People that are not doing anything do not need any rest, that is obvious, though the day be spent in toil, strength can still be found, if the cause is honorable. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)
Weary of what, tired of what, what do you need rest from? I do not believe that our Lord was speaking of a physical rest, though in part He may have been. Those people that were in attendance listening to Him speak that day were concerned for the most part for food and clothing for that day, many did not have a pantry, a refrigerator, and a large supermarket just down the street, much less the financial wherewithal to purchase items from it if there was. The rest of the flesh is of course necessary, we are but dust, (Psalm 103:14) and if our bodies are not fed and rested, we will find our mortal temple failing quite rapidly.
We have been blessed with the capacity to control, for the most part, our thinking processes, we need to spend little to no time in the continuing function of the body in this area, nor can we. No thoughts of what we would call a conscience effort are needed to continue the flow of blood through our veins, the need to breath, the maintenance of our cellular structure, the body in this respect, is self-sustaining, as long as nutrients are ingested, it does not need us to expend thoughts for its continuance. So then 1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway,” has nothing to do with this respect, it is the mind, or better yet, our thoughts that are to be held captive for Christ, (2 Cor. 10:5) it is this part of us that is to be kept in subjection, it is this that needs the rest our Lord spoke of.
I have always wondered, which products bring more profit to the pharmaceutical companies, those for the body or for the mind? Whether legal or illegal, all those for the mind are for one purpose only, to bring upon an altered state of consciousness, to modify our thought processes, how we see the current circumstances we find ourselves in, all thoughts though do not originate in the mind, external sources are the vast majority of the reason we think. What thoughts would enter into the mind of an individual if they were born, raised, and died in a room that was white, with only a small portal where the same food was deposited each day, twice a day, no external influence of any kind.
The world is spoon fed information each and every day, the objective is to control the way people think, what they are to value, it is the call of the world, it is the work of our adversary, and he has become quite proficient at his job. Few on this planet have the capability to efficiently process this information, collate it, and then sift out, as it were, that which is indeed important not only to themselves, but to all of us as a whole. Fewer still, much fewer I am sorry to say, have prayed for and been blessed with a heart that can discern between good and evil, as Solomon did. (1 Kings 3:9)
Only those who have my friends can truly understand the rest that our Lord offers us, only those who thirst and hunger for righteousness (Matt. 5:6) will ever seek for this rest, for their hearts are always troubled by a sinful, wicked world, they are almost always frustrated by the majority of those on this planet who refuse to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ, they are burdened with the fact that few are chosen, that most will stand at the great white throne of judgment (Rev. 20:11) guilty, screaming for mercy, and receiving none.
All will bow the knee one day, Satan will, the angels of God will, your neighbor will, you will. Our rest comes with the knowledge that we will do so willingly, and have already done so, for we have found Him who promised faithful. Christ is our rest; He is the peace that passes all understanding, a peace that we will never experience fully until we are home with Him.