I once heard of this Production company, their main plant machinery engine had failed. The management hired several ‘industry experts’ but after much costs and empty troubleshoots, none of them could solve the problem.
Eventually, they brought in an old man who had been fixing engines for many years. After inspecting the huge engine for a minute or two, the old man pulled a hammer out of his tool bag and gently tapped on the engine. Immediately the engine sprung back into life. A week later, the owners of the business received an invoice from the old man for $10,000. Flabbergasted, they wrote to the old man asking him to send through an itemised bill.
The man replied with a bill that said:
Use of a hammer: $1.00 Knowing where to tap: $9999.00!!!
You see even though effort is important, having the wisdom to know where to put that effort makes all the difference. The old man walked away after his ‘rested-work’ $10,000 richer!
The subject of rest in the bible is huge, God himself had to rest on the 7th day, He called it sabbath. In the new testament however, Jesus became our sabbath, it therefore ceased to be a day’s event but rather a personality. We find ourselves in God’s presence where our souls get renewed, and then from that place of strength and rest we face whatever comes our way. In our 24hour economy though, Rest is an enstranged phenomenon. Most People when they clock off from work, and by work, I mean their formal jobs, they use that time to sort out other personal/family projects and demands. The only rest they know, is when they are sleeping.
Be that as it may, many do actually take time off work just to rest and unwind, before going back to their normal daily routine. My question to you however is, Do you typically rest off from your work or do you work from a place of rest? There is a gigantic difference between the two. It seems to me that very few people in reality work from a place of rest. So you may ask, how do I work from a place of rest? Glad you asked… The following are a few pointers I picked up that are meant to encourage us not just to rest but to actually work from a place of rest.
1. WORKING WITH THE LORD…… Mark 16:20 says that the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed their message by accompanying signs. If you’ve ever done any sales job before you’d know the most challenging part of a sales job is actually ‘closing the sale’….The disciples here didn’t have to struggle with that, They only had to preach, the rest was the Lord’s part. Clear separation of duties if you ask me. Your work becomes sweet and easier when you work with the ‘Best friend and colleague’ you can ever get, the Holy Spirit. And because He is stronger and wiser than you, he picks the hardest roles and let’s you do the easier ones. Joshua knew this secret and partnered with Him in His battles, and in all his fights, the Lord always did more than Joshua and his armies could ever do on their own.
2. Be Loosey-Goosey… Its being intentional on Relaxing, taking a chill pill, casting your cares on Him, let him worry for you. Understand you can’t fix everything and everyone, but He can. Knowing this gives you peace of mind, that no matter what happens God’s got you covered. Whenever you catch yourself worrying, snap out of it! A worried man is not a rested man. Be anxious for nothing, the good book says, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds.
3. Wisdom is better than muscles 💪. The subject of Wisdom is a big one when it comes to working from rest. It entails using minimal effort to yield maximum returns. It guides you in knowing what to do and how to do it, finding the right people for the right task, sharpening your skills and adding some value to your life. The fact remains that in an organisational setting, the junior ranking officials do the hardest menial tasks; for If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but wisdom brings success (Ecc 10:10). So if you’d rather work from the position of rest, I suggest that since Wisdom is the principal thing; get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7
4. Finding your purpose and making it your job. Fulfilment of purpose is one of the best feeling that God ever made. That you’re doing exactly what God designed you do, is both therapeutic and satisfying. Your job will always feel like leisure play, rather than labour or ‘slaving for the system’ as they call it. Finding one’s true life purpose I know has been a baffling task for many, but it really isn’t that difficult. The easiest way is to go to God. Tarry there. Wait on Him, He will tell you exactly why you’re Here. That is exactly what the Scriptures meant when they said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets. No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
So, are you functioning from a position of rest?
Jmy.
wordsword.org 