Work From Your Rest

In August, I wrote about rest, calling it "Something Sabbath" http://offootprintsandfaith.blogspot.com/2012/08/something-sabbath.html.  In my theology class yesterday, my pastor (the professor of the class) said something I heard before from him but this time it connected, deep and meaningful as a washing wave over me.  I find this time in my life filled with much to do, and, the much to do is increasing, pressing other things out of my life temporarily.  This time is a season of creativity, a season of variety, a season of hope for this seasoned soul. 

My life is filled with gift use opportunities.  I start every day early, rising in prayer and listening for the still, quiet voice of my LORD, press on to this creative response of writing, and then move on to my day.  This morning, I will join the worship team at church, playing my guitars and using my voice harmoniously, adding the musical piece of my life to the corporate gathering of worship.  I will then meet with a dear brother from Indiana (he leads the teacher conference I join in Bosnia) wondering if I will join him yet again to teach, or not in Livno again.  Finally moving on to my day of work at Lowe's.  Tomorrow, Carrie and I will work on the bathroom remodel, finishing my day running sound for the worship team rehearsal.  And, the week goes on...I have plenty to do, having not even addressed the writing/editing work always at bay, awaiting my diligence of time and tenacity. 

My recent forgings into resting from my work, taking a sabbath, collided with deeper consideration as my pastor, Brian Craig, spoke of pendular swing between abiding and fruit bearing.  Abiding is what we do when we are not consumed by the working.  Some may call it resting, but it is dramatically different form of resting, and if we get this right, dramatically, abiding will have monumental influence as we work.  Fruit bearing is participating with God in such a way that effective transformation toward pure living in ourselves and others occur.  What my pastor said was,

"Rather than resting from our work, we should work from our rest."

And, he went on to discuss rest as abiding.  As I continue evaluating the discussion, processing what he said by chewing on and interacting with my LORD, the meaning deepened and moved my understanding.  To abide means to continue in a particular condition, to stay with, remain, await, to have one's abode.  Pastor Brian went on to talk about things we do that demonstrate abiding with God, things like prayer, rest, simplicity, worship, meditation, divine reading, hiking, listening and the like.  Fruitfulness can be working, ministry, evangelism and service.  But what if my fruit (work, ministry, evangelism and service) rose out of my abiding and rest instead of me seeking escape from work etc.?  If done properly, should I not diligently seek the rest as that which charges me work from instead of work toward?

Thus finishes the thought of my "Something Sabbath" blog, for I now cherish and require weekly rest to ensure my work is fruitful, working from what I hear and learn in that time of rest.  My pastor also stated that the Israelites were in captivity the same number of days that they skipped honoring God in Sabbath (I need to verify this as true soon).  He also posited that the day after God created man, He rested...the first full day of man was spent as God rested, man starting as God rested, joining Him in that rest as the first thing on our list of to do's.   

This changes everything.  I no longer see sabbath as resting from my work alone, but rather that which will allow my work fruitfulness as I work from my rest.  It is imperative that I find abiding time.  It is essential that I disengage from the tasks of other days finding abiding time.  I can do things that refresh and renew in this time of abiding, so it need not be 'taskless'.  But I must be careful that it not look the same as the rest of my week.  Something tells me that as I work from abiding, I will be given much fruit in life.  Not just success and income, but the real stuff of value, love, peace, gentleness, self-control, and joy.  It is time to work from our rest.