Episode #24: The Sabbath Connection to Burnout

The Theme of the Month is Burnout and the  Word of the Week is rest. Following is the corresponding devotional -- the text version of the podcast segment. Mentioned resources and links from the Desk to Desk audio only segment are at the end of the devotional.

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Rest. 

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus calls to us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Burnout is a common experience among Christians yet the topic of rest is a common theme throughout Scripture. 

Rest, at its simplest definition, is simply to stop or pause work for a while. Now, we know work is good. I did a whole episode on why work is good last year. But work non-stop --that’s definitely not good. That’s not God’s plan nor has it ever been. 

Right from the beginning, God included rest in His plan for the world and He even set His own example. 

 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. - Genesis 2:2-3

God rested. He wasn’t tired. He never gets tired. But He rested. Why? Why would He rest? 

Well, of course He knew we would need it. He knew mankind -- especially after the fall -- would be exhausted after a hard day’s work let alone a week’s work. But He also -- being omniscient and knowing everything -- knew the temptation we all face in wanting to overwork and forget to worship our God.  So he gave us a whole day of rest and even wrote it in stone in the fourth commandment. 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

This commandment is truly a gift to us that helps us stay physically and spiritually healthy.

But like a diamond, the longer we hold God’s plan of rest to the light, the more facets we see and the more beautiful it becomes. 

Another way God uses His plan of weekly Sabbath rest is to remind us of the eternal, spiritual rest we have in Christ. 

By observing the Sabbath every week -- whether that’s Saturday or Sunday --  God’s people have always had a weekly reminder of the eternal rest we have in Christ. Yes, that’s talking about Heaven but it’s also a reminder of Jesus’ final  work on the cross in our behalf. 

In Hebrews 10, we read, “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,  waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.  For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

His work is finished and those who trust in His work on the cross are granted access to His eternal rest. Which starts now. 

Now about burnout, our theme of the month . . .

There are many different circumstances that can lead to burnout -- and I don’t know what yours is if you’re struggling in this area -- but if you do find yourself exhausted physically and spiritually, striving to get things done because deep down you’re trying to earn God’s acceptance or the acceptance of others, then this truth is for you. 

Jesus paid all of your sin debt on the cross and if you have trusted in Him for salvation, you no longer have to worry about earning anything spiritually for your work and your good works here on earth. You can rest completely in the work of Jesus Christ. 

God accepts you because your sin is paid for. He has forgiven you and His promise of eternal rest remains for you. 

This is part of the reason why the gospel -- God’s plan for salvation -- is so life-changing. 

Because once we are saved, we are always accepted by God -- and that makes everything okay. We may not be accepted by others -- especially after we are accepted by God in salvation (Scripture actually teaches that we shouldn’t be surprised when we aren’t). So your priority is to serve God because you love Him -- not because you’re trying to earn anything from Him or others. 

You can literally rest in this truth. 

And every time Sunday rolls around, you have a reminder of this truth. Christ reconciled you to God through His own work on the cross and now you don’t have to. Focus on serving him out of love, not because He requires it before accepting you as His child. 

This week, let’s also remember that just how we don’t  have to work to earn God’s acceptance, we simply trust in Jesus work on the cross -- we also don’t have to take all the burdens of the world on our shoulders as we work here on earth.

We need to work hard but we need to trust the Lord to guide our paths and to provide and to help us through difficult times. We take way too much on our shoulders. The same God who saves us eternally also helps us daily. 

Remember Jesus’ call to us in the book of Matthew “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

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Desk to Desk Links and Resources:

The question of the week is: 

What did you learn from the preaching of God’s Word this Sunday?

Email me at [email protected] or comment or message me on Instagram or Facebook. 

Article: What Does It Mean that Jesus Is Our Sabbath Rest?

Article: What Say Is the Sabbath, Saturday or Sunday?

Resource:  Christianbook.com (a promising alternative to Amazon for Christian resources)