John Calvin taught that observing Sunday as the Lord’s day helps us keep in mind that we don’t need to center our lives around meeting our own needs. Rather, resting honors the One who consistently meets our needs, no matter what. Sometimes we can get caught up in thinking that, because God gave us Sunday as a day of rest, Sundays are all about us. That is a dangerous trap to fall into as Christians.

Calvin warned people that Lord’s day is not about practicing superstition, thinking that “if I do this, God will reward me” or “if I do this, God will punish me.” The Lord’s day is meant to remind us that our relationship with God is not a transaction. We don’t buy God’s love and we don’t earn our salvation (as if we could!). We rest to remind us and to show others that God is in control. It is through the practice of remembering that we are transformed into the new creations that God intends for us to be!  

Pray that God would help you to rest in ways that remind you of God’s faithfulness in providing for you. 

Question to Ponder: How would you describe the difference between rest that allows God to transform you, and rest that doesn’t? What would each type of rest look like?

This week’s devotions are adapted from the book, A Brief History of Sunday: From the New Testament to the New Creation by Justo L. Gonzalez. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. 2017.