Why are we magnetically drawn to some portions of scripture and repelled by others? I think it has to do with our familiarity and 
comfortability of the verses before us. Growing up, I was taught that “Remembering the Sabbath” meant attending worship…and eating pot-roast – if you want to be really technical.
In the church of my childhood we did not spend much time in Numbers 15:27-31. Here’s the gist:
“While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day…Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘This man must die.’…So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death…”
Does that make you squirm a little? It does me. God seems to take Sabbath keeping quite seriously.
When we come face-to-face with a “new” truth we have not fully received or embraced, how do we respond?
Conveniently ignore it?
Deny its relevancy?
Wrestle with it?
Take it at face value and change our ways?
On our journey to the heart of God, a truth rediscovered, takes us into unfamiliar territory. It’s often an eye-widening experience. This biblical account tells us of a man who lost his life because of his disregard of the Sabbath. On this we must pause and ponder.
What in my life has died as a result of my disregard for Sabbath keeping—my sanity, peace, health, joy, vibrancy—not by the stones of others but stones of my own making? Am I a member of the walking dead, crushed by the weight of overload and chronic fatigue?
Run Hard. Rest Well. invites the Body of Christ to come face-to-face with a slew of “new” truths revolving around the power and purpose of rest. As we face these “new” truths in this New Year, may we drop our defenses, then drop to our knees. May we together, as pioneers of a better way, have eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts that soften to the truths of God, truths that steer us away from death to new life.
As 2014 begins, may we commit to something powerful and irreversible through an an on-going exploration of the rhythms of rest. January posts will set the stage for our New Year together.
In February, we are going to tackle real-world questions. My list of questions from readers is growing. Keep sending them my way.
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