Ten Steps to Your Best Life by Brent Crowe Sample

DAY 4 - Rest: Take Comfort in Redemption Rest

While rest is a gift from God, it has been largely lost in our fast-paced society. We are constantly trying to accomplish a never-ending to-do list, desperately pursuing and projecting a lifestyle that will never make us happy, or just simply trying to keep up with the demands created by the needs of those around us. We are a people busy with the business of getting more done. Yet on the inside, we are screaming, “There has to be a better way!”

A better way is exactly what Jesus teaches. Reread today’s Scripture and consider: What is the prerequisite for experiencing rest from the fatigue of simply trying to do life and Christianity well? Are you weary and burdened? Are you trying too hard to be the perfect version of what you think you should be? 

The central message of Scripture is that God is with us, working in and through history so that the Messiah could be born and set his people free. Jesus has made us free; he has redeemed us from the bondage of sin. And if we are redeemed, then Jesus is relationally present throughout the entirety of our lives, and his presence is sustaining. Plainly stated, God’s provision for our lives is God’s presence in our lives. Therefore, we can rest in the journey no matter how difficult it may be because God is with us. We have been given redemption rest because the Redeemer is forever present. 

Jesus teaches us to discover rest by saying, “Take up my yoke and learn from me.” A yoke was typically a piece of wood placed on two or more animals so they could labor in harmony. Now, a farmer who needed a yoke would typically go to a carpenter and have one crafted to fit his animals. Jesus had learned carpentry working in Joseph’s shop. It is quite possible that he would have carved many yokes throughout his life. Now here is where the imagery gets fun. If the yoke was a tool of submission for animals so they could work in harmony, the yoke Jesus refers to is his ways and teachings. It is an invitation for the redeemed to live in harmony with the Redeemer. 

Additionally, the word, easy, refers to a yoke that had been custom-made according to the dimensions of the animal that would wear it. Jesus was saying that each one of us is tailor-made to be in a relationship with him. A life worth living operates harmoniously under the authority of Jesus. In other words, when we submit to God’s paradigm for living, it fits in a way that functions according to our original purpose. Rest will be enjoyed when our journey is following in the footsteps of Jesus and his teachings.   

What now?  

• Make a list that answers the following two questions:
      
  • Where is there fatigue in my life?  
  • What is the cause or the why for the fatigue?    
• Next to each example and cause for fatigue, ask this question: Is that area of my life in harmony with the teachings of Scripture? What steps need to be taken to realign parts of your life so that you can experience rest in the journey?