My Mission in the Marketplace Part 4: "Work is Good; But So is Rest" (A 5-day Devotional)
Day 1: The Rhythm of Creation
Reading: Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11
Devotional:
When God rested on the seventh day, He wasn't exhausted. The Creator of galaxies doesn't grow weary. Instead, He was establishing a pattern for human flourishing. God declared the seventh day holy—set apart—not because work is bad, but because rest is sacred.
Notice the progression: God worked six days creating everything we see, and each day He declared it "good." But on the seventh day, He did something different. He stopped. He rested. He made the day holy.
This wasn't about God's need; it was about ours. In His wisdom, He knew we would fill every moment with activity, mistaking busyness for importance and productivity for purpose. The Sabbath command is the longest of the Ten Commandments because God knew we would need detailed instruction on something that feels counterintuitive: stopping.
When you rest, you're not being lazy or inefficient. You're participating in the divine rhythm established at creation itself. You're declaring that your world doesn't fall apart when you stop holding it together. You're acknowledging that God is God, and you are not.
Reflection Questions:
Prayer: Lord, teach me the sacred art of rest. Help me trust that You hold my world together even when I stop working. Give me the faith to set aside one day to focus wholly on You.
Day 2: Breaking the Idols
Reading: Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Colossians 2:16-17
Devotional:
The Sabbath command appears immediately after the prohibitions against false gods and idolatry. This isn't coincidental. Rest is one of God's primary weapons against the idols that compete for our hearts.
Consider what drives your constant activity. Is it the technology that makes you omnipresent and available 24/7? Is it competition—the fear that someone will take your position if you slow down? Is it the pursuit of worth, finding your value in being busy and productive? Or is it wealth, always wanting more and believing one more deal will finally satisfy?
Bill Gates once said religion isn't efficient because of all that time spent on Sunday mornings. He's right, in a way. Sabbath isn't efficient for building empires or maximizing productivity. But that's precisely the point. When we stop to rest and worship, we're declaring that the empire isn't ultimate. The career isn't supreme. The bank account isn't God.
Sabbath tests our trust. It asks: "Do you believe God will provide even when you're not producing? Can you set aside your idols for one day and watch your world not collapse?" This is why many people, even believers, struggle with genuine rest. We've made work, achievement, or security into functional saviors, and saviors don't get days off.
Reflection Questions:
Prayer: Father, expose the idols in my life that masquerade as necessities. Give me courage to set them down and trust that You are enough. Help me rest in Your provision rather than my production.
Day 3: Freedom from Slavery
Reading: Deuteronomy 5:15; Galatians 5:1
Devotional:
In Deuteronomy, God connects Sabbath observance to the exodus from Egypt: "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out." This is profound. Sabbath isn't just about physical rest; it's a weekly reenactment of emancipation.
In Egypt, the Israelites weren't treated as human beings created in God's image. They were production units in Pharaoh's brick-making system. Their value was measured solely by their output. Sound familiar?
Anyone who cannot observe Sabbath is still enslaved—whether to cultural expectations, family pressures, organizational demands, or personal insecurities. Your inability to rest reveals who really owns you. Are you free in Christ, or are you still a slave to the taskmaster of achievement?
Sabbath is a declaration of freedom. It announces: "I am not a slave to my culture's definition of success, my employer's demands, my family's expectations, or my own drivenness. I belong to God, and He has set me free."
This requires an act of the will that must become a habit. It's countercultural and often feels irresponsible. But consider Chick-fil-A, which closes every Sunday to honor this principle. They thrive not despite working less, but because they've ordered their priorities around God's design. This isn't a formula for wealth, but a testimony that God honors those who honor Him.
Reflection Questions:
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came to set the captives free. Break the chains that keep me in constant motion. Help me live as one who has been liberated, not as one still enslaved to the world's demands.
Day 4: Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath
Reading: Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 6:1-11; Hebrews 4:9-11
Devotional:
When the Pharisees criticized Jesus' disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus made a stunning declaration: "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." He wasn't abolishing the Sabbath; He was revealing its true meaning. The Sabbath points to Him.
Jesus invites the weary and burdened: "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This is the deeper rest that physical Sabbath represents—soul rest. It's the rest of knowing that everything is finished, everything is done, and everything is good.
