A Rhythm of Rest
Where did the idea of a seven-day week come from? Throughout history, cultures have experimented with varying the number of days in a week, but the most enduring pattern for human work and rest is woven into how the Creator made us.
When God first created the world, He finished all He wanted to do in six days. He could have moved on to the next project on His to-do list, but instead, God intentionally rests and enjoys His creation. This is the standard pattern of work and rest created for us from the beginning.
How we create and produce reflects how we are created in His image. Just like God, we make things and name them. We work and then rest. When we intentionally stop working to enjoy the blessing of just being in a relationship with God, one another, and His world, we reflect His image, too.
When God rests, that does not indicate laziness or exhaustion from work. From the beginning, God models a rhythm of work followed by rest and reflection. Rather than pausing out of tiredness or when we finally finish our long list of projects, God asks us to plan a time to rest every week.
When it comes to knowing when it’s time to take a break, choose the rhythms of our Maker over our exhaustion-driven routines.
Justified by Faith
Paul, the writer of the letter to the church in Rome, covers the details of what is known as “the Gospel message”—a message that was handed down to them. It's packed with deep theological truths that are meant to shape the way Christians live.
One of the central components to the Gospel is that salvation comes through faith alone. That means we are saved by the power of God through believing and trusting in Jesus. Every Christian comes to God through faith—not through good deeds or by trying to earn salvation.
Paul says that we have peace with God by our faith in Jesus. Prior to that, we were considered ungodly and unrighteous—because we would live our lives in our own power, doing our own things. This led to separation from God.
However, by faith in Jesus, we are justified before Him. This means that through Jesus’ own right-living, we are made right before Him. Even though we still make mistakes, we can stand innocent before God because of Jesus.
It’s ...