Get Some Rest

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

We are told to make the best use of our time so that we can do the Will of the Lord. How do we make the best use of out time? We have been learning from the lIfe of Jesus … looking at his life and to how his example will help us to Make the best use of our time. Even though life in the 1st century was drastically different from today, Jesus did have to deal with human limitations of time and place. He had people pulling him in hundreds of different directions so he had to figure out what was most important to his mission just like we do.

So far we have looked at three different principles from Jesus life for managing our time.

1. Begin with the Word of God.

2. Keep Your Commitments

3. Silence the Kingdom of noise.

4. Prioritize your yeses…

When thinking about time management and to-do lists, it is so easy to get overwhelmed. We have so much to do, so many things coming at us from all directions, so many responsibilities. It can seem like an impossible task.

Today, we want to look at something most folks don’t associate with making the most of their time… Rest

Matthew 11:28–30 NLT

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Here is the 6th principle of managing time like Jesus did.

Principle #6. Get some rest

To make the most of your time, you have to embrace God given rhythms of rest which actually add to your productivity and improve you as a child of God.

The world says work harder

We live in a hustle culture. If you want to get more done, the world says to work harder… to work longer… and rest when you are dead.

But the bible shows us and science has backed up that rest is the key to being wildly productive.

In order to do more, most of us need to do less and rest more.

People who have taken a nap time can finally be vindicated. So what does this look like. What do the God designed rhythms look like?

1. Take daily breaks

Mark 6:30–32 NLT

30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. 32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.

The disciples had been working hard, teaching and ministering to the people. While our culture would say, preach one more sermon… do one more event… reach one more person, Jesus saw something different. Jesus recognized that what they needed was rest.

Most of us treat our days like they are a sprint… we go as hard and fast as we can until we collapse from exhaustion in the afternoon. This is not how God designed you and I to operate. God designed us not for a sprint or even a marathon but for a workout.

Research has shown that God wired us to “pulse” about every 90 minutes. These cycles are called “Ultradian Cycles.” What it means is that about every hour and a half, our brains need a break for a few minutes.

Maybe that’s why our watches will tell us it’s time to stand several times per day. It may seem like a waste of time, but you will get more work done taking breaks than if you don’t.

2. Make sure to get enough sleep at night.

Although we see Jesus getting up early to go pray, we also see him prioritizing sleep. Remember the passage where Jesus calmed the storm? What was he doing before the disciples called them? Sleeping.

Mark 4:38 NLT

38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

If you read the beginning of the chapter you will see that Jesus and the disciples had a long day teaching so when they got in the boat, Jesus was getting some much deserved rest.

You may be thinking that you don’t remember the Bible ever saying how much sleep we need in a day… it doesn’t.

The National Sleep Foundation says most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per day. That sounds good but what happens if we don’t get enough? … which happens often. What happens when that occurs?

According to sleep experts failure to get adequate sleep is worse for your performance than showing up drunk for work. In addition, sleeping less than 6 or 7 hours per night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of various diseases like cancer and heart disease … including psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, and suicidality.

OK… now that I have your attention, here are some of the many benefits of getting enough sleep.

Benifits of the fight amount of sleep

1. You can concentrate better at work and at home

2. You perfect skills you learned throughout the day while you are asleep.

According to studies,

3. More sleep = more potential income

4. Your creative problem-solving skills are enhanced

These are great benefits, and ones that you have probably experienced in your own life after a great nights sleep. But ultimately, why does this matter?

If you remember, when we began the series, that Paul told us to make the best use of our time

Ephesians 5:15–17 NLT

Getting enough sleep at night makes us more productive for the Lord.

Someone once said, Sometimes the godliest thing you can do is to get a good nights sleep… not pray but sleep.

3. We need to observe a Sabbath

We’ve talked about taking breaks and getting enough sleep. And now we come to this rhythm that you have all heard about but don’t understand… the Sabbath.

Many people see the Sabbath as boring or legalistic… a life sucking chore. Something that used to cause the stores to be closed on Sundays. Jesus even agreed that many had abused the Sabbath and turned it into something God did not intend for it to be.

