Labor Day

"There remains therefore a rest to the people of God.  For he that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."  Hebrews 4:9-1

Today is Labor Day in the United States.  According to timeanddate.com, Labor Day was originally organized to celebrate various labor associations' strengths and contributions to the United States economy.  In our day, it is largely celebrated as a day of rest.  Many people mark this holiday as the end of the summer season and a last chance to take trips or hold outdoor events.  The first Labor Day was held in 1882 and became a federal holiday in 1894.

I did my part today to celebrate this day of rest on the beach in Maine.  For the last several years, my last "hurrah" of summer has been spent at this beautiful cottage right on Moody Beach in Wells, Maine.  It's like coming home when I walk through the door.

The week that I spend here is truly a time of rest, a time free from the responsibilities, chores and cares of every day life.  I sit and watch the waves, walk the beach, soak up the sun and catch up on some fun reading.  I laugh with friends, eat way too much ice cream and keep my toes in the sand.

 

Our cottage is right on the ocean and my bedroom is on the beach side (top left windows in picture below).  I fall asleep at night to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and I wake up to the most beautiful sunrises almost every day that I'm here.

 

 

Today the water was probably the warmest I have ever experienced up here in the northeastern part of the USA.  I actually went in and played in the waves for awhile.  Course, once your legs are numb, it doesn't really matter any more how cold the water is!!

 

As wonderful as this time of rest is and as much as I enjoy every minute of it, it pales by far in comparison to the rest that God provides for His people.

 

The rest that He provides doesn't require a 4-hour drive to get to it; isn't dependent upon the weather and it makes no difference what time of day, month or year!  This is a rest that knows no time restraints or special days off from work. 

It's a rest that He provides to those who believe, to those who trust in Him and to those who simply "enter in" by belief in the Son, Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross.

 

"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it."

Hebrews 4:1



 

 

Did you truly rest on Labor Day?