• God gave us an example of and a command to rest (Genesis 2: 3)-Genesis 2:3 (NLT) And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

God Himself, the Creator of the heavens and the earth (being perfect, holy, and Sovereign) took one day out of the week just to rest.  This is the very first example of rest in life.  The LORD blessed the seventh day of creation, and declared it holy!  This is very important for every one of us in this life!  This proves that rest is a very necessary part of every life, and every week!  It is extremely important for every person to be sure to rest on the seventh day of each week!  We should be thanking God on the seventh day!  It is a holy day for each one of us, and we should give Him praise.

• Rest is important for worship (Exodus 20: 8)-Exodus 20:8 (NLT)-“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Rest is important for worship.  We need to be able to take one day at minimum each week when we rest, and give the LORD God our Creator praise, glory, and thanks for the amazing world we live in, the fact that we even exist, and have the necessary provisions to sustain each one of our lives.  What God has done is absolutely amazing when we really think about life, and take in the amazing complexity of  such a creation.  This world we live in is truly amazing!  Life is amazing, God is amazing!  And one day of rest allows us the opportunity to visit the House of God, and give Him the praise He truly is due for all He has done.

• God tells us to rest (Exodus 23: 12)-Exodus 23:12 (NLT) “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed..

The Sabbath gives us the opportunity to rest from our daily responsibilities; and a chance to refresh our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.  It allows everyone the chance to rest and be refreshed.  The seventh day is perfect for resting your mind, and allows you to prepare for the 6 days ahead in which we will be required to work in whatever capacity we are working in our day to day living.  

• Jesus promises to give us rest from our burdens (Matthew 11: 28-30)-Matthew 11:28 (NLT) Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:29 (NLT) 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.  Matthew 11:30 (NLT) For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Our LORD and Savior Jesus has promised to give each of His Children rest from our burdens.  Many times we are heavily burdened by sin, and life in general.  He has promised to give us rest for our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.  The way He gives us rest is in the thought and knowledge that He has promised not only His peace while we live on earth, but, eternal peace and rest in glory as Heirs with Him.  He has given Us His Spirit, which walks and abides with us in our daily lives.  His presence assures His Children, that He is with Us forever.  We no longer need to be overwhelmed with life, because We rest assured He will provide.  We do not need to be worried about all the details in life because we have placed our trust in Him, and are confident that He will work things out.  The only burden the LORD gives us is a very light one.  We know that He has paid the price for our sin on the cross.  We do not need to be concerned about paying for our sins.  The only thing we need to be mindful of is how we are living in this life, as far as living by His Word, and His Commands.  When we live to please Him, we experience rest from our daily burdens in life.

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

Rest is a gift of God to all who believe in Him, and His promises.  And for all who obey God, and take time to rest regularly, they will experience the refreshing peace that comes along with that wonderful gift.  And we know also that when we pass on from this earth, we no longer need be concerned about labor on earth.  If we disobey God, we can be sure we will not have the peace of mind that comes with obeying God.  Then, we will fall from grace.  If we fall from grace, we no longer have the security nor the peace of mind; the spiritual rest that only God can give us through His Holy Spirit.  

• Heaven will be a place of rest (Revelation 14: 13)-Revelation 14:13 (NLT) And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

Heaven will be a place of rest for our souls.  For those who die in the LORD, they will receive the eternal blessing of peace and rest in paradise with our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  And the life that they lived on earth will reflect in that blessing.  It will be evident that they not only believed in the LORD, but, they lived a holy life for Him, and made Him proud while they lived.  The peace and rest we will experience in heaven will be rest for our souls, because we will no longer need to be concerned with sin, hunger, thirst, pain, suffering, sadness, etc..  Burden does not exist in heaven.

I hope this brief study on rest is as helpful to you as it is to me.  As we continue to pray for people all over the world today and always, we hope that if you have not yet made the decision to accept the LORD Jesus Christ as your personal LORD and Savior, but would like to, that you say the prayer of salvation as follows: "Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer."  May the LORD continue to bless you and your loved ones today and always.  Amen.
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• Responsible people admit their wrongs (1 Chronicles 21: 8)-1 Chronicles 21:8 (NLT)Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.”

