Newish You – “Setting the Margin”

At the start of a new year, many of us are looking for something to look forward to – a goal, a sense of hope, a way forward. But instead of doing more, perhaps God may be inviting us to do less. Scripture consistently points to rest not as a reward for exhaustion, but as a rhythm built into the way we were created to live. God leads his people into rest, margin, and renewal – and invites us to reconsider rest as an act of trust in him.

1.  Rest is the Plan, not the Reaction (Psalms 23; Genesis 2:2-3)

• As the 23^rd Psalm makes clear, rest is something God leads us into, like a Good Shepherd leading his flock into places of rest and safety.
• Rest is often misunderstood as a reward after we’ve exhausted ourselves with effort, rather than something we’re invited to plan for and protect as a rhythm of life.  But as the creation story in Genesis makes clear, God didn’t rest because he was “tired” – rest was part of his plan from the beginning.
• Making rest a planned priority reflects a beautiful trust in God, a decision to step back and allow God to provide while we take a break from striving. It’s a healthy demonstration of our dependence on him.

2.  The Three Lies of Exhaustion (Habakkuk 2:5)

• The greatest enemy of real rest is a lie – three lies, to be exact. As the Biblical prophet Habakkuk points out, the real issue that keeps us from resting as God intended is our insatiable desire for “more” – a desire that can and will never satisfy us.  The “three lies of exhaustion” are:  
  
  1. Laziness, Distraction or Finish Lines are My Margin – We so easily fall into the trap of “resting” in ways that are bad for us – like being lazy and procrastinating when real work needs to be done, or “doom scrolling” on our phones as we “rest.” And we buy into the lie that “I’ll be able to rest when…” – a finish line that never comes.
  2. Exhaustion is a Sin to be Hidden – In a productivity-driven culture, “needing rest” is seen as weakness – so we hide our exhaustion and feel like we have to justify resting – instead of embracing it as an act of faith and trust in God.
  3. Busyness is a Status Symbol – Similarly, to be busy (or “really busy”!) has become shorthand for being important and valued and worthy of respect – so we embrace being “on” 24/7 and avoid rest.

3.  A Joyful Proposal: Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:27)

• “Sabbath” is well known as a command – in fact, it’s one of the Ten Commandments – but it has often been misunderstood. It was never intended by God to be a burden on his people, but rather a gift – a day blessed and set apart (for us) by God.  Jesus made that point very clearly in Mark 2.
• From the beginning, the rhythm of Sabbath was intended to be joyful – a rhythm of stopping, resting, delighting in God’s creation, and worshipping him for all that he has given us.
• By intentionally stopping, resting, delighting and worshipping one day out of seven, our rest becomes an act of defiance against the lie that the only way to get more is to do more. And it’s an even bigger act of faith – trusting that God will “open the jar” for us and take care of our needs while we rest.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE

These passages may provide additional insights related to the subject of this week’s message. All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted.

Exodus 23:12; Psalms 4:8; Psalms 127:1-2; Isaiah 30:15; Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 4:9-11

Video of the Week: Sabbath by the Bible Project

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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

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1. When someone asks, "How are you doing?" do you find yourself saying "busy"?  What do you think that reveals about how you (or we as a culture) measure worth and value?

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2. If you’re honest with yourself, what prevents you from resting in a planned and healthy way? Is it pressure, guilt, fear, expectations, or something else?

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3. Read Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11 and Mark 2:27 again.  How does the biblical progression from God “resting” in the creation account, to Sabbath being commanded in the Ten Commandments, to Jesus teaching that “Sabbath was made for man” help develop your understanding of the intent and purpose of Sabbath?

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4. Habakkuk 2:5 connects wealth, arrogance, and restlessness—describing those who are "never satisfied" like "the grave" and "death." How does this prophetic critique relate to the Sabbath command, and what does it reveal about the spiritual dangers of our productivity culture?

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5. The early church shifted Sabbath observance to Sunday as a celebration of the resurrection. How might understanding Sabbath rest in light of Christ's finished work on the cross shape how we practice it today?
   
   
   
   
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6. What are some of the best rest (Sabbath) practices you have found that you would share with others?  If you take a sabbath, what do you do to Stop, Rest, Delight, and Worship?

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