As our world becomes more and more globalized, what has traditionally been viewed as a “work week” becomes less common. Technology has enabled constant connectedness with others which means work can be something that seems like it never ends. Consequently, the principles of rest and Sabbath get pushed to the side as we plop exhausted upon our beds every night. Caesar Kalinowski, author of the Gospel Primer, offers the following video to provide insight into how we wrongly view work and rest.
The problem begins, according to Kalinowski, when we try to earn our worth by doing. We are willing to work hard for our status, love, and acceptance but God has engineered creation in such we a way that we work from love instead of working for love. In the beginning of the story God created human beings on the last day of His creative work and then the very next day He rested. Interestingly, when the Ten Commandments are mentioned in the book of Exodus, it is the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy that gets more explanation than the others. It’s almost as if God knew that we would have a tendency to seek acceptance through our work than God’s finished work on our behalf.
You see, if we don’t work hard at resting from our work, we become vulnerable to believing that we are our own source of talent, energy, and skills. All of these are gifts from God and resting helps us to ultimately enjoy Him. Isn’t it wonderful that we can work hard and yet rest in Christ’s finished work for us? Watch the video for more details.