{"id":11955,"date":"2012-07-23T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-23T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?p=11955"},"modified":"2012-07-03T19:05:24","modified_gmt":"2012-07-03T23:05:24","slug":"rest-for-your-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find Rest for Your Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"CriagThis is a guest post by Craig Kuhn.\u00a0His goal is to help people draw closer to God by causing them to ponder, however profoundly or fleetingly, the eternal; with the hope that they come to a fuller knowledge of Jesus Christ. He is a husband and father of two boys. He graduated from the University of Oregon, and is slowly pursuing a seminary graduate degree. He lives and works in Oregon.<\/p>\n

If you would like to write a guest post for this blog, check out the guidelines here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"FrenziedThree cups of coffee, several electronic devices, and adrenaline are the modus operandi<\/em> of my career these days.<\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019m thankful to have a job, one that I, for the most part, enjoy. But circumstances are now calling for 10-hour days during the week with periodic working over the weekends. Such a schedule for a family man who also does ministry mixes into a caustic cocktail of conflict, causing strife, stress, and separation from God.<\/p>\n

But I think my situation is a metaphor for culture at-large.<\/p>\n

We Live in a Frenzied Culture<\/h2>\n

One of the banes of Christian existence in American culture\u2014we are too busy, too connected, and too afraid of silence.\u00a0I will even go as far to say that I believe our jobs may very well be our \u201cnew\u201d religion.<\/p>\n

And with this economy, I think we are lulled into a sense that we must serve our employer with every waking moment of our increasingly diminishing existence. With smart phones and wireless lap tops, we are virtually able to be \u201con the job\u201d 24\/7.<\/p>\n

But is this healthy?<\/p>\n

Even now, on a Friday that I forced myself to take off, I am drawn into the lure of checking my work email. But I know if I do, I will let loose an avalanche of electronic bits demanding my immediate attention. I\u2026must\u2026refrain!<\/p>\n

While I understand we are to \u201cwork heartily as to the Lord\u201d (Colossians 3:17, 23), I believe this is in regard to whatever we are doing\u2014working for an employer, praying over a child, or serving on an Elder bard\u2014we are do it with a heart of directly serving the Lord Jesus Himself.<\/p>\n

Find Rest for Your Soul<\/h2>\n

But what I\u2019m really drawn to in this frenzy of life is Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus says to the burdened masses:<\/p>\n

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some commentaries state this passage is only to those who feel burdened down by religion. While I don\u2019t dispute this, I also think that Jesus had a much broader scope in mind; I think He was referring to cultural burdens.<\/p>\n

When Jesus walked the earth, the culture was heavily influenced by religion;. That doesn\u2019t hold as true in today\u2019s America, but now culture is itself a religion. We are compelled to mercilessly serve employers or risk losing our jobs. We are compelled to serve the currents of trends or risk being left behind. We are compelled to fit in by being quiet about our faith or risk being ostracized and isolated.<\/p>\n

Jesus is saying, \u201cLay all this aside for a moment and just be with Me. There, you will find rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The word \u2018rest\u2019 means intermission, or cessation from any motion. It is being still before the Lord (Psalms 46:10); it is waiting on the Lord (Psalms 27:14; 37:9, 34). We do this by simply finding a quiet place to seek God in prayer; quieting our inner voice and just listening to the interior working of the Lord via the indwelling Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Finding Balance Between Work and Life<\/h2>\n

As we find a quiet place and time with God, the Lord will begin showing us how to achieve a proper work life\/non-work life balance. He will show us how to see through the schemes of the enemy enticing us to keep up with everything new on the market. He will show us how express our faith and live it out in a way that expresses love toward Him and humanity. Or, He may just bathe our soul in a salve of encouragement and healing, restoring the presence of His life-giving Spirit.<\/p>\n

Such a rest is a loving balm for our frayed nerves and frantic lives.<\/p>\n

But seeking such rest requires intentionally laying aside our lap tops, turning off our smart phones, and seeking solitude with the Father via prayer and Scripture.<\/p>\n

Maybe such solitude is found atop a sandy dune or near a mountain stream, but it may also be found in your den or living room (provided the TV is turned off). The key is you make the move toward God, because God has already made the move toward you in Christ.<\/p>\n

