Episode Transcript
[00:00:17] Speaker A: Let's be honest, rest is really, really hard for everybody in some form or fashion.
We're Americans, right? Our calendars are full. Our phones will not stop buzzing with calls and notifications and text messages.
Our culture worships productivity.
And honestly, a lot of Christians kind of believe secretly or just overtly, that it's actually maybe more ethical, better, maybe even more spiritual to just be busy all the time.
Yet from the opening passages of Scripture, God rests.
In the first couple chapters of the Bible, we have this really incredible moment where God, after creating, rests. So today we're talking about rest. We're talking about the Sabbath, biblical rest.
What's the command for Christians now? How does that relate to the Old Testament commands? How do we understand rest and what we ought to be doing and why resting might actually be one of the greatest acts of faith in 21st century American Christian life.
Welcome to Word and Flesh podcast from the elders of Riverview Baptist Church. For Riverview Baptist Church, we're glad that you've joined us.
Thanks for tuning in. However you choose to do so, Michael, before we pushed record here, was confessing that he himself would never watch this.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: Yeah, we were just debating watch or listen.
[00:01:47] Speaker A: Yeah. Are you a watch or are you a listen? That's the question. So. So I love that there's both, you know, because actually, I'm only a listen. You're a listen.
[00:01:56] Speaker B: I'm a listen.
[00:01:56] Speaker A: Ryan's a watch. Ryan's a watch. Watch. Ish. Whatever that means. So whether you're watching or listening or someone is just telling you about this later, in which case you cannot hear my voice. Thank you for tuning in. So today we're talking about the Sabbath and biblical rest. And this. Actually, the reason we're jumping into this is because last episode, we were talking about spiritual disciplines and one spiritual discipline that we spent a little bit of time on, and we were like, okay, this has to be a whole episode was the topic of rest.
I'll be just like the first one out the gate to say, I just. I think I just do this super poorly.
And I want to. I'm. I'm seeking to grow in what it means to rest well in a way that is biblical, in a way that honors God, honors how God made me, honors my family, all these things. So maybe by the end of this episode, I'll be on the right track. I don't know. We'll see.
So let's see. So let's start off with where we should often start in conversations, which is Genesis. Right. Let's start at the beginning.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: There you go.
[00:03:04] Speaker A: So at the beginning in Genesis, God spends six days creating, and then on the seventh day, he rests.
Why is that such a remarkable thing? And why does God do it? Is God tired?
[00:03:22] Speaker B: Yeah, of course not. The obvious answer is no. He is infinitely strong and is the source of all energy. So there's no place where we can look and think that it would even make sense for him to be tired. But he does rest. And I think it is really two things all at once. It is a model and an instruction for us as believers that when God finishes a work, he does it well, he makes it very good, and then he rests and in some ways finds delight in what he has done. And that actually, if you go back and you look even in the book of Ecclesiastes, where we are preaching through one of the interesting refrains throughout, Ecclesiastes is one of the gifts of God is that you might work and find rest or enjoyment in all your toil to delight in it. And so, yeah, there is something sacred about being able to work, work hard, and then rest appropriately.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: Okay, Ryan, thoughts, initial thoughts on Genesis, God creating, God resting.
What?
Like, when you think about that, give us kind of your initial impression there, why God does that, what we should take from it.
[00:04:38] Speaker C: Well, you know, of course, as we've said many times as we talked about manhood and womanhood, Genesis, the creation narrative is not just a cool story. It is how it ought to be. And, you know, heaven will be how it ought to be. But Genesis is a great start of that creation. Order is the best way, right? Men and women unashamed in the garden, men and women doing different things, cultivating their plot of dirt, and indeed, resting.
And I think it's important to just remember, as kind of a basis for this entire conversation, is that God can do more with your one day of rest than you can do with six days of work.
And so, yeah, it is an act of faith, and I think we'll be able to draw that out today, hopefully.
[00:05:32] Speaker A: Okay, so without getting overly geeky on the philosophical side, because most people can't enjoy that.
I do, but I'm weird in this way. But I want to see if we can define the word rest, because a lot of times when we're trying to say, should we do this or should we do how much of this or whatever, I think we skip past defining what the thing is, and I think that would be helpful. So what is it to rest from a thing?
What does it mean?
[00:06:01] Speaker B: It's a fantastic question.
[00:06:03] Speaker A: Yeah, I Just sprung that one on you, but, I don't know, off the dome. You know, we could go to Webster if we wanted to. It's not always a terrible place to start, but.
[00:06:10] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: What does it mean to rest? Or what is. What's the opposite of rest? Sometimes is, I think, maybe a good way into that. What do you think?
[00:06:18] Speaker B: Yeah, well, actually, I think the word restlessness actually gives us a good picture of what rest is. You can lay in bed and, you know, this. Be restless. So there's a way to be physically still and outwardly looking calm and yet be in absolute turmoil.
And so I would go to Matthew 11, 28, 30, where Jesus says, you know, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest for your soul.
And I would actually even tie it in some way to the Hebrew word. And it's not a one to one. There is a difference. But the shalom, the idea of shalom, that there's a peace, the greeting that the Jewish people would give to one another, shalom when you come in and shalom when you leave. May the peace of God go with you, and may the peace of God come in with you.
And so this idea is.
I would say that true rest does incorporate mind, body, soul. It is a stillness and a peace that is granted from God that affects us at a heart level.
[00:07:26] Speaker A: That's a historical Christian church greeting, too. Peace be with you.
[00:07:29] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: And also with you.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: Right. And we took that. Yeah, Essentially we took that from. Yeah. The Hebrew people. Yeah.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: Yeah. Interesting.
Okay. You want to expound on definition of rest anymore, Ryan?
[00:07:39] Speaker C: Yeah, I do think it is body, mind and soul. I also would just say on a very basic level, it's a break from your daily labors.
Whatever you are called to do in your work, it is a break from that.
It doesn't mean you do nothing.
It just means you take a break from that, whatever that daily labor is.
[00:08:02] Speaker A: Okay. Is work without rest good?
[00:08:08] Speaker C: No.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Is rest without work good also?
[00:08:14] Speaker B: No.
[00:08:15] Speaker A: And, I mean, I sort of lobbed that one to you. But as I think about the definition of rest and work, I think they help one another. Like, in other words, we understand them in the context of each other. So God creates works. Right. For six days and rests on the seventh. Not because God is lacking or wore out, but because the rest at the end of the work is part of what makes the work good.
[00:08:43] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah. So he is establishing, I mean, to Ryan's earlier point, a good rhythm of life, a fitting and appropriate rhythm that really all of creation is meant to buy into, to say, yeah, that's the way it should be.