Think about God's rest on the seventh day. He wasn't exhausted; He was satisfied. The work was complete. "It is good," He declared repeatedly. Then He rested in that satisfaction. This is what Jesus offers us—the rest of total satisfaction in Him.
Like Rocky training desperately to prove he wasn't just another bum from the neighborhood, we work frantically to prove our worth. But Jesus says, "It is finished." Your worth isn't determined by going the distance or proving yourself. It's established by His completed work on the cross.
Sabbath isn't primarily about physical rest, though that's included. It's about turning our attention, focus, and faces to Christ to rest our souls in a dark world. Everyone is serving someone or something. Everyone is working toward something. But only when you make Christ the meaning of your life will you find real rest.
Reflection Questions:
Prayer: Jesus, You are Lord of the Sabbath and Lord of my rest. I bring You my weariness, my striving, my need to prove myself. Help me rest in Your finished work and find my satisfaction in You alone.
Day 5: The Community of Rest
Reading: Galatians 6:2; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 68:19; Hebrews 10:24-25
Devotional:
There's a beautiful paradox in Scripture. We're told to cast all our cares on God because He cares for us. We're assured that He bears our burdens daily. Yet we're also commanded to carry each other's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ through community.
Which is it? Both.
God strengthens us through the fellowship of community with other believers. The Sabbath isn't meant to be isolated rest; it's communal worship and renewal. When we gather with God's people, we remind each other of whose we are and what's truly important.
In our individualistic culture, we often think of rest as solitary—a personal day off, alone time, escape from people. But biblical rest includes community. It's worshiping together, bearing one another's burdens, encouraging each other in faith, and reminding one another that we're not slaves but children of God.
This is why the early church quickly established Sunday—the Lord's Day, resurrection day—as their day of gathering. They came together to worship, to remember Christ's finished work, to break bread, and to encourage one another
Prayer: Father, thank you for providing a community of believers for my encouragement. Help me to look to my community of faith to help me find the needed rest for my life.
Reading: Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11
Devotional:
When God rested on the seventh day, He wasn't exhausted. The Creator of galaxies doesn't grow weary. Instead, He was establishing a pattern for human flourishing. God declared the seventh day holy—set apart—not because work is bad, but because rest is sacred.
Notice the progression: God worked six days creating everything we see, and each day He declared it "good." But on the seventh day, He did something different. He stopped. He rested. He made the day holy.
This wasn't about God's need; it was about ours. In His wisdom, He knew we would fill every moment with activity, mistaking busyness for importance and productivity for purpose. The Sabbath command is the longest of the Ten Commandments because God knew we would need detailed instruction on something that feels counterintuitive: stopping.
When you rest, you're not being lazy or inefficient. You're participating in the divine rhythm established at creation itself. You're declaring that your world doesn't fall apart when you stop holding it together. You're acknowledging that God is God, and you are not.
Reflection Questions:
- What makes it difficult for you to rest?
- How does your schedule reflect what you truly worship?
- What would it look like to make one day holy—set apart for God?
Prayer: Lord, teach me the sacred art of rest. Help me trust that You hold my world together even when I stop working. Give me the faith to set aside one day to focus wholly on You.
Day 2: Breaking the Idols
Reading: Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Colossians 2:16-17
Devotional:
The Sabbath command appears immediately after the prohibitions against false gods and idolatry. This isn't coincidental. Rest is one of God's primary weapons against the idols that compete for our hearts.
Consider what drives your constant activity. Is it the technology that makes you omnipresent and available 24/7? Is it competition—the fear that someone will take your position if you slow down? Is it the pursuit of worth, finding your value in being busy and productive? Or is it wealth, always wanting more and believing one more deal will finally satisfy?
Bill Gates once said religion isn't efficient because of all that time spent on Sunday mornings. He's right, in a way. Sabbath isn't efficient for building empires or maximizing productivity. But that's precisely the point. When we stop to rest and worship, we're declaring that the empire isn't ultimate. The career isn't supreme. The bank account isn't God.
Sabbath tests our trust. It asks: "Do you believe God will provide even when you're not producing? Can you set aside your idols for one day and watch your world not collapse?" This is why many people, even believers, struggle with genuine rest. We've made work, achievement, or security into functional saviors, and saviors don't get days off.
Reflection Questions:
- What idol is most difficult for you to set aside for a day?
- How does your inability to rest reveal what you're really trusting in?
- What would change if you truly believed God provides even when you stop working?
Prayer: Father, expose the idols in my life that masquerade as necessities. Give me courage to set them down and trust that You are enough. Help me rest in Your provision rather than my production.
Day 3: Freedom from Slavery
Reading: Deuteronomy 5:15; Galatians 5:1
Devotional:
In Deuteronomy, God connects Sabbath observance to the exodus from Egypt: "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out." This is profound. Sabbath isn't just about physical rest; it's a weekly reenactment of emancipation.
In Egypt, the Israelites weren't treated as human beings created in God's image. They were production units in Pharaoh's brick-making system. Their value was measured solely by their output. Sound familiar?
Anyone who cannot observe Sabbath is still enslaved—whether to cultural expectations, family pressures, organizational demands, or personal insecurities. Your inability to rest reveals who really owns you. Are you free in Christ, or are you still a slave to the taskmaster of achievement?
Sabbath is a declaration of freedom. It announces: "I am not a slave to my culture's definition of success, my employer's demands, my family's expectations, or my own drivenness. I belong to God, and He has set me free."
This requires an act of the will that must become a habit. It's countercultural and often feels irresponsible. But consider Chick-fil-A, which closes every Sunday to honor this principle. They thrive not despite working less, but because they've ordered their priorities around God's design. This isn't a formula for wealth, but a testimony that God honors those who honor Him.
Reflection Questions:
- What enslaves you and prevents genuine rest?
- How would your life look different if you lived as a freed person rather than a slave?
- What practical step can you take this week to declare your freedom through rest?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came to set the captives free. Break the chains that keep me in constant motion. Help me live as one who has been liberated, not as one still enslaved to the world's demands.
Day 4: Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath
Reading: Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 6:1-11; Hebrews 4:9-11
Devotional:
When the Pharisees criticized Jesus' disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus made a stunning declaration: "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." He wasn't abolishing the Sabbath; He was revealing its true meaning. The Sabbath points to Him.
Jesus invites the weary and burdened: "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This is the deeper rest that physical Sabbath represents—soul rest. It's the rest of knowing that everything is finished, everything is done, and everything is good.
Think about God's rest on the seventh day. He wasn't exhausted; He was satisfied. The work was complete. "It is good," He declared repeatedly. Then He rested in that satisfaction. This is what Jesus offers us—the rest of total satisfaction in Him.
Like Rocky training desperately to prove he wasn't just another bum from the neighborhood, we work frantically to prove our worth. But Jesus says, "It is finished." Your worth isn't determined by going the distance or proving yourself. It's established by His completed work on the cross.
Sabbath isn't primarily about physical rest, though that's included. It's about turning our attention, focus, and faces to Christ to rest our souls in a dark world. Everyone is serving someone or something. Everyone is working toward something. But only when you make Christ the meaning of your life will you find real rest.
Reflection Questions:
- Are you working to prove your worth, or resting in Christ's finished work?
- What burden are you carrying that Jesus invites you to lay down?
- How can your Sabbath become more about encountering Christ than just taking a break?
Prayer: Jesus, You are Lord of the Sabbath and Lord of my rest. I bring You my weariness, my striving, my need to prove myself. Help me rest in Your finished work and find my satisfaction in You alone.
Day 5: The Community of Rest
Reading: Galatians 6:2; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 68:19; Hebrews 10:24-25
Devotional:
There's a beautiful paradox in Scripture. We're told to cast all our cares on God because He cares for us. We're assured that He bears our burdens daily. Yet we're also commanded to carry each other's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ through community.
Which is it? Both.
God strengthens us through the fellowship of community with other believers. The Sabbath isn't meant to be isolated rest; it's communal worship and renewal. When we gather with God's people, we remind each other of whose we are and what's truly important.
In our individualistic culture, we often think of rest as solitary—a personal day off, alone time, escape from people. But biblical rest includes community. It's worshiping together, bearing one another's burdens, encouraging each other in faith, and reminding one another that we're not slaves but children of God.
This is why the early church quickly established Sunday—the Lord's Day, resurrection day—as their day of gathering. They came together to worship, to remember Christ's finished work, to break bread, and to encourage one another
Prayer: Father, thank you for providing a community of believers for my encouragement. Help me to look to my community of faith to help me find the needed rest for my life.