Genesis 1:31-2:2. 31And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
Do you remember Buzz Lightyear’s catch phrase? “To infinity and beyond!” Do you know what infinity means? If something is infinite it has no limits, no end, it cannot be measured. Only God is infinite. But, you and I are the opposite of infinite. We are finite. We are limited. We get tired. We can only do so much.
Look at Genesis 2:2 again. The Bible says that God finished his work and then rested. Was God tired? Was he worn out from a long week of making things out of nothing with just his words? Um…nope. God rested from his work so that he could enjoy his creation. But he also rested from his work so that he could show that only he is infinite. Everything else in creation is finite. Even our days are finite. That’s why the Bible says “there was evening and there was morning.” God made each day to have a beginning and an ending. Why is this? Because God wants us to rest. When we rest, we image God, and the day-night cycle forces us to rest. In the old days, when the sun went down it was time to stop working. The body would then get sleepy and we would go to bed, where we could think about God.
Psalm 4:8. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
These days we work all day and keep working all night. We stay up late and look at screens. We try to avoid sleeping as much as we can. This makes us all very, very tired. And very, very self-centered too. You see, God wants us to rest so that we can remember that he alone is the center of the universe, not us. He made everything and it was all good. We don’t ever add anything to God’s creation or his goodness. All we can do is use what he already made.
God also wants us to rest so that we remember that it is not our work or our performance that makes us special. God doesn’t care how great you are at doing math, or playing the piano, or hitting a baseball. He doesn’t love you more if you make more money or get more projects done. God loves us simply because he loves us. We are valuable to God simply because he made us, not because we make things. So why do any work? Why try hard in school or on the sports field? Why do our best at whatever we do? Because when we do everything from faith in God and his goodness it pleases him. Our work images God. But so does our rest.
Genesis 2:2 says that God finished his work. This is a preview of Jesus and his cross. On the cross, Jesus finished his work too. There is nothing left to be done in order for us to be saved. We simply have to rest in what Jesus has done. We have to admit that we cannot save ourselves. Why not? Because we are finite. Our obedience is finite. Our love is finite. Our faith is finite. Everything good about us is finite. It all has limits. But not Jesus. Not his love for us. Not his grace. Not his salvation. These are all infinite. Unending. Unlimited. Forever.
When we trust in Jesus to save us, we become infinite too. Now we are both finite and infinite. Yes, this life and this world will end, but then the new life and the new world will begin without ending. Until that day, we are able to do everything from a place of resting. We don’t have to do anything because Jesus did it all for us. At the same time, we get to live and love infinitely so that we can say like Buzz Lightyear, “To infinity and beyond.”
Questions: What are some of your limitations? How do your limitations remind you that God is the center of everything, not you? How can knowing that Jesus has done everything for us help you to rest and not get stressed out?
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