7/26/2017 3:56:29 PM
Are You Sleeping Enough?
How many of you like to sleep?
Do you feel like you get enough sleep?
If you were given the chance, would sleep more than you do right now?
How much sleep did you get last night? 6 hours? 2 hours? None? 8?
I believe that as we get older, we value sleep more. We may not get as much sleep or rest as we want, but we can appreciate the rest we get. I read about a year ago that the classic eight hours of sleep may not really be enough for the average adult. Whether or not that’s true, or whether or not you feel like you need more sleep, we agree that sleep is important.
We need rest for our entire person: soul and body. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to focus on God’s Word when you’re tired? Have you ever noticed how bad your body feels when you haven’t rested in God’s house for a while? That’s because we are not just flesh and bone, we are flesh and bone and spirit. And our whole person—spirit and body—needs rest. Today the Holy Spirit wants you to have the spiritual rest of God’s Sabbath.
Jesus invites you to have that rest. He wants you to take his "burden" of perfection on your shoulders and give him your burden of sin, of shame, of guilt, of sadness and feel his love and compassion wash over you. Look at his blood and watch as it flows out of him and covers your sinful life, and pays the price of guilt for you. Let your worries about life, your turmoil, your sadness—whatever takes away your peace—and let it flow onto the shoulders of Christ at the cross, drift in to his tomb, and bet shut away forever. Watch as your Savior rises triumphant from that grave to pronounce you and me and all people forgiven. This is God’s rest. Today, let's rest.