We show responsibility whenever we are able to admit the wrongs we have committed before God.  When we repent like David did, we can obtain forgiveness and favor by God.  It is important that we are able to admit our responsibility for anything.

• Responsible people are faithful with what they have been given (Matthew 25: 14-30)-Matthew 25:14 (NLT)“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.  Matthew 25:15 (NLT) He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.  Matthew 25:16 (NLT) “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more.  Matthew 25:17 (NLT) The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more.  Matthew 25:18 (NLT) But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.  Matthew 25:19 (NLT) “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.  Matthew 25:20 (NLT) The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’  Matthew 25:21 (NLT) “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’  Matthew 25:22 (NLT) “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’  Matthew 25:23 (NLT) “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’  Matthew 25:24 (NLT) “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.  Matthew 25:25 (NLT) I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’  Matthew 25:26 (NLT)But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I  harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, Matthew 25:27 (NLT) why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’  Matthew 25:28 (NLT) “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver.  Matthew 25:29 (NLT) To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.  Matthew 25:30 (NLT) Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

When we are entrusted by God to do His work it is extremely important that we use what we are given to spread the gospel to everyone in the world so they too will know God.  In this parable, we see that we should not hide the gifts and talents that the LORD gives His Children.  We are to use all of our skills, talents, and gifts to serve Him according to each person's ability.  Otherwise it is considered disobedience, and thereby considered sin.  We need to avoid this.

• People are responsible for their decision about Christ (John 3: 18-19)-John 3:18 (NIV) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  John 3:19 (NIV) This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Each individual is responsible for their decision about whether or not they believe in Christ as the one and only true LORD and Savior.  If we do not believe we stand condemned.  This means that we are not considered Children of God.  We are therefore not heirs to His Kingdom in heaven.  Therefore God the father cannot decide a not guilty verdict on Judgement Day.  The verdict will be that God the Light of the world has come into the world, but, was rejected based on their selfish wills to continue in darkness and committing sin/evil before His sight.  This is very clear in that they are blatantly rejecting their only chance at salvation from the fires of hell.

• Responsible people know their abilities and limitations (Acts 6: 1-7)-Acts of the Apostles 6:1 (NLT) But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.  Acts of the Apostles 6:2 (NLT) So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.  Acts of the Apostles 6:3 (NLT) And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.  Acts of the Apostles 6:4 (NLT) Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”  Acts of the Apostles 6:5 (NLT) Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith).  Acts of the Apostles 6:6 (NLT) These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.  Acts of the Apostles 6:7 (NLT) So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

​It is very important that people know their abilities and limitations.  We should not be in the habit of taking on more than we can handle, and we should know our place in any organization.  If you are called to be an apostle, you should not also take on the responsibility of the usher.  We should have people assigned to their respective posts, and carry out their tasks so that the leadership can handle their duty.

• People are responsible for their own actions (James 1: 13-15)-James 1:13 (NLT) And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.  James 1:14 (NLT) Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  James 1:15 (NLT) These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Every individual must answer to the LORD for their own lives, conduct, speech, decisions.  So, what this is saying is that even when we are tempted, we cannot blame God for the temptation.  God cannot be tempted, and therefore He will not tempt man to do wrong.  Temptation comes from our own desires as human beings.  Many times these temptations drag us away into sin.  The desires can be so strong that they create many sinful actions by man.  When it is allowed to grow, meaning that it is not stopped, but accepted in the life of the person, it produces death, in the spirit and also in the flesh.  People begin to see illness taking over as a result of sin.

I hope this brief study on responsibility is as helpful to you as it is to me, we continue to pray for people all over the world today and always, and hope that if you have not yet made the decision to accept the LORD Jesus Christ as your personal LORD and Savior, but would like to, please say the prayer of salvation as follows: Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.  May the LORD continue to bless you and your loved ones today and always.