By Mandy Smith
On Labor Day weekend we reflect on both the value of work and the value of rest.
The Department of Laborโs statement on Labor Day says, in part, โIt is appropriate . . . that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nationโs strength, freedom, and leadershipโthe American worker.โ
Itโs fitting for a nation to show appreciation to those workers by giving them a day off from their work. On Labor Day we rest from our own work.
Thereโs a different holiday we celebrate every Sundayโan invitation to rest because of Godโs work.
Hebrews 4 reminds us of Godโs people wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. This journey from Egypt to the promised land didnโt usually take 40 years, but because the people had hard hearts, God kept that generation from entering into his promised rest.
Hebrews 3 (quoting Psalm 95) says: โToday, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did . . . during the time of testing in the wilderness. . . . So I declared on oath in my anger, โThey shall never enter my restโโ (3:7, 8, 11).
In the workplace we learn: โYou donโt get to rest because you havenโt worked hard enough.โ But this is not the way with God. He says, โYou donโt enter my rest because your hearts are too hard.โ
If our hearts are hard, we keep on working . . . keep on trying to be better. How can we ever receive Godโs promises when we arenโt willing to rest in them? How can we ever rest if we donโt believe his work is enough?
Hebrews 4 expands on this:
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters Godโs rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. . . . Since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. . . . Let us then approach Godโs throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of needโ (Hebrews 4:9, 10, 14-16).
God was not angry because his people didnโt work hard enough. God was angry because the people werenโt willing to trust in his work. Today, will you soften your hearts so you can rest in the promise that Jesusโ sacrifice is enough?
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Originally from Australia, Mandy Smith is pastor of University Christian Church, a campus and neighborhood congregation with its own fair-trade cafรฉ in Cincinnati. She is the author of The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry.
Author: Christian Standard
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