Work Hard Then Rest
Though all I was wearing was a light t-shirt, the sweat was pouring off me. By watching for exactly the right places I was able to navigate my way with close to a 200 pound backpack down, down, down to the valley floor. All the way down I was looking for my hunting partners, Tim and Larry Hand, but did not see them. My patch of last year's snow was mostly ice. I had finally arrived but I wasn't finished. Using small boulders I broke off large chunks of ice and completely covered my game bags of meat. Then I drank 2 quarts of water from the stream, rolled out my flimsy army sleeping pad on top of the ice, and laid down in the sun.
My body was so exhausted that I almost immediately fell asleep. God created our bodies to need rest. I believe that he did this to remind us that he is our Creator. Genesis tells us, "On the seventh day God rested." There is a time to work and a time to recover from a day of work. In a perfect world, God gave Adam WORK, but he also gave him SLEEP. Work is a gift. Sleep is a gift. Each one has its place in our lives.
A great preacher and man of God- famous in heaven but not remembered on Earth- wrote in his autobiography, "I might have lasted longer if I had occasionally set my back against a tree." He had been more than faithful in his labor, but felt that he had worn his body out at a young age because he not been careful to rest. WORK HARD, then REST, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad
Written on February 15, 2026
Posted in Daily Devotions