Interestingly, in America, as we have grown more and more secular, we have totally rejected that A, we need rest and B, that we need God. And I don't think that is a coincidence. I think those things run together because when you reject the Lord, the natural thing is to operate and live as if you are God and God doesn't need rest. And so you tell yourself, I can, I can work 360 days a year, I can plow ahead, I can do these things. And the Bible's resounding answer to you is maybe you can for a moment and you'll hit a wall.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: Yeah, a very hard wall.
[00:09:46] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right.
[00:09:47] Speaker A: Yep. It hurts.
[00:09:48] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:09:52] Speaker A: I mean we even see how rest is baked into just daily rhythms. Right. I mean you can grind and sometimes you have to grind very long, like double digit hours in a day, but you can't grind for like a hundred hours straight without sleeping.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:10:12] Speaker A: You can't, like, you can't do it. I mean, not without the help of some medicine. Certain narcotics allow you to do that briefly and then, you know, and then it's actually worse on the other side of it. So. Yeah. So even in just our natural physical body rhythms, God built in rest. It's always amazing, you know, anytime anybody. I feel like mattress salespeople point this out all the time that you spend a third of your life sleeping. Yeah. Which is actually a fair argument for a good mattress. But we're not going in this episode brought to you.
So. But you know, you spend a third of your life resting. Like you have 24 hours in a day and you, I mean, I like to get a tight eight hours. I don't know about you guys, but you know, six to eight, something like that is what people spend. So fourth through a third of your life resting. And that says something like God geared us that way to have to have that. And there's a mercy in when your body finally goes, you have to stop now.
Right.
That's like God's fail safe switch that he built into you and your obsessive need to work and going, you're going to have to at least rest for a minute.
And I think like Ryan was saying cooked into the concept of rest is that God is, God is doing things.
So in our rest, he doesn't slumber. Right, yeah. In our rest, God is at work. You could almost say. Right, Absolutely.
So it's just interesting, I think that even in Our physical rhythms, rest has to be baked into that. And so that's not really new information. We already know this. Right. But God also commands rest.
So look at Exodus, chapter 20, and you see the Ten Commandments, right?
[00:11:56] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:11:57] Speaker A: And commandment number four.
I'll read it.
Exodus, chapter 20, verses eight. I'm reading from my NASB, which is what I had here at the office.
Exodus, chapter 20, verse 8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it, you shall not do any work. You or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant, or your cattle, or your sojourner, who stays with you. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
[00:12:40] Speaker B: And I'll just add, so that's Exodus 20. And essentially in the law, the Jewish people double down in God's law in Exodus 31, picking up in verse 14, you shall keep the Sabbath because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done. But the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
Therefore, the people of Israel shall keep this Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a covenant forever.
[00:13:20] Speaker A: That's such a wild punishment that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
[00:13:23] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:13:24] Speaker A: To Moses, chapter 31, verse 12, it says the Lord spoke to Moses, saying. And then what you just read. Yep.
[00:13:32] Speaker C: So am I profaned because I cut my grass on Saturday?
[00:13:35] Speaker A: Okay. Wow. Yeah, we just went straight to the flesh on word and flesh here. So here we go.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: And this is a question that we run into from time to time. And one of the reasons we wanted to do this Epis, is, are we bound to keep the Sabbath as Christians
[00:13:51] Speaker C: according to the law?
[00:13:52] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:53] Speaker A: And then we have to say what we mean by keep the Sabbath.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, but the way.
[00:13:57] Speaker A: I don't mean to just be the definition guy over here, but I might just do that.
[00:14:00] Speaker B: Sure. No, but it comes. I mean, it comes on occasion. And the question is, Pastor, do I have to keep the Sabbath? After all, it is one of the Ten Commandments.
[00:14:09] Speaker A: It is one of the Ten Commandments, and I don't exempt myself or anybody from the other Nine.
[00:14:15] Speaker B: Exactly. So it's a compelling question and a thought that I think many of us have wrestled with. And so we want to answer that pretty directly today.
And the short answer that I want to give in terms of, am I bound as a Christian to observe a holy day known as the Sabbath? The answer is, no, you are not bound to keep the Sabbath and fulfill the law to earn your righteousness from God. That is not what you're called to do.
And one of the reasons we know that is actually the words of our Savior himself. So Mark 2, 27, 28. I do want to turn there and read this with you.
[00:15:02] Speaker A: Mark, chapter two.
[00:15:03] Speaker B: Yeah, Mark two.
And so the context is Jesus is with his disciples. They are gathering grain on the Sabbath. And so this is literally unlawful.
[00:15:15] Speaker A: Yeah, that would have been punishable by death according to what we just read.
[00:15:18] Speaker B: Exactly. So, yeah, in the context, these men should be killed for doing this work.
And Jesus confronts the Pharisees and says to them, verse 27, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath. What's Jesus saying there? He is saying that, number one, we'll get into this at a different point. He is the fulfillment of the law for us. And so no man has ever kept the Sabbath perfectly. And then, number two, that the Sabbath was instituted, as we actually pointed out, as a rhythm by God to us, given to us to show us, you need rest. Your body's not going to be okay, and in fact, your soul needs rest in me. And so the Sabbath was given to us, but we are not made for Sabbath keeping. We're made for the Lord. And so he says, the Son of Man, me, I'm Lord of the Sabbath. I'm in charge of the Sabbath. I'm the one that's going to define it for you and tell you whether or not you need it or tell you how to keep it or not.
[00:16:22] Speaker A: Good. Okay to that, Ryan.
[00:16:24] Speaker C: Well, it's just always interesting to me when that argument comes up from time to time that, you know, Christians have to keep the Sabbath law, I will respond with, well, have you ever bought groceries on Saturday?
[00:16:37] Speaker A: Right?
[00:16:37] Speaker C: You ever cut your grass? You ever pull a weed on Saturday? Ever sweep your floor on Sat? Because that's. That is the seventh day.
[00:16:42] Speaker A: And you ever traveled more than whenever
[00:16:45] Speaker C: that 10 miles, you know, 100 steps? I don't know what it is.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: I can't remember right.
[00:16:50] Speaker C: You know, I understand. You know, I have a deep respect for people who are trying to wrestle honestly with how the Old Testament law applies. And in fact, there's a ton of misconceptions, but that's just not a very honest argument. And it doesn't stand up.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: No, and on top of that, I mean, the other thing I would ask is this is a part of the ceremonial law.
And so are you also offering sacrifices?
[00:17:16] Speaker C: Of course.
