Give it a Rest

There are four guidelines from Genesis we receive on the subject of rest and relaxation.

I.  Notice God took time to CREATE the world for us to enjoy and

       manage.  (Genesis 1:2)

II.   Notice God communicated with His creation.

A.  “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have

      dominion over the fish of the sea, birds of the air, over the cattle and

      over all the earth.”  (Genesis 1:26)

B.  God communicated with His prized creation in the evening time.

      (Genesis 3:8)

C.  It is imperative that we contemplate this fact, without adding

      sufficient leisure time to our schedule for meaningful

      communication, a relationship with those who are important to us,

      will disintegrate faster than we can keep it in repair.

D.  “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the

        bones.”  (Proverbs 17:22)

III.  Notice that following the sixth day, God stopped working.

A.  (Isaiah 40:28-31)

B.  Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

C.  When Jesus was only hours away from His crucifixion, He took time

      out to be with friends in Bethany and rest from His ministry of           preaching and healing.  (Mark 14:1-3)

D.  Jesus had planned times in His day for rest and tranquility.

IV.  Notice God related to His creation.  The Lord God said, “It is not

       good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper for him.”

       (Genesis 2:18)

A.  God had such a profound relationship with His prized creation that

      He felt their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.

B.  Even Jesus had that bond with His disciples and it motivated the

      apostles to develop the same close relationships with their

      contemporaries such as Paul, Timothy, Silas and Barnabas.

Two goals to seriously contemplate today….

1. Deliberately stop being absorbed with the endless details of life.

2. Consciously start taking time for rest and reflection.

Weekly Bible Study

September 1st to September 6th

“Avoid Laziness”

Monday:      Do not be lazy.                                          Hebrews 6:10-12

Tuesday:      Laziness leads to poverty.                          Proverbs 10:1-4

Wednesday: Lazy people make excuses.                       Proverbs 22:13, 26:13

Thursday:    Never be lazy in your work.                       Romans 12:11

Friday:         A sluggard reaps no harvest.                      Proverbs 20:1-4

Saturday:     A man who won’t work shouldn’t eat.        II Thessalonians 3:1-10

Played: 4 | Download | Duration: 00:29:27