Photo by Toolstotal

I came across a profound statement from Derek Prince the other day that I hope you will take the time to ponder. He stated it in the context of resting.

I have come to believe that if I am busy seven days a week, every week, I am not pleasing God. Moreover, I am sure to endanger my health with this degree of busyness. God is doing something in my heart about Sabbath rest. I believe He can do something in your heart, too, that will cause you naturally to keep His divine, eternal, unchanging laws.

We can consider these questions as we meditate on this call to enter God’s rest:

Are we making the best use of our time?
Do we really know what it means to rest?
Are we capable of disciplining ourselves to stop doing things, even mentally?
Can we ever lie down and stop thinking of what we ought to be doing?

God is more concerned with character than with achievements. Achievements are important only in the realm of time, but character is eternal. It determines what we will be throughout eternity. (Derek Prince, Declaring God’s Word)

Those last three sentences are worth thinking over. As my natural strength ebbs, and I can’t get much done anymore, I can have peace and can rest that God has another standard. Others have different impediments to achieving very much in this life, but it may be those very impediments which give that person a boatload of character they bring with them into eternity. Frank Murray always reminded me that, “It’s not what I do. It’s who I am that God is after.”

Our best use of time on the Sabbath is to believe He will take care of the “things” and “problems” and enter into His rest. As with so many things with God, we first need to believe in order to enter.  Believe His promises, believe He has your best interests at heart, and believe His directions. Now enter His Rest desiring Him above all else. He is there waiting for you. He desires you and time with you far more than what you do. Somehow, in the Divine Plan, Sabbath keeping changes who I am, and who you are. Sabbath keeping is our statement of faith, if you will, that we are not run by the realm of time, but by the realm of eternity. May you have a special, eternal time with God this day!

God bless you,
David