[00:17:17] Speaker B: Do you journey to a temple? Do you do any. No, you don't do any of that. So then why are you holding out this one? Probably because it's a part of the Ten Commandments. But even then, the principle of the Ten Commandment, that commandment still applies today. And we'll talk about that.
[00:17:30] Speaker A: Yeah, and I think we should get into that in a minute because obviously we see Jesus do that with some of the other commandments as well. And not, again, not negating them, in fact, very much, saying, I did not come here to abolish. Right, right. But unpacking what this means for you and how you ought to live.
So, yeah, I think we should get into that. Um, excuse me. So the Sabbath is instituted there in Exodus 20. The penalty for violating it is stiffer than a lot of penalties for a lot of other things. By the way, penalty is not death for every single thing, but for violating the Sabbath, it's death.
And while we're, you know, saying, hey, you know, we're not held to Old Testament Sabbath keeping laws anymore, do you have any ideas on why God would make that such a stiff? Like, why is God taking Sabbath so seriously for his people in this moment? And while you think on your answer to that question, I'll offer some other things out there because you see that other. So this is.
I think the longer you go in your walk with the Lord and in reading through the Bible, the more you do start to enjoy the hardest to enjoy books which are like Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, because you start to see some things that God was doing there and what he was setting up for his people.
And when you start to notice things like even. Even with. When he gives manna in the wilderness, right? And he gives it six days a week and they are not to keep it an extra day or not to collect more. I'm sorry. Than they need for that day. Because if they keep it, the next day it's will be rotten. And they test God in this and he's angry with them. And it all rots and worms and all this stuff, except on the sixth day, right? Friday, and they're to collect two days worth. And God preserves it on the Sabbath Day. So, like God very specifically provides for their obedience to him. In fact, I think he gives manna before he gives the law.
I can't remember, maybe. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.
[00:19:35] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:19:36] Speaker A: Because the law is in Exodus 20, I think they're already getting manna at this point. So that. And then, for example, he institutes the idea of the Sabbath year when it comes to their crops. Right. Letting the fields rest on the seventh year, every seventh year. And then on the 49th year is the seventh, seventh year. And then the 50th year is like a super Sabbath.
[00:20:00] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:00] Speaker A: Literally the theological term. Yeah. Super sad.
[00:20:03] Speaker C: The year of jubilee.
[00:20:05] Speaker A: Year of jubilee.
[00:20:06] Speaker C: Anybody remember that old song?
[00:20:07] Speaker B: We're to say, yeah, we're not doing that.
[00:20:08] Speaker C: So that was a fire song.
[00:20:11] Speaker A: So it's.
[00:20:12] Speaker C: But it.
[00:20:12] Speaker A: It's like a super Sabbath. And they. And all the land that has been like mortgaged to, you know, because you got in trouble and whatever, all has soared.
It is. I mean, everybody hates the term great reset because of recent American, you know, happenings. But it was like a great reset for them. Debts are cleared, slaves go free.
And there's, I don't know, there's a theme through all of those things, through not keeping your manna for another day, except for the one day, through letting the land rest for a seven. And all they did on that seventh year was go gather whatever just naturally sowed itself from the previous six years of crops. And I don't know how often they actually followed this. In fact, whenever they go into exile to Babylon, they're told, though I can't remember which prophet it is, says, you're going to be in exile until the land has gotten all of its Sabbath rests that you didn't give it. Which, if you count those up, it's basically almost the entire period of all the kings.
So I don't think they ever, almost ever gave the land its Sabbath rest.
[00:21:17] Speaker B: That's interesting. I actually never made that connection.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: Yeah. So when it's like. Because they're in exile for 70 years, basically in Babylon and, and 70, you know, times 490 years. So. 490 to 500 years, more or less. So anyways, it's very interesting that God takes that very seriously, that command and provides for them when they obey. And this is where I'm going all the way around to here. I know I went down a rabbit trail. Sorry. I do this once per episode. I get the permission. I give myself permission.
But God provides for them, was my point. When they honor him in that when they obey him, he provides for them, he cares for them. He's not like, oh, whoops, forgot to make stuff grow on that seventh year. I guess, like, most of y' all are gonna be dead by the end of this year. Sorry. You know, so anyways, I think that that's just really important to go. God baked that in and cared for his people in their obedience to him on that. And now that I've purchased enough time for you to give me an answer to the question I asked previously, which was, I don't remember.
[00:22:19] Speaker B: Why does God take the Sabbath so seriously? Why is the question. So, Ryan, did you have something?
[00:22:24] Speaker C: Yeah, I have a thought.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: Go ahead.
[00:22:26] Speaker C: So if you, if you read Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomy, the, the. The account of the ten Commandments in Deuteronomy, I think it gives a. A hint to the answer.
Verse 12, observe the Sabbath day. Chapter 5, verse 12. Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy as the Lord your God commanded.
Jump down to verse 15.
You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
I think a failure to keep the Sabbath day is a failure to see God's good and kind provision in your everyday life.
And a failure in the Old Testament to keep the Sabbath day was a failure to remember almost the pinnacle of the Old Testament, which is God rescuing his people from Egypt and slavery and bondage.
And if you take that to the New Testament, why would it matter today? Which I realize is a quick jump.
A failure to rest is actually significant because it's a failure to remember.
It's a failure to remember the good kindness of God. And this was actually the Israelites eternal problem.
They continually forgot God's kindness.
One day they're out of the Red Sea, the next day they're complaining about not having manna in the desert. They forgot. They forgot to remember. And that's a significant spiritual condition. And I think that's why God levies such a significant punishment, because it is actually protective. Because in the moments where you discipline yourself to rest and remember, you have joy, you have perspective that you didn't have before, and the moments where you, over a long period of time, forget to rest and remember your soul is sick. And I think it's God's protection to say, I'm telling you to rest because I want you to remember my kindness and thus be propelled to a Life of mission and joy and satisfaction. And so I think that's a part of why it's so significant.
[00:24:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I would totally agree with that. And I think that in certain ways, the Sabbath was elevated and similar to circumcision. So there is a.
A sign literally given to the people. And actually it says this. This is interesting. So the circumcision is called a sign of the covenant. Notice what it says in Exodus 31:13, you are to speak to the people of Israel and say, above all, you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. And so one of the functions of the Sabbath was literally to set Israel apart from the rest of the world for generations. Yeah, for generations. To say. And honestly, these people are weird.
Everybody else is working, gathering their grain, doing what they're supposed to do, and this whole nation just stops for a whole day every week.
That is a shining witness to the world that this people does something unlike any other people. Why? Because their God is unlike any other God. He's going to provide, he's going to protect, he's going to deliver in ways that no other God can.
