It was a novel idea, and it did sound logical. But it didn’t feel right: “We must love ourselves first, or we cannot love others as Jesus told us to.” The speaker at our dorm vespers explained that, since Jesus told to love others as we love ourselves, we must first love ourselves. As a … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “In the estimation of the rabbis it was the sum of religion to be always in a bustle of activity. They depended upon some outward performance to show their superior piety. Thus they separated their souls from God, and built themselves up in self-sufficiency. The same dangers still exist. As activity increases and … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 4:1-12. What made Cain “a restless wanderer” (Genesis 4:12) on the earth? The biblical text does not explicitly state why God respected Abel and his offering but did not “respect” Cain and his offering ( Genesis 4.4-5). But we know why. “Cain came before God with murmuring and infidelity in his heart in regard to the … Continue reading –>
A verbal form for rest often found in the New Testament is anapauo, “rest, relax, refresh.” It is used in one of Jesus’ most famous statements on rest, Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (NKJV). It can refer to physical rest (Matthew 26:45). In the … Continue reading –>
Certainly, we all need rest, which is why it’s a theme found all through the Bible. Though God created us for activity, that activity is to be punctuated by rest. The Hebrew Old Testament, for instance, includes a number of terms denoting rest. The description of God’s resting on the newly created seventh day in … Continue reading –>
Lack of sleep and exhaustion due to physical overexertion are real problems. More troubling, however, is when we feel that we are running on “emotional empty.” And, of course, when lack of sleep is added to emotional trials, we can become painfully discouraged. Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, must have felt like that often during the last … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 2:1-3. Why would God create a rest day before anyone was even tired? Even before humanity would dash off on our self-imposed stressful lives, God established a marker, a living way to jog our memory. This day would be a time to stop and deliberately enjoy life; a day to be and not to … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 2:1-3, Jeremiah 45:1-5, Exodus 20:11, 2 Samuel 7:12, Mark 6:30-32, Genesis 4:1-17. Memory Text: “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:2). Tick, tock; tick, tock; tick, tock. The clock ticked steadily and mercilessly. Only two hours … Continue reading –>
Rest for the Restless The flight had been uneventful until the moment the captain announced from the flight deck that the plane would have to cross a major storm. “Please tighten your seat belts. We will be in for quite a ride,” the voice from the cockpit said in ending the announcement. Soon after, … Continue reading –>
