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I'LL GIVE YOU REST 

Rest is blessed. 

Growth demands rest. In three years of ministry Jesus took time to rest. With that, he also promised rest to those who would come to him. If we are going to be effective in our lives, we need to learn to rest and replenish. So in a hurried world how can we live unhurried? 

First, it takes work to rest; we must set ourselves up to rest well. Do the work, reply to the emails, then finish! Put the phone on flight mode, put it away, clean the house, whatever you need to do so you can wake up and enjoy rest. Plan a holiday where you can switch off and rest.  Here’s a great pattern we can follow: rest, focus on what’s important, work hard, finish, and return to a place of rest.

Second, we need to have Godly customs around rest. WWJD? He would go to church each Sunday. He would be found in the House of God. Church is not about having to achieve and perform; it is about leaning into God. It is about worshipping Him and receiving from Him. Sunday is a great way to bring our worship back to Him on our day of rest. 

Finally, use rest to invest relationally. WWJD? Jesus was incredibly successful in his ministry. Crowds chased after him, but He would often withdraw from life's pressures to invest in his relationship with God. He also had a spot with his disciples, his key relationships, where they would withdraw from the crowds and invest into one another. The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your relationships. Everybody has the same amount of time, but not everyone uses their time as well. Use your rest time to invest in your relationship with God, and the most important relationships in your world. Rest to invest. 

Rest is a place that God designed for us and that we can enter into. So today, ask yourself what brings me joy? What refreshes me? What habits have I created or can I create around resting well? Pray that God would help you live a life unhurried and a life full of rest.