Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Day 199 – The paradox of resting in Jesus
Scripture focus: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 The Message
I used to skip over this verse. It made no sense to me. I thought followers of Christ were in the business of laying down their lives for their friends, loving their enemies, counting the cost (and it was high) and following the Master no matter what. Certainly scripture teaches us those principles.
But all these principles are balanced by other truths. Matthew 11 teaches us Jesus’ model for discipleship. And who can forget John’s words – “The work of God is this: believe in the one he has sent.” Paradoxical? Yes. Contradictory? I don’t think so.
I believe there are moments when we’re enlisted to lay down our lives, love our enemies, and count the high cost of servanthood and serve anyway. But those are moments.
In order to be ready, willing and able to respond to those moments – I think we need to spend hours and days and weeks and months and years preparing for the moment. We do that by following Jesus’ model of discipleship:
1. Come to Jesus.
2. Spend quality time with him – alone. Learn how to relate to Jesus one-on-one. This takes quantity time in order for it to become quality time.
3. A clue that we’re embracing #1 and #2 is that we’ll find that we’ve recovered our life. Setting aside both quantity and quality time with Jesus will require ditching a lot of other activities that once crowded our schedule.
4. Redefine rest. Jesus is promising us rest. This kind of rest isn’t the same thing as collapsing on the couch at the end of the day. Instead, rearranging our schedule actually results in a more restful day. We’re not exhausted in the evening; we may be tired, but we’re also invigorated – we find ourselves the happy owners of our own lives. Our weariness often has more to do with frustration over a life lived trying to avoid condemnation than a sign that we’ve worked hard. It is possible to work hard and rest well – all in the same day!
5. Watch Jesus. We don’t make it up as we go. The author and perfecter of our faith also has the insight scoop on what makes us tick and why. He shows us how to work and live at peace. He teaches us the unforced rhythms of grace – a concept we can’t embrace if we’re busy trying to prove ourselves worthy of others approval.
6. We are perfectly suited for the life Jesus wants us to live.
When we live like this on a daily basis, we’re equipped to serve and endure when he calls upon us to do heavy lifting – like lay down our lives, love our enemies, and bear the cost of discipleship.
Recommended reading: 1 Chronicles 24 and 25 in the morning; Psalm 11 and 12 in the evening
I used to skip over this verse. It made no sense to me. I thought followers of Christ were in the business of laying down their lives for their friends, loving their enemies, counting the cost (and it was high) and following the Master no matter what. Certainly scripture teaches us those principles.
But all these principles are balanced by other truths. Matthew 11 teaches us Jesus’ model for discipleship. And who can forget John’s words – “The work of God is this: believe in the one he has sent.” Paradoxical? Yes. Contradictory? I don’t think so.
I believe there are moments when we’re enlisted to lay down our lives, love our enemies, and count the high cost of servanthood and serve anyway. But those are moments.
In order to be ready, willing and able to respond to those moments – I think we need to spend hours and days and weeks and months and years preparing for the moment. We do that by following Jesus’ model of discipleship:
1. Come to Jesus.
2. Spend quality time with him – alone. Learn how to relate to Jesus one-on-one. This takes quantity time in order for it to become quality time.
3. A clue that we’re embracing #1 and #2 is that we’ll find that we’ve recovered our life. Setting aside both quantity and quality time with Jesus will require ditching a lot of other activities that once crowded our schedule.
4. Redefine rest. Jesus is promising us rest. This kind of rest isn’t the same thing as collapsing on the couch at the end of the day. Instead, rearranging our schedule actually results in a more restful day. We’re not exhausted in the evening; we may be tired, but we’re also invigorated – we find ourselves the happy owners of our own lives. Our weariness often has more to do with frustration over a life lived trying to avoid condemnation than a sign that we’ve worked hard. It is possible to work hard and rest well – all in the same day!
5. Watch Jesus. We don’t make it up as we go. The author and perfecter of our faith also has the insight scoop on what makes us tick and why. He shows us how to work and live at peace. He teaches us the unforced rhythms of grace – a concept we can’t embrace if we’re busy trying to prove ourselves worthy of others approval.
6. We are perfectly suited for the life Jesus wants us to live.
When we live like this on a daily basis, we’re equipped to serve and endure when he calls upon us to do heavy lifting – like lay down our lives, love our enemies, and bear the cost of discipleship.
Recommended reading: 1 Chronicles 24 and 25 in the morning; Psalm 11 and 12 in the evening
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