[00:25:36] Speaker A: That's a great point. Intentionally resting from their toil like that says something about who they know God to be.
[00:25:42] Speaker B: That's exactly right.
[00:25:43] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great point.
[00:25:44] Speaker C: Well, yeah, and it's a great point because it proves that Yahweh is different from the pagan ancient Near Eastern gods who they had to appeal to all the time and prove themselves to and earn and over and over again.
And the Sabbath is a way to say, hey, this ecosystem is different.
This kingdom is upside down.
[00:26:05] Speaker B: And to that end, then that carries over into the New Testament. Just as I do think circumcision doesn't save anyone. We actually see that carried over into the New Testament that circumcision of the heart is what we all need. We need a new heart.
[00:26:20] Speaker A: Either circumcision or uncircumcision is anything but a new creation.
[00:26:24] Speaker B: Exactly. And I think in a very similar sense, that applies to the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a symbol of a greater reality, that your body, mind and soul, all that you are, is made to find rest in God. And apart from that, you know, Augustine's quote is true, Lord, we are restless until we find rest in thee. You will never know soul rest until you Sabbath in Jesus.
So I think that is why is the Sabbath elevated? Because there's so much attached to what the Lord wants us to see through the Sabbath.
[00:26:59] Speaker C: Yeah. So the point you're making is.
I think it's just a good segue. In other words.
No.
According to the law, you are not held to Sabbath observance. And if you do something on the Sabbath, you're not profaned to death. No.
[00:27:15] Speaker B: Right.
[00:27:16] Speaker C: But the point you just made is the Sabbath still matters today.
[00:27:21] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:27:22] Speaker A: So that's a good. That's a good segue. You're right. That's a good way. Direction we need to go.
[00:27:26] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:27:27] Speaker A: Is what does it mean to say the Sabbath still matters today for a Christian? And then how do we.
How do we keep it in that way? That's not tied to Exodus 31, but that goes. We are. We. We reject the Zeitgeist of constant work, constant toil.
[00:27:52] Speaker C: Sinful.
[00:27:52] Speaker A: You. You work and you work and you work and you work and you die.
[00:27:56] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:27:56] Speaker A: Right. Like, we reject that.
Or, you know, whatever. You work and you work and you work. You make a lot of money and then you just kind of like, you know, whatever. Blow it all. Or you leave it to. Like reading in Ecclesiastes, you leave it to somebody who's gonna blow it all. He's a. That guy's a ray of sunshine. I was gonna say it really makes you feel good about your work. Yeah. But no. So, yeah. How do we distinguish the Sabbath in the Christian's life now? What does it mean? How do we do it? How do we discipline ourselves in it?
[00:28:26] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:28:26] Speaker A: And are we willing to say that not implementing a rhythm of rest is sinful?
[00:28:34] Speaker B: Okay, real quick. Before we do that, I just want to do one thing.
[00:28:36] Speaker C: Oh, yes. I also want to do one thing. Oh, this is awkward.
[00:28:38] Speaker A: I have no theory.
[00:28:40] Speaker B: So. Colossians 2, 16, 17. Just in case you're wondering, I want to just nail to the floor this the Apostle Paul.
If you're still unconvinced, I think maybe this is even the most direct and clear Colossians 2:16. Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come. But the substance belongs to Christ.
And so that is as explicit as it can possibly be.
We don't have to keep it. And yet there is a substance to a Sabbath rest that we need to pursue.
[00:29:15] Speaker C: Agreed.
[00:29:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:17] Speaker C: That's a great. Just checkmate on a bad. Really theological argument. But I would also say, why can we say that Sabbath matters today?
And this is a really simple way to say a really Complex thing.
The Old Testament law in specificity does not apply, but the principle still does, which is why we can say, yo, you're not held to the law, but the principle of the Sabbath is still important. So with that in mind, how do we rest today?
What does rest look like? Why is it still important?
[00:29:52] Speaker B: Yeah, I do think this is hard for us.
And I think one of the reasons it's hard, if we're honest, is it doesn't have to look exactly the same for every person.
In other words, we should rest. But the way that that is expressed, you may do it on Saturday.
A lot of families that review do it on Sunday. Sunday's a pretty heavy Labor Day for I'm not resting pastors.
[00:30:18] Speaker A: Sunday is not particular.
[00:30:19] Speaker B: That's not the day.
My day is Friday. That generally I fight for. So the way we do it, the timing, all those things look different.
And so, yeah, I think let's start to wade into that. If it doesn't look the exact same in expression, what are the keys?
What are the foundations of rest that really all of us should pursue? What would you guys say to that?
[00:30:43] Speaker A: I don't have any answer to that. I don't know anything about this anymore. I need somebody else to start answering whether I agree with you.
[00:30:50] Speaker C: Well, I think at the very basic level, you have to say it is a.
Like we said very early on, it is a break from your daily labors. And so as I think about what that looks like for me, the majority of my work is mind work. Lots of thinking, lots of writing, lots of really deep, deep stuff.
And so what is really restful for me is if I could just get three or four hours to do something with my hands and listen to a sermon or listen to the Scriptures, that's more restful for me than maybe just sitting down and reading a book. I do that for work.
And so it looks like something different generally than what you're day to day doing.
[00:31:40] Speaker B: All right, so number one, it's a break from the daily grind. Yes, yes, I would totally agree with that.
Go ahead.
[00:31:46] Speaker C: I would just say it's not Christian rest if there's not something significantly spiritual about it.
[00:31:54] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah, you nailed it.
[00:31:55] Speaker C: You're in the Word, you're praying, spending solitude, whatever. And that could be combined with.
I'm not saying you have to take a walk and only have the scripture in your ear, but you want to cut the grass and listen to the sermon or whatever. That's good, too.
[00:32:09] Speaker A: But it has to be something like your favorite podcast from your elders.
[00:32:15] Speaker B: You may or may not want to do that. Yeah.
[00:32:16] Speaker C: It has to be something.
You have to render it to the Lord, which is pray, fast, read, whatever that is.
[00:32:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
And so you nailed it. It is physical and that it is a break from the daily grind. It is spiritual in that it must incorporate in some way the setting your mind on things above.
You can go to the beach and you can stick your toes in the sand and you can be again physically still. And you know this because some of us have experienced this. You come back just as tired and weary.
And why? Because your soul didn't rest. You were thinking about all the things you got to do when you get back. You were thinking about other things that were causing you stress. You were arguing with your wife, whatever the case may be. And so it is a spiritual rest where you must work to set your mind on things above. You can do that while you work in the yard. You can do that literally just being still.
