Hebrews 4:9–11 (NLT) — 9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.

Let’s put REST on the board: RELEASE your burdens. ELEVATE your thoughts. SABBATH. TAKE HIS YOKE.

R — RELEASE

• Worry is a weight we were never meant to carry alone.
• RELEASE it to God in prayer.
  • Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT) — 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
• REFUSE to take it back.
• REMAIN in Him.
  • Exodus 33:14 (NLT) — 14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”
  • Being with Him is where the rest lies. Stay close through prayer, His Word, and obedience. Abiding is an ongoing relationship, not a feeling you have to hold perfectly.

E — ELEVATE your thoughts

• FIX your thoughts.
  • Philippians 4:8 (NLT) — 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
  • You may not choose every thought that arrives, but with God’s help you can practice redirecting your attention. Ask, “Is this true, or am I rehearsing something that has not happened?”
• ELEVATE your thoughts to where CHRIST IS.
  • Colossians 3:1–2 (NLT) — 1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
  • His PERSON — Think about his face, his smile, his personhood. 
  • His THRONE — Jesus rules. What concerns me is not beyond His authority.
  • His AUTHORITY — There is nothing that is outside of His authority. 
  • His PRESENCE — My life is held in Him. I am not facing this alone.
  • His LOVE — I belong to Him. His care for me does not end when the lights go out.
  • His ETERNAL HOME — This moment is not the whole story. My future with Him reaches beyond what I can see today.

S — SABBATH

• Exodus 20:8 (NLT) — 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
• Exodus 20:11 (NLT) — 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
• We must HONOR what He calls HOLY.
• God said REMEMBER. We have a tendency to FORGET.
• Sabbath declares that we are FREE.
  • Deuteronomy 5:15 (NLT) — 15 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.
  • Remember your CREATOR. Remember your DELIVERER. You belong to a different Master now.
• Put a real STOP into your week. Set apart a regular day. Put down ordinary work. Worship. Sleep. Be present with your family. Let something remain unfinished.

T — TAKE HIS YOKE

• Jesus has a yoke.
  • When you start working again, WHOSE YOKE will you carry?
  • Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT) — 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
• Yoke’s to get rid of:
  • Take off the yoke of PEOPLE’S EXPECTATIONS.
    • Galatians 1:10 (NLT) — 10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
  • Take off the yoke of your own AMBITION.
  • Take off the yoke of COMPARISON.
• Take up the assignment HE HAS GIVEN YOU.
• LEARN from Him. DEPEND on Him.