"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." {Matthew 11:28} Yes, we all agree that God has promised the weary sweet rest. The question that must now be asked--when does that rest begin?
Many in the Lord's church today have begun to "rest" a little too soon. One common thread seems to run through every church in which I've had the pleasure of preaching--a small part of the membership works, while the others "rest." Why is this? Many reasons are given, but most of the time, they're nothing more than excuses.
"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." {James 2:17,18} "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." {John 15:8} Passages such as these make a point that is very hard to miss. Christians should not be people who "talk a good work;" they should be people who act. How discouraging it is when brethren who claim to love the Lord, His church, and their brethren are too busy "resting from their labors" to help others.
Whenever someone is in the hospital, the same ones always visit and call. If someone needs a meal, due to sickness or recovering from surgery, the same good Christian sisters can be counted on to fix the meals. When the brethren decide to have a work day for working around the building, the same group of people can always be counted on to participate. Shut-ins need visits to encourage them, but it's always the same small group that goes to see them.
If the preacher requests help in his work, the same faithful Christians always volunteer. If the preacher preaches some strong lessons: lack of spiritual or numerical growth, lagging attendance, poor teachers conducting the classes, weak Bible class materials, and the list goes on and on. Yet, the ones who complain the loudest are the ones who are too busy "resting" to help find solutions to the problems. It is a vicious cycle in the Lord's church, and it must be halted if we hope to be the kind of people the Lord desires.
What is the answer? I think the attitude discussed in this passage would be a step in the right direction: "She has done what she could do..." {Mark 14:8} What a blessing it would be, in every congregation of the Lord's people, if EVERY member would "do what he/she could." We would have to build larger buildings; unity would be a common trait; and spiritual growth in the body of Christ would be at an all-time high. Is this a pipe dream? I hope not! Could it be accomplished during our generation, as it was in the first century? Let us learn about how the Christians, even under intense, fierce persecution were BUSY. "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word." {Acts 8:4} Oh, for a return to the zeal and determination of the days of old.
"So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work." {Nehemiah 4:6} Christ needs people who have a mind to do His work. Yes, God has prepared a heavenly rest for the faithful. But we will never reach that rest if we try to begin it now. One thing is sure. If you rest now, your soul will have no rest in eternity. It comes down to a fundamental choice--do you want to rest now, or later? God left this vital choice to His children. What choice have you made?