I do think the other thing that really is important as it pertains to this, and it again goes all the way back to Genesis, is an acknowledgment in the rest of the creature creator relationship. In other words, you're saying to God, I can't do it all.
There are certain things you're acknowledging. I can't carry this entire load. I can't provide perfectly for my family. I can't do all of these things.
[00:33:39] Speaker C: But.
[00:33:40] Speaker B: And I'm resting as an act of faith because I know that you can and you will, because you're God, you're good, you're for me, you're not against me, and you're able.
And so I think genuine Sabbath rest. It may be a 20 second acknowledgment, but it's an acknowledgment of the creature creator relationship that says, my Lord will provide. My God will provide. I don't have to grind, grind, grind, grind, grind.
The Lord's got it.
[00:34:07] Speaker C: Yeah. I think I would just add if we are, you know, if so. Yeah, physical rest, spiritual kind of reset reframing of the mind and heart. And somewhere in that category is the call to remember. If we're going to take the Old Testament principle, you're going to remember that God took you out of slavery. I think a really great practice for weekly Sabbath rest is man. Let me just pause and just think about all God did this week.
Let me think about his kindness in my life. Because when you're in the daily grind, when you're meeting to meeting and book to book and article to article and project. To project.
Let's just be honest, we're rarely thinking about God's kindness significantly in those moments.
And so to remember God's goodness in those moments, in those moments of Sabbath rest and write them down in some way to actually call your mind to remember and to reset, I think is really helpful.
[00:35:07] Speaker B: The only other thing I would add to this is that there is room, and it may not be every single time you try to Sabbath, but there is a place and it is an important place for enjoyment, that you should enjoy your Sabbath rest in some way.
And I think it's interesting, even if you go back and you look at a lot of the Sabbaths and festivals, in particular of the Old Testament, it was built around a meal.
[00:35:36] Speaker A: Those people had some festivals, those people,
[00:35:39] Speaker B: they had some parties.
[00:35:40] Speaker A: That's actually good because we think sometimes on.
And I have some questions in a second, but on the discipline of Sabbathing.
And we think that it actually feels like a different kind of work.
And also maybe like a very gray, dreary, dull day. And I think of like, listen, I love a lot about the Puritans, but sometimes I think of like a very sort of somber, you know, whatever. Overly solemn. Yeah, yeah, overly solemn.
[00:36:05] Speaker C: The fire new documentary just came out, by the way.
[00:36:08] Speaker A: Okay, good.
[00:36:08] Speaker C: Well, anyway, keep going.
[00:36:10] Speaker A: And so it. But yeah, I just like your point about leisure, enjoyment, celebration, even those things, man, God made those things. He even prescribed those things to his people. So I think we would be remiss to not. Yeah, absolutely not, like push that and go. It should be a day that you enjoy, that you love because it's refreshing for body and soul.
[00:36:37] Speaker C: Can I just make one more comment? Then you can ask your questions.
I think Sabbath rest is really an invitation to formation.
God is forming your hearts, our hearts, in those quiet restful moments to actually do the work we're called to with joy and integrity and purpose and excellence.
And we are formed by our work, there's no doubt.
But I find that I'm far more formed in that day of rest, during those three or four hours of rest than any possible formation that's happening in the day to day grind. It's a call, it's an invitation from God to let God do some significant formation work deep in the heart of your soul, to prepare and equip you to do what he needs you to do. Well, he doesn't need you to do it. Do what he's calling you to do in the days after.
[00:37:31] Speaker A: Yeah, that's good. I mean, you even see that like with working out, same thing, right? Like if you lift and heavily tax the same muscles every single day for days and weeks and months on end, you do not get stronger, you damage. Right? And so even there, I'm just saying it's like that's just woven through the fabric of what it is.
[00:37:51] Speaker B: All of creation, the creature created relationships, rest.
[00:37:55] Speaker A: Well, rest without work is not good, but work without rest is not good. And so, and again, God uses the word good and stuff in creation. And so all of that is.
[00:38:04] Speaker B: Well, I just want to add this and then we can get to the questions. But one of the things about enjoyment, why is enjoyment tied to Sabbath?
Because one of the major businesses, one of the great duties of the Christian life, interestingly, is to delight in God is delight in the right things in the right way. And some of us, let's be honest, we delight in our work too much work is an idol or others of us, we delight in laziness too much and goofing around too much. And so the Lord says, work six days a week, don't be lazy, but also don't make work your greatest delight. Let me be your great delight. Let me be your great source of satisfaction. And so the Sabbath is a rhythm to teach us and train us how to delight in the right things, the right way.
And I think that is something again, we've just totally lost.
[00:38:59] Speaker A: So I think about, we talk about like mowing the yard or action, like physical activity, thinking about, for example, my wife, moms, housewives, people who have young children, people who have to eat meals, for example.
And I think about how the week goes. Yeah, and the week goes very fast.
And all of a sudden Saturday or Sunday, whatever your kind of day, you would like to set aside as your day of disciplined rest.
Because that's when we say Sabbath. Now, we mean the day you've set aside for intentional rest. Right. And do we mean the day or do we mean like two hours? I mean, I think generally we mean a day, right? Like a day in a seven day week that you've carved out and gone. This is our intention.
[00:39:49] Speaker C: I think that should be the goal. For sure.
[00:39:50] Speaker A: That should be the goal.
[00:39:51] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:51] Speaker B: And I would say this, resting that way, it needs to be long enough at least to where it challenges your sense of comfort about your schedule.
[00:40:01] Speaker A: So that's part of where I'm going. Yeah. Is.
How intentional should you be in leading up to the Sabbath day? Because when I think about how it was practiced in the Old Testament, you didn't make food on the Sabbath Day.
I think you could make an argument that if you can minimize. So again, thinking about my wife, I'm thinking about a mom, a housewife, or, you know, whatever, whoever's in charge of the meal in the home. Right.
If that's her daily work, I actually think it would be good for her to be able to rest from that on some level.
[00:40:44] Speaker C: Agreed.
[00:40:44] Speaker A: Everybody stops to eat. Right.
But if you can do some prep for a Sabbath rest day where, you know, the meal is pretty low key.
[00:40:56] Speaker C: Yeah, leftovers.
[00:40:56] Speaker A: He shouldn't. My, you know, the teenagers. Low key mean the opposite of Loki anyways. Don't do that either. Don't use low key on. Don't even say it that way on the side.
[00:41:05] Speaker C: I don't even know what you're talking about.
