I have been reading about the rhythms of work, rest, and worship established by God. He shows us what is best in each of these areas. What our calendar should look like.
God has established rhythms that keep us tethered to Him. Why is this important? Because we are prone to wander.
Bible study author Erin Davis brings this to my attention. She writes that she sang an 18th century hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” as a lullaby to her boys for they were born with the DNA of Adam and Eve. Therefore, as sinners, they like us are prone to wander.
A few of the words penned by Robert Robinson:
Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.
“We’re all prone to wander, aren’t we? Our sinful hearts are prone to wander from God’s law. We are prone to forget His precious promises. We tend to prioritize our way over God’s way,” writes Davis.1
God gives us direction on rhythms we can use as measurements to see if we might be wandering away from Him. Look at your day, week, month and see if your pattern of work, rest, worship is drawing you closer to God or if you are drifting from Him.
–The rhythm of work.
God provides for us by the work of our hands.
The very first job description was written by God for Adam. He was to tend and watch over the Garden of Eden. The trees in the garden produced delicious fruit that sustained him.
We are commanded to work. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians “If anyone is not willing to work, he should not eat.” [3:10] And he wrote to Timothy that families were responsible for the support of their relatives, particularly members of their household. [1 Timothy 5:8]
But work does much more than pay rent and put food on the table. It helps us develop our God given skills and talents and use them for God’s glory. God is creative, productive, and insightful and we are like Him. Work gives us purpose and fulfillment. We get up in the morning not to just survive but to thrive as we contribute to the wellbeing of our families as well as society. Also, we achieve mastery in areas of giftedness as we pursue those God given passions such as music, writing, math, art, engineering, architecture, and fashion.
Work is good but it should not be all consuming. How much of your day is devoted to your job or career?
–The rhythm of rest.
The command to rest from labor is given in Exodus 20:8-10. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work.” NLT
“A good God has ordained regular rhythms of rest for those who worship him,” writes Jen Wilkin in her book “Ten Words to Live By.”2
The Hebrew word shabat translated as Sabbath means “cease.” Wilkin explains, “More than the deliberate cessation of work for the purpose of decompressing, Sabbath is the deliberate cessation of any activity that might reinforce my belief in my own self-sufficiency.”
It is not a spa day or lunch out with friends, a day on the golf course or shopping because we are asking others to labor on our behalf.
Have you developed a rhythm of rest, ceasing labor, and trusting in God’s provision?
–The rhythm of worship.
Church is a part of the rhythm of worship. God designed the tabernacle right after the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt and guided to the Promised Land. Once settled, they continued to assemble for worship. Eventually a temple was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem.
Christians are to gather for worship as well. We meet to listen to a pastor/teacher so we will be equipped to do the work of the ministry. We learn how to apply Scripture so that we become servants like Jesus Christ and spread the gospel to all the world making disciples. The local church is also a place where believers exhort and encourage one another.
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 NLT
Communion, also taken at church, is a key element of the rhythm of worship. Jesus initiated it at the Passover meal the night before his crucifixion. He broke bread into pieces symbolizing His body and took a cup of wine symbolizing His blood poured out as a sacrifice and shared it with His disciples. He commanded, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
I see that my rhythm is work heavy and void of Sabbath. Therefore, I plan to adjust. How is your schedule? If you have wandered like I have I hope you will join me in establishing godly rhythms of work, rest, and worship.
Image from Pixabay
©2024 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved
Resources:
1-“7 Feasts, Finding Christ in the Sacred Celebrations of the Old Testament” by Erin Davis. Published by Moody Publishers, Chicago.
2-“Ten Words to Live By, Delighting in and Doing What God Commands” by Jen Wilkin. Published by Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois.