The command to rest was written into God’s rhythm for life on earth, and was an instruction given to his people from the very beginning.

Jesus demonstrated his human need for rest (including quiet time alone, and down-time with His disciples) with prolific frequency.

So, what can we learn from that? That he’d got it all done in time for chilling? Or that he knew how badly he needed quiet time with His father in order to sustain him in his mission. If we look at the OG rest Psalm (23), we see that the green pastures and still waters of heavenly rest aren’t actually promised as relief from life’s woes, but are to be found right in the midst of them.

By Hannah Flint

Part of maturing as a Christian is learning to identify and live within the limits God places on our lives. There are limits to our capacity, our resources, our gifting and our calling. When we push beyond the boundaries of where God would have us we end up causing ourselves and others pain, and harming our relationship with him. We do this inevitably when we reject God’s lordship of our lives and choose to become arbiters of our own destiny. Jesus calls us back to himself. He loves us too much to see us hurt ourselves by stretching ourselves too thin. We can trust his limits to enable us to thrive.

By Ed Flint