Make the move, for your rest awaits.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We live in a frenzied culture. Jesus tells us how to find rest for our souls. When stressed out from life, get restoration from God. Seeking such rest requires intentionally laying aside our lap tops, turning off our smart phones, and seeking solitude with the Father via prayer and Scripture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1336],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Find Rest for Your Soul<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We live in a frenzied culture. Jesus tells us how to find rest for our souls. When stressed out from life, get restoration from God.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Find Rest for Your Soul\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We live in a frenzied culture. Jesus tells us how to find rest for our souls. When stressed out from life, get restoration from God.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Redeeming God\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/290798794274804\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/290798794274804\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-07-23T17:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-07-03T23:05:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"320\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"240\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jeremy Myers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@redeeminggod\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@redeeminggod\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jeremy Myers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jeremy Myers\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0df0211c3f7ba3d4c6cfa1f8411f481c\"},\"headline\":\"How to Find Rest for Your Soul\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-07-23T17:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-07-03T23:05:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/\"},\"wordCount\":843,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0df0211c3f7ba3d4c6cfa1f8411f481c\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"guest post\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/\",\"name\":\"How to Find Rest for Your Soul\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-07-23T17:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-07-03T23:05:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"We live in a frenzied culture. Jesus tells us how to find rest for our souls. When stressed out from life, get restoration from God.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg\",\"width\":\"320\",\"height\":\"240\",\"caption\":\"Frenzied Culture\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Find Rest for Your Soul\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/\",\"name\":\"Redeeming God\",\"description\":\"Liberating you from bad ideas about God\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0df0211c3f7ba3d4c6cfa1f8411f481c\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0df0211c3f7ba3d4c6cfa1f8411f481c\",\"name\":\"Jeremy Myers\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eddb31e43c2836234b746787cbef8f12?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eddb31e43c2836234b746787cbef8f12?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jeremy Myers\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"Jeremy Myers writes about Scripture and theology in a way that redeems God and people from the prison of religion. He is a popular author and blogger and often gives away free eBooks to his blog subscribers.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\",\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/290798794274804\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/redeeminggod\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Find Rest for Your Soul","description":"We live in a frenzied culture. Jesus tells us how to find rest for our souls. When stressed out from life, get restoration from God.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Find Rest for Your Soul","og_description":"We live in a frenzied culture. Jesus tells us how to find rest for our souls. When stressed out from life, get restoration from God.","og_url":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/","og_site_name":"Redeeming God","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/290798794274804","article_author":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/290798794274804","article_published_time":"2012-07-23T17:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-07-03T23:05:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":"320","height":"240","url":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jeremy Myers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@redeeminggod","twitter_site":"@redeeminggod","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jeremy Myers","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/"},"author":{"name":"Jeremy Myers","@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0df0211c3f7ba3d4c6cfa1f8411f481c"},"headline":"How to Find Rest for Your Soul","datePublished":"2012-07-23T17:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2012-07-03T23:05:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/"},"wordCount":843,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0df0211c3f7ba3d4c6cfa1f8411f481c"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg","keywords":["guest post"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/","url":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/","name":"How to Find Rest for Your Soul","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg","datePublished":"2012-07-23T17:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2012-07-03T23:05:24+00:00","description":"We live in a frenzied culture. Jesus tells us how to find rest for our souls. When stressed out from life, get restoration from God.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Look_Time_pic.jpg","width":"320","height":"240","caption":"Frenzied Culture"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/rest-for-your-soul\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Find Rest for Your Soul"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/","name":"Redeeming God","description":"Liberating you from bad ideas about God","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0df0211c3f7ba3d4c6cfa1f8411f481c"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0df0211c3f7ba3d4c6cfa1f8411f481c","name":"Jeremy Myers","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eddb31e43c2836234b746787cbef8f12?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eddb31e43c2836234b746787cbef8f12?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jeremy Myers"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"description":"Jeremy Myers writes about Scripture and theology in a way that redeems God and people from the prison of religion. He is a popular author and blogger and often gives away free eBooks to his blog subscribers.","sameAs":["https:\/\/redeeminggod.com","http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/290798794274804","https:\/\/x.com\/redeeminggod"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11955"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}