LESSON 15:
Come Apart and Rest
1: Exercise! Perhaps as you think of it you may say to yourself, "How is it that one time we are told that we must get more exercise, and the very next time, we are told we must relax!" Well, actually there is no contradiction, as you will soon see. Health calls for a balance in all