Maybe you’ve noticed, but there are quite a few lies that are being pushed in our culture today. Here are a few of them:
Recognizing Cultural Lies
- That you can meet your core underlying needs of security / approval / identity (purpose) if you work hard and push yourself hard enough.
- That you can achieve more by doing more.
- That you can compromise on physical & spiritual principles and get by unscathed.
- That you are the master of your destiny.
- That you can cross and overstep physical / mental / spiritual boundaries with no consequences.
Common Lies of "Hustle Culture"
Have you heard these or even believed in them yourself? Don’t worry; I’ve been there too. However, even though these are widely spread beliefs in “hustle culture,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that God would agree with these.
In fact, God highly values rest in His kingdom. We see it as one of His values right from the start. In Genesis, after He creates everything that we see around us, He does something quite odd the next day.
Genesis 2:1-3 says, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
Challenging Cultural Norms
If you’re reading this for the first time, you would probably be going, “Wait, the God who made everything needed to rest? Isn’t He almighty and all-powerful? Why does He need to rest?”
The simple answer is that God didn’t need to rest, but we do. So, from the very beginning, He established an entire day just for rest so that we could be rejuvenated and reminded to rest from the work of life.
The Value of Rest in God's Kingdom
In the New Testament, Jesus affirms the idea that God created this day of rest for us specifically. In a discussion with the Pharisees about the Sabbath day (the 7th day of rest), He says in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Jesus is saying here that man was not made merely to follow the Sabbath rules for no reason, but rather the Sabbath day was made for man so that man could enjoy God’s rest.
Embracing God's Rest
The Sabbath isn’t the only time that Jesus emphasized rest. In Matthew 11:28, He also said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Here, Jesus talks about a different kind of rest; one that is spiritual and emotional. However, the idea remains the same. Mankind was made to enjoy rest and to need rest from work.
How are you enjoying rest in your life? Are you taking time to rest, or are you being pushed by the culture to work every waking moment? God desires rest for you, it is simply your choice to enjoy it or not.
Jrevolution, is a nonprofit organization working with people of all walks of life to find fulfillment & purpose within their lives by giving them the tools they need to live a purpose driven life of impact. Many people live their day to day lives searching for purpose and meaning, but no matter how many different methods they use to find this, they never seem to obtain it. You may be in need of a new beginning. Find out more on www.jrevolution.net