Mark 3:1–4 NLT

1 Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. 2 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” 4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.

This was life-sucking legalism. The pharisees were criticizing Jesus for doing something life-giving… healing the man’s hand. They didn’t care because Jesus didn’t adhere to the Sabbath rules.

Jesus didn’t say that the law was irrelevant, he said that the Pharisees were missing the point of the Sabbath. Jesus told them the

The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people

Mark 2:27 NLT

27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

Why did Jesus say that?

Look at the Sabbath. The first Sabbath was 7th day of creation.

Genesis 2:2–3 NLT

2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

It’s interesting that this is the first thing God called holy. On previous days God either said it was good or very good. But the Sabbath he called holy.

On that first Sabbath, God rested. On Mount Sinai God commanded the Israelites to imitate him and his rhythm for working 6 days and resting 1 day.

Exodus 20:8–11 NLT

8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

The Sabbath is actually about imitating God’s pattern or Rhythm of work and rest, taking a break to enjoy the Lord and the good things He has given us through our work. But there is something else.

Think about the context of when God gave Moses the 10 commandments. The Israelites had just come out of 400 years of slavery in Egypt where they had been engaged in back breaking work every day. That’s 400 years of ruthless masters telling them to get back to work…

Exodus 5:4 NLT

4 Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!

and not only that but

Exodus 5:9 NLT

9 Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!”

So the Sabbath is about stepping back from our work and loves and saying, this is very good, but it’s also about saying no to the tyranny of more.

The Sabbath is about saying no to the tyranny of more.

It’s about declaring freedom from slavery… it’s an invitation to stop, which is the literal meaning of the Hebrew word Shabbat. Stop working… stop striving… stop hustling… STOP.

Sounds pretty good in our culture of hustle to the next…

So God took a break… a rest and told us to do the same. Now this is where we get ourselves into trouble. Over time, the religious leaders in Israel regulated it more than the federal government adding over 1500 rules of what you could and could not do on God’s holy day. With all of these man-made rules the Sabbath which God created to be life giving became life draining.

Man made rules made the Sabbath life draining

That’s the backdrop of the passage we read between Jesus and the Pharisees. When Jesus told them that the Sabbath was created for people, and not the other way around, He was teaching us that keeping the Sabbath is not about keeping a bunch of rules.

The Sabbath is about enjoying God and his good gifts.

It’s about declaring that we are no longer slaves to more… to our work… our bosses… our phones… the contant demands from everything. The Sabath was meant to be a gift to you and to me.

I remember when I was young. Stores were closed, so we spent time with family. We went to church in the morning then went home and ate together… maybe went to see some friends or cousins. But worship was a big part of the day.

What could the Sabbath look like for you?

What would it look like to STOP and enjoy your relationship with the Lord and reflect on the good gifts he has given you.

Conclusion

We have seen today that the rhythms God wired us with can have a huge impact on our lives and productivity. Since we see Jesus following these, we should take note of the impact they have on our spiritual lives as well.

Taking breaks every couple of hours is good for your soul because it reminds you that God doesn’t need you to finish your to-do list.

Getting a full nights sleep is productive for your soul because it reminds you that God is the only one who never sleeps.

Psalm 121:4 NLT

4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

So he doesn’t need you and I to keep the world going for him… He’s got this.

The Sabbath is productive for your soul because it reminds you that Time belongs to God and is under his lordship.

Ultimately they are productive for your soul because rest is a way of reminding ourselves that no matter how productive you are, no matter how many good works we accomplish, we are God’s beloved Children in whom he is well pleased.

The Bottom line is this God wants you and I to make the most of every opportunity in these evil times, but you cannot do that without a personal relationship with the Father through Jesus.

Salvation Prayer

For the rest of us… We have to commit to

1. Begin with the Word of God.

2. Keep Your Commitments

3. Silence the Kingdom of noise.

4. Prioritize your yeses…

5. Get some Rest…

All of this so we can make the most of every opportunity for the Lord, and you can’t make the most of every opportunity if you haven’t

been in the word…

keeping your commitments....

silencing the kingdom of noise so you can hear God…

Prioritizing what you do…

and getting rest.

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