Strive to Enter

This word is so vastly interesting…

In a world of striving, hustling, performing, and earning, the last thing expected to be in the Holy Scriptures, for me, is striving.

Hebrews 4:11 (ESV)

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

Now don’t get all disgruntled about the part about disobedience…yet. That may be contemplation for another day, but here the word “strive” takes on a whole new meaning. Let that sink in. If we’re going to strive for anything, it’s “that rest.” What freedom! What love.

The word “that” begs us to look back to what rest the author actually speaks of…

This chapter in the NIV has been dubbed: “A Sabbath-Rest for The People of God.” Definitely worth a read. There is some brain candy in there—some great things to ponder and wrestle over.

Immediately, upon reading this chapter there is application to be made about the abstract concept of “rest” and how that’s going in our lives. Interestingly enough, in Jewish culture striving to enter Sabbath rest was commonplace. There was proper hustling to make sure everything was prepared so no work had to be done on Saturday. None. Zero.

If this was our rhythm in the church today in a corporate way, this would also not be an abstraction or idea. This would just be what we did. There might be an opportunity to take this passage quite literally. Take a day…and strive to make it happen…to create a full day of rest for your family. What feels heavy? What do you and your people need? Solitude? Silence? Stillness?

We act as though in family culture this is an impossible task. But have we yet taken the time to strive for its existence? Have we truly poured over how to make it possible? We are more creative than this! There IS a way. It might take some striving to find that rhythm with your clan. This is the fourth on the list of the ten commandments. We won’t regret prioritizing this.

(And moms, I’m not saying, “make rest happen for everyone else.” Perhaps, you figure out first what is restful to the adults and you craft the family culture around that. Put your own oxygen mask on first. As a teacher, when I plan something for myself, it’s amazing what great “food and provision” is found for the whole group.)

Thankfully, in the “new covenant” (the agreement God made to be in communion with us by the power of His Holy Spirit), this doesn’t mean that we are slaves to the Sabbath—oh no! Jesus himself said that: “…the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

So, have fun with this! Commit to it. Strive for it. Prioritize it. Prepare for it. Talk with your spouse about it. What’s delightful? What’s restful? What’s heavy and needs to be avoided fully on this day?

May God bless your Sabbath keeping in Jesus’ holy name. May God gift you with wisdom and a deep knowledge that He is partnering with you in this quest to keep His own law in you, the temple of His Holy Spirit. After all, He is more than able, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to keep the law in and through you. May you sense His guiding of you giving you new freedom, new Sabbath-freedom. The world won’t tell us the Sabbath matters, but He will. May we hear His fresh words of love over this day. Amen.