For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
~1 Corinthians 3

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
~Matthew 11

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered
God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
​~Hebrews 4

I enjoy Labor Day. We fire up the grill and watch something good, maybe play some games, a day to power down, enjoy family and the good things in life. I'm taken with two thoughts as we take (for the most part) a well deserved day off.

1. Sabbath is a good thing and we should practice it with more discipline than we do.

The greatest culture ever has it right on this one. It is a good thing to pause work and focus on the most important things in life on the regular. To step out of rhythm and into rest.

Yes, things happen, emergencies and necessary motion will sometimes compell us into action - and the Sabbath was made for us, not us for it, as Jesus wisely states.

At the same time, our culture places efficiency, growth, and production way above our families and our own mental health. IN the original this wasn't one of the 10 Suggestions, but it was a divine note of Command.

So take it seriously. Find some time to rest, invest in your friends and family. Invest in your connection with God and the things that sacredly surround us. Take some time to cherish... and remember.

Rest.

2. The second thing that occurs to me is that maybe (just maybe) I've been reading the passage about God's easy yoke incompletely.

Yokes came in different forms, in single, double and multiple yokes connecting horses and teams of oxen in ancient forms of agriculture.

One of the more common was the bracket fixing two oxen together allowing them to share the burden of the plow. If one was more tired, or more weak, the other could pick up the slack.

Here's the idea.

If we're working WITH God, the effort we put forward finds really interesting and effective help. He doesn't need us or our humanpower, but still chooses to make us a part of the mystery of His working. Real meaningful participation in the good works in the earth.

At the same time, He doesn't make His will or His moving dependent on our effort. Instead, He fills the sails of our ship with His presence, and the yoke of our labor with His power.

Part of the curse in the garden was that for us, work becomes grindy toil. Bleah.

But the flip side of that is that the Cross undoes the curse, making work meaningful, fruitful, and with God infused goodness, work becomes a source of incredible effect and deep seated contentment.

So work hard, work well, work with God and as much as you can, stop pulling against Him and His help.

And for a day this month, don't pull at all, just take moment to breathe and to...

​Rest.

We are working on content for a sister ministry that will shape the future of the Surge!

But the beginning point is always prayer - check out this article - but don't just read it... let the idea of prayer sink in deeply enough, to actually take a few moments to pray. 

Check it out here...


https://www.genmission.com/blog/extraordinary-prayer-e-reiss