop sending daily devotional messages each day either. So, if you will graciously indulge me, I’m going to revisit some devotional messages from previous years regarding resting, refreshing, and renewing. I’ll touch them up a little bit, but some of what we talk about this month might sound familiar to some of you longtime readers. The truth is that God wants us to rest. It’s something I’m trying to get better at. I’m a doer by nature. I go from early in the morning till late at night, day after day, and I sometimes wear myself out. So, as I think about my upcoming vacation, I find that I’m looking forward to the rest and relaxation very much. I intend to try to make it a true time of “Sabbath Rest.” Sabbath rest is a concept that is widely misunderstood and often misapplied. “Sabbath” is commonly understood as being a day set aside for worship and gathering with our faith communities. That would be the seventh day (Saturday) for observant Jews and the first day (Sunday) for most Christians. Gathering with our faith communities for worship is an important part of Sabbath – but it is only part of it. The other part of Sabbath is “rest” (thus the term “Sabbath rest”). Sabbath resting is when we cease from work and other strenuous activity for the sake of renewal and rejuvenation, but it doesn’t just happen on Sunday afternoons. Sabbath rest can be, and sometimes needs to be, for an extended period of time, such as a vacation. Good rest should be restorative and nurturing. In Sabbath rest we cease from the strenuous activity of work, we lay aside our chores and other stressful activities, and in many varied ways we renew and restore physically and spiritually. That renewal can take many forms. It could include extended times of prayer, Bible study, reading Christian books, quiet meditation, etc. But it might also mean sleeping late (sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap!) It could also include time with family and friends, long walks on the beach, or various kinds of play and recreation. In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we read that God worked, and then He rested. Did God rest because He was tired? No. He’s God. He doesn’t get tired. God worked and then He rested as an example for us. He was teaching us an important lesson. We need to rest and relax. Sabbath Rest is a crucial part of staying healthy and balanced. There are lots of ways to be spiritually renewed and refreshed, and we are going to consider many of them throughout the month. I look forward to spending this month exploring with you some of the many ways we can accomplish that. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
| Copyright © 2023 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be included in the Daily Devotional email reader group. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571 |
- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Oak Hill Baptist Church 