[00:41:07] Speaker A: So. No, but for it to be a day that doesn't have the same amount of lift in the stuff that actually has to be done. Because Jesus even acknowledges he's like, you know, somebody, whatever, their animal falls in a pit, they're going to pull it out. There's stuff you got to do on the Sabbath day and there's good things to do.
And so that's a statement, but also a question. Because the question is, what are some ways in which we can encourage ourselves, our spouse, our wives, our church to think ahead and be intentional about a day of rest? Because that's what I'm saying. The week races by and then whatever day was going to be carved out for a rest day a lot of times, and I'm just really just doing, like, confession hour now ends up being gobbled up by plans and stuff. And not that even, you know, going out and doing a thing isn't restful, because it can be. Right.
[00:42:01] Speaker B: Right.
[00:42:01] Speaker A: You don't always have to be like, we stayed within our property boundaries the entirety of the Sabbath. Right.
[00:42:06] Speaker B: I thought that was the entire intent.
[00:42:07] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:42:09] Speaker A: So no, you just can't travel a certain distance now. That's right. So. But you see what I'm asking, like, how. What are some ways we can encourage folks and also in our own lives, practice being intentional and thinking ahead about the day of rest so that we actually do it well, you know, so that. And we don't go, oh, it kind of got away from me again, you know, maybe next week. Did you never practice a day of rest?
[00:42:34] Speaker B: Let me throw out a couple, because I think Ryan's got a ton.
Number one, I think the most obvious is you actually put it on your calendar.
You have to schedule it, otherwise you will never protect It. So, number one, schedule it and agree with your wife about what this looks like.
Number two, treat it, as you said, almost like a vacation. In that, do you prepare and work extra hard before you leave town on a vacation?
I almost always do.
[00:43:00] Speaker A: Right.
[00:43:01] Speaker B: Like there's. I know I'm leaving and I'm like, okay, I've got to get some things done.
[00:43:04] Speaker A: Reservations. You got to get an agenda planned. You got to. Yeah, you got things.
[00:43:07] Speaker B: I've got things to do in order to be able to rest. That is a part of the equation.
You're kidding yourself if you think, I have no intentionality about this. I have no preparation for this, and it's just going to work.
No, you must be prepared to rest.
You can bet the people of God did do that. Six days a week. They would work hard and then they would rest on the seventh, the other piece. And the last thing I'll say is this. Things do come up, opportunities do come, and you just have to be honest with yourself.
Maybe I do want to put this on the Sabbath day, but can I be genuine in saying this is a restful activity?
So, again, if I'm mowing the yard, for me, like Ryan, that's actually a restful activity, and I can involve my son in doing that. And it's actually something we enjoy kind of just doing together. And so that could fit for me personally, for some other people. That is not the answer.
[00:44:06] Speaker A: If you run a lawn care business, for example.
No, seriously. The idea was that it's different from the labor.
[00:44:14] Speaker B: And so I have to be really careful about this. We spend a lot of time, obviously, as pastors with people from the church. And there are certain moments where I have to say, can I spend time with these people? But it's not going to be really intensive ministry time. It's just we're going to share a meal, we're going to laugh together, we're going to go swim in the lake.
Okay. That goes on.
[00:44:36] Speaker A: You go pretty much incommunicado on your phone on your rest day. I do.
[00:44:40] Speaker B: That's my goal. Yeah.
[00:44:42] Speaker A: Nobody is reaching you, except if it's pretty dramatic.
[00:44:45] Speaker B: Emergency Friday is meant to be.
[00:44:47] Speaker A: Your work is largely like shepherding people.
[00:44:51] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And that's something that I fight for.
[00:44:54] Speaker A: Yeah. And again, not that that's drudgery, but that it's like. It actually is, like we've been saying this whole episode, restorative to your soul.
[00:45:02] Speaker B: Right.
[00:45:02] Speaker A: Rest from that for a moment.
[00:45:04] Speaker B: Absolutely. And, yeah, Jesus did this. Yeah. I enjoy people. I want to be with people. But that's. That's not the time generally.
[00:45:10] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:45:12] Speaker C: You definitely hit on some ones. I was thinking if you never put it on the schedule, you know, maybe. Maybe that looks like you and your wife sit down the beginning of the month and say, what does this month look like?
And actually have a conversation about that, as opposed to just letting all the events of life come to you. Being more proactive. I think that's important. I think for a lot of times, for me, I do fight for Fridays to be pretty quiet.
But there are some church seasons where Sundays aren't as crazy. There's not meetings this and that. And so when there isn't a lot of those kind of things on Sunday, you know what we try to do as a family personally, at the dinner table Saturday night, we're going to pray for each of our hearts to be prepared to meet God in a real way the next day. Lord, prepare our hearts to hear from you tomorrow. We want to meet you. Prepare us for that. I think it means going to bed early at a reasonable time to prepare yourself or to be at your best on your day of rest, to be at your best. Especially if it's Sunday, which for most people it doesn't have to be, but it probably should be. It's kind of set generally in our culture that used to be. There's a lot of things closed on Sundays, and some of those things remain. And so there's a lot of preset things on Sundays that for a lot of people would just be easier to do it on Sundays.
[00:46:33] Speaker A: For example, you can't go to Chick Fil A just as an example.
[00:46:36] Speaker C: That's going to hurt real soon.
But going to bed early, getting up, being at your best. And what I don't mean by that is you have to wear a suit to church. I just mean be at your best for the Lord. And, yeah, you know what we try to do, because I think it's sweet and fun, and I want to teach my kids that there's something special about rest, is that that meal on Sunday night is special.
We're going to cook a steak, we're going to eat some ice cream or we're going to order, whatever the case. And I'm trying to be more helpful with that meal since my wife would like to rest as well, a little bit.
But I also think just an important.
It sounds really obvious, but.
Because if you think about what Michael said earlier, that rest was to be one of the many things for Israel that set them apart as a covenant Community.
What that means principally now is that leaders of home leaders need to factor rest into their decision making for familial activities.
Right. It might be a disservice to our kids to over schedule their activities and not teach them to rest because actually our job as parents is to, it's really not to make our kids the most well formed every activity ever, yada yada yada, it's actually to train them to take dominion in the future spheres that God has called them to.
And if they're going to take proper dominion, they need to be able to learn to rest.
And so as a leader of homes, we have to be the weird one sometimes and say, you know what, we're actually just going to be home Saturday morning or you know what, we're not going to play that game Sunday afternoon. We're going to go home, we're going to be with the family, we're going to read and we're going to talk about the sermon and we're going to have a good meal.
It's becoming for the leader of a home to put rest into the factor of decision making.
[00:48:38] Speaker A: Yeah. And that was my other question. And then I think we'll wrap up is, you know, and I mean every person who's listening has a slightly different family dynamic. Right.
But it seems to me that incorporated into resting should be being with family.
[00:48:57] Speaker C: Agreed.
[00:48:58] Speaker A: Be generally. And again, if you just don't have any family here or whatever, then being with the family of God, I mean we gather together to worship with the family of God. Right.
[00:49:08] Speaker B: But I'll just be honest, I was taking that for granted that I mean, you're with your family.
[00:49:12] Speaker A: We didn't say it.
[00:49:13] Speaker B: No, that's worth.
[00:49:14] Speaker A: Yeah, wasn't. I mean, because I think what happens is man, it is happening to me. I'm saying it. Okay.
Life, even on a day that would be restful, wants to grab at and pull people away from and get scattered and not to like things where you're like, well I wouldn't allow that on any day of the week. It's just things that are like, I want to go be with that person or you know, whatever. So then, and I'm not sure I have a definitive answer for me on this, but I'm interested in your thoughts is do you go as a father, do you go, no one in my home is to be apart from our family on our day of rest.
Are you that See this is where the, we're getting to the very end of the episode and I'm getting into It. But honestly, because I want to think about that. Well, for myself, I'm trying to be intentional. So just yesterday I said we're all going to be together for lunch after church. Today is Monday when we're recording, so we're all going to be together for lunch. And I had to say no to some people and things to make that happen. But we weren't all literally under one roof together all day long.
So how hardcore should I be about that, about my family being under the same roof or on the same.
Or if one of them has a thing that they are going to go do, we all go. Or if there's a family that has a birthday party or something, we're all, you know what I mean? Like you can extend that. Not to be super legalistic about it, but how should I be oriented in thinking about the family I'm leading? When I'm thinking about a day of rest? Should family be a component at all? Can everybody just go do leisure? You know, as long as it's leisurely and restful and whatever, just at their own speed. What do you think?
[00:51:12] Speaker B: My immediate thought is that there should be an expectation, especially just generally among the people of God, among the church, that rest will incorporate family and that we need to push back. Now. Does it need to be all day?
No, but I think there needs to be an expectation that a chunk of the day is going to be family rest.
And again, we're fighting a battle and we're way behind the eight ball because we've lost the plot.
[00:51:48] Speaker C: Definitely.
We got dunked on.
[00:51:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And so now we're at a point where it feels radical and weird to actually just think biblically, which would be, yes, our family takes priority. We are scattered six days out of the week.
Teenage daughter, teenage son. We're not going to be as scattered on this day of the week. Sorry.
And I do think that, hey, it may be a two hour thing or a three hour thing or a four hour thing. I think there's some room there. But I think what is not a ton of room is, okay, everybody go play in separate sandboxes.
Yeah, we're not doing that.
[00:52:23] Speaker C: I think what you said about the expectation matters greatly.
[00:52:26] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree with that. Yeah.
[00:52:28] Speaker C: Because I think a lot of reasons we fail to rest is we're just responding all the time.
[00:52:32] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:52:32] Speaker C: Whereas if we train our kids to expect that Sunday dinner is protected, hopefully in time by guys, race will just stop asking over time.
[00:52:42] Speaker B: That's exactly right.
[00:52:43] Speaker C: Now, teenagers are going to keep asking, but if they know the Expectation, I think that's healthier. But I do think this is why the gospel is so freeing, because it's not like if the goal is we're going to have 52 Sunday lunches together every year, 40 is not failure.
[00:53:02] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:53:02] Speaker C: It's not failure. The gospel, you're going to get rest in Christ. But I do think that at the very least, the expectation is our butts are going to be in those seats Sunday morning to hear what God has for us. And I think the rest of the days there's a little more flexibility. But I do also want to go back to, like, I think it's important to recognize the balance of family rest and personal rest. I do think it's. It's. It's important for spouses to help each other rest.
[00:53:34] Speaker A: Right. That was part of my question about meal prep or just things where it's like, man, this is. This is my grind.
[00:53:39] Speaker C: Right.
[00:53:39] Speaker A: Yeah, I need some help.
[00:53:40] Speaker C: That's really important. Yeah. You know, and I really appreciate my wife for this. She's very kind in encouraging me and freeing me up to spend, you know, a couple hours.
[00:53:51] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:53:52] Speaker C: Every week or every other week, just like, go do what you want.
[00:53:56] Speaker A: Yeah, Both directions.
[00:53:57] Speaker C: Right?
[00:53:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:53:58] Speaker C: And I need to, you know, probably, to be honest, give more back the other way. Right. To, hey, I got the meals on Sunday night or something like that or whatever.
[00:54:05] Speaker A: Even. Even. Let's. Let me.
[00:54:06] Speaker C: I'll take the.
[00:54:07] Speaker A: Let me, like, encourage you to and. Or help and equip you the day before to help, like, make it so that Sunday is restful or whatever, that
[00:54:14] Speaker C: there's a balance there. Like, I don't think it's good for fathers to say, I'm going to hide my office for four hours every Friday. Don't talk. Don't talk to me. Don't call me. That's not.
That ain't it.
[00:54:23] Speaker A: Right.
[00:54:23] Speaker C: But I do think it's important to try to fight for a couple, two
[00:54:27] Speaker A: or three, four hours a week, individual solitude.
[00:54:30] Speaker C: Not at the expense of your family, though.
[00:54:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:54:32] Speaker C: Right. In partnership with your wife.
I think that's just a helpful clarification.
[00:54:37] Speaker A: No, I do.
[00:54:37] Speaker B: I agree with that. And so, yeah, I mean, in my mind, it's obviously church, then maybe we share Sunday lunch or Sunday dinner. And then, yeah, if you want to have two or three or four hours where people can go do their own thing.
I think that there's a. There's a balance in there for different families at different stages. But I think that there should be generally an expectation of we're going to spend some extra time together as a
[00:55:00] Speaker A: family, of course, I think. And that goes.
[00:55:02] Speaker C: And culture has just stolen.
[00:55:03] Speaker A: That was what I was going to say is I think, man, we have become so just pre programmed to think of ourselves as autonomous or isolated individual units even within a household.
[00:55:14] Speaker B: Oh yeah.
[00:55:15] Speaker A: We actually don't tend to think in terms of households.
[00:55:19] Speaker C: Amazing. Keep going.
[00:55:20] Speaker A: Which I think actually biblically, the fundamental unit is the household of the culture. Right. There are individuals in that household obviously. Right. But the household is key. And so we haven't thought about how the command extends to a household and to the husband as the leader of that home and to the wife as his help meet in that situation, to the children as those who are called to honor and submit to their parents in that situation. And that is one unit that has certain opportunities, obligations, responsibilities and should be, I think understood, respected, revered and lifted up culturally.
[00:55:58] Speaker C: And I think that's one of the most fundamental issues here. And we can't lie to ourselves and say that culture didn't make that intentional to all of a sudden make what used to be a family unit decision. Now.
Well, I need to do is personally best and personally best and personally best. You know, I was listening to a conference talk a few years ago from Jen Wilkin about how her family kind of discerned familial activities.
And you know, when they were considering whether or not this kid should, you know, play on this sports team for the season, they would have a family meeting.
They're gonna, I think I made a handout of this and put it in the Faith at home center downstairs. But they would ask 10 questions, you know, is this going to take us from Sunday worship? Is this going to always hurt meals together? You know, is this going to break us up? At least they would, they would have a family conversation about what they're individually going to do together. And I think that's helpful because it trains our kids not to be so self centered.
We're actually going to like. Our goal is the flourishing of others.
Not just my self centered service to myself.
[00:56:58] Speaker A: It gives them a vision for what our family and home is about and whether any particular thing fits that mission or not. And so it helps them to not just go, oh, mom and dad ruined, ruining everything that I want out of my life again, but rather going, my life is actually geared towards these things already. And oh yeah, you know what, they're right.
This thing I wanted to do would
[00:57:18] Speaker C: undermine, would hurt things that we really hold valuable well.
[00:57:21] Speaker B: And I would just add to that again the individualism and the hyper individualism of our culture has stolen this from us. But there was no one in the Old Testament or really even in the New reading this and thinking, I'm going to spend the majority of my Sabbath away from my family.
[00:57:38] Speaker C: Right. No way.
[00:57:39] Speaker B: They were all reading it and thinking in context of the tribe and the family and the people God has placed around them. Why? Because they understood these people were given to me and ordained in eternity past to be my family. This is a gift. And so these people are not an annoyance. My little brothers and sisters are not a burden.
I have this time and I have this life. These people are precious to me. And so I should enjoy spending time with my family.
And I think that's a really important piece. Again, is there a place to go and rest alone for part of the day on the Sabbath? Absolutely. But, yeah, look around the table.
See these other people as God's gift to you.
He gave you the same DNA. There's some DNA you share that was not by accident. And so go enjoy that.
[00:58:30] Speaker C: Yeah, I was just, you know, thinking it was just real life and like the difference but like the important tension of like having the expectation but holding things a little loosely. Yeah. Especially when you have two kids under two.
[00:58:42] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:58:43] Speaker C: A few weeks ago we were. I'm like, hey, babe, I'm really would like some ice cream tonight. Let's take a family trip. I think it was Sunday night.
And I said, let's, you know, Aloha Ice and Eldon just kind of literally three minutes away from my house. And I said, let's go get some ice cream.
And, you know, so we got the kids trapped up. I kid you not, both children screamed all the way there. Screamed the entire time we were trying to order ice cream.
So much so I was thinking about just pulling out and saying, I'm done with this. Get me out of here. I don't want this ice cream anymore. You know, and screamed all the way home.
And it's like, okay, well, we tried, you know, it's like.
[00:59:20] Speaker B: And that's a testimony Sabbath has to look different at different seasons. I mean, that is part of the good witness. Now, one last thing and then you guys can add anything else. I just want to add this in case you're not convinced that Sabbath rest is useful. I just. ChatGPT.
Is there any evidence that shows the value of rest or the benefits of taking an extended break?
It says the evidence is remarkably consistent across many studies.
Strategic rest is not a luxury. It is an important component of many Important tasks, including sustained cognitive performance, emotional regulation, long term productivity, and on and on it goes. Rest improves memory, creativity improves after stepping away.
I mean, there's just long lists.
[01:00:14] Speaker A: All this at your job. You'll be angry all the time. You'll be not as productive, super emotional, creative and super emotional if you do not rest. The case is close.
[01:00:23] Speaker B: My point is this. It's almost as if God knew what he was doing from the very beginning.
And so I just wanted us to share. Again, this is not radical, or at least it shouldn't be.
This is just a part of God's good design and it is a gift. Man was not made for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man by God. That's a good thing. Embrace it.
[01:00:46] Speaker A: Good. Ryan Closing thought.
[01:00:52] Speaker C: Recognizing our finitude and our limits is a merciful gift from God.
And one of the places where I think it's especially incumbent on us to recognize our limitations is that none of us were made to consume the amount of content that we are called to consume in the American life.
None of our brains or hearts were made to do that.
And so I hope after you listen to this episode that maybe this weekend you'll say, you know what?
On Sunday I'm going to have no social media. I'm going to try not to take phone calls.
I'm going to put that phone away. I'm going to spend time with my family. I'm going to do the things that make me human.
I'm going to spend time in prayer. I'm going to do something enjoyable. Whatever the case, it is because it's good to recognize your limits. And it's good to recognize that what God can do in your heart in those three or four hours or a whole day of rest is what you really need.
[01:01:56] Speaker A: Good. That actually is pretty much where I was going to go, is that we should consider a unique component or it's, it's unique in its specificity. But maybe everything, nothing is new under the sun, right? But what, how we ought to rest from tech.
And that actually kind of segues us into the next episode we're going to do.
[01:02:16] Speaker B: Fantastic.
[01:02:17] Speaker C: Stay tuned.
[01:02:18] Speaker A: Yeah. So how we ought to rest from tech. And again in the tech wise family, the one that we've recommended to some folks, he does the whole like one day a week, one week a year, week a year, one hour a day, one day a week, one week a year. That's his general prescription on, on, on having unplugging. And it doesn't mean you couldn't respond to a text if you had to. But on not sitting there, my goodness, you know, is it really a restful day if you spent two and a half hours doom scrolling? Right? Like, no, no. Yeah. I think it's not restful to your soul. It might have been. You might have been laying on your back doing it, but it's not restful to your soul. So anyways, that's a food for thought thing more than I'm going to lay out the 10 steps to rest from technology, but we might get into that some of the next episode or some other things. But on that note, we're going to wrap it up. We hit the one hour mark, I think, pretty much here. So in spite of our best efforts to not go to an hour, here we are. Thanks, y' all for tuning in and I hope this has been encouraging to you. Let us encourage you again to implement rhythms of rest, to implement a Sabbath, to do the work actually in your family and in your life of practicing rest for the glory and the kingdom of God. Until next time, further up and further in. We'll see you soon.
Sat n.
[01:05:00] Speaker C: Sa.
[01:05:26] Speaker B: Ra.
