Does Jesus Physically Appear in the Old Testament?
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Does Jesus Physically Appear in the Old Testament?

You’re Not God, So Get Some Rest Today

Posted November 23, 2017
Spiritual Growth

Your Work Is Never Complete

It almost seems cruel to talk about rest in a book on the work of the home, because the work of the home is never finished. You don't punch a time clock at five o'clock and then go home and do something else. You live in your work. Your children wake up at 3 a.m. with a stomach bug, and you have to do the laundry. Your husband comes home early from a day of work, and he wants to talk. A friend needs a meal after an emergency surgery. The work of the home is never complete.

Rest Because God Rested

But we are created in God's image. Because of that, we are commanded to rest. God rested on the seventh day. He ceased from his labors and enjoyed the work of his hands. We are commanded to rest and to enjoy the work of our hands. So often we are going all the time and never stop to enjoy the work that we're doing, never stop to enjoy the people in our lives. But rest is restorative and allows us to enjoy the work that we're doing.

Rest Because You Need It

But that's not the only thing about rest that we need to understand. We also rest because we're not God. We rest because we image him, but we also rest because we're not him. While God ceased from his labors because he was done, we're never done. Sometimes we have to leave the work unfinished, acknowledging our limitations as human beings. The work will never be finished this side of heaven, but it's a reminder for us to trust God for the work. We can stop what we're doing and trust him to establish the work of our hands. We can trust him in our sleep, and we can trust him in our rest. He will get the work done. We're not God. Only God is God.

And this tells the people in our lives, who see the unfinished work around us, that only God is God, and only God gets his to-do list done.

This post is adapted from Glory in the Ordinary: Why Your Work in the Home Matters to God by Courtney Reissig. Originally appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.