Reading out of 2 Samuel this morning I was reminded of the reason, or at least one of the reasons, why we struggle with this idea of a Sabbath, this notion of rest. Start by looking around at others (typically easier for us to point out faults in others) and simply watch how hectic their lives are, the unsustainable pace, frantically moving from one task to another, one place to another, always moving, always going, always something. Now take a look, maybe a glance, at least a peak, inward and examine your daily life, your routine.
What’s it look like?
What are you doing?
Where are you going?
Who are you ignoring?
What are you chasing after?
As I said above I was reading from 2 Samuel this morning. As a matter of fact, take a few minutes and read 2 Samuel 11-12:23. Go ahead. Read it. What’s it say? What’s it tell you? What is it that we are supposed to learn from the life of David? Can you relate? Is it you?
I believe this story captures the very essence of why we struggle to find rest. I believe this story gets to the root of the issue and then some. The story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah shows just how selfish we can be. We see something we like…we have to have it. Someone gets in our way…we get them out of the way. We want more. There’s never enough. The grass is always greener…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that most of you have had someone killed in order to take their spouse, BUT I’m sure each of you has, in the past, maybe recent past, been driven to acquire something MORE. For David it was a woman. For you it might be a car, a house, some clothes, a position at work, a task, a goal, a SOMETHING that you DIDN’T HAVE and DIDN’T NEED. I do it. I’m sure you do it. David did it. The question is why do we do it and how do we stop it (ok, that was 2 questions).
Why do we do it?
We neglect rest, we ignore the people around us, and forgo our health in order to get the next big thing because we believe that thing will FULFILL THE VOID within us that ONLY JESUS CAN FILL! We start to trust in stuff, in something other than Jesus to find peace, to find rest, to be made whole. This is why we must keep up the pace. After we get one thing and enjoy a few fleeting moments of happiness, we immediately get up and must chase after the next. Instead of making room in our heart for Jesus, we clear out room in our stomachs for stuff. We trample our spiritual appetite and raise up our material appetite. We live as idolaters.
How do we stop it?
First and foremost you’ve gotta know this, nobody can MAKE you stop, nobody can CONVINCE you of the problem, nobody can TELL you what to do. You have to CHOOSE to get better (even now you’re asking, “Get better from what?” —my point exactly). I’ll state it as clearly as I possibly can: Jesus must become your EVERYTHING. When Jesus becomes your everything, you won’t need anything else. You won’t need that bigger house. You won’t need that new car. You won’t need the fancy clothes. You won’t need that online affair. You won’t need that addiction. You won’t need the baggage of your past. You won’t need any of this because you’ll have Jesus.
With Jesus your perspective changes from I NEED and I WANT to I ALREADY HAVE. And when you realize that you already have all that you need, you’ll be able to rest, to stop chasing after everything else. A Sabbath makes sense once you stop dwelling on the stuff you DON’T HAVE and focus on WHO HAS YOU!
What are you chasing after?
What’s it look like?
What are you doing?
Where are you going?
Who are you ignoring?
What are you chasing after?
As I said above I was reading from 2 Samuel this morning. As a matter of fact, take a few minutes and read 2 Samuel 11-12:23. Go ahead. Read it. What’s it say? What’s it tell you? What is it that we are supposed to learn from the life of David? Can you relate? Is it you?
I believe this story captures the very essence of why we struggle to find rest. I believe this story gets to the root of the issue and then some. The story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah shows just how selfish we can be. We see something we like…we have to have it. Someone gets in our way…we get them out of the way. We want more. There’s never enough. The grass is always greener…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that most of you have had someone killed in order to take their spouse, BUT I’m sure each of you has, in the past, maybe recent past, been driven to acquire something MORE. For David it was a woman. For you it might be a car, a house, some clothes, a position at work, a task, a goal, a SOMETHING that you DIDN’T HAVE and DIDN’T NEED. I do it. I’m sure you do it. David did it. The question is why do we do it and how do we stop it (ok, that was 2 questions).
Why do we do it?
We neglect rest, we ignore the people around us, and forgo our health in order to get the next big thing because we believe that thing will FULFILL THE VOID within us that ONLY JESUS CAN FILL! We start to trust in stuff, in something other than Jesus to find peace, to find rest, to be made whole. This is why we must keep up the pace. After we get one thing and enjoy a few fleeting moments of happiness, we immediately get up and must chase after the next. Instead of making room in our heart for Jesus, we clear out room in our stomachs for stuff. We trample our spiritual appetite and raise up our material appetite. We live as idolaters.
How do we stop it?
First and foremost you’ve gotta know this, nobody can MAKE you stop, nobody can CONVINCE you of the problem, nobody can TELL you what to do. You have to CHOOSE to get better (even now you’re asking, “Get better from what?” —my point exactly). I’ll state it as clearly as I possibly can: Jesus must become your EVERYTHING. When Jesus becomes your everything, you won’t need anything else. You won’t need that bigger house. You won’t need that new car. You won’t need the fancy clothes. You won’t need that online affair. You won’t need that addiction. You won’t need the baggage of your past. You won’t need any of this because you’ll have Jesus.
With Jesus your perspective changes from I NEED and I WANT to I ALREADY HAVE. And when you realize that you already have all that you need, you’ll be able to rest, to stop chasing after everything else. A Sabbath makes sense once you stop dwelling on the stuff you DON’T HAVE and focus on WHO HAS YOU!
What are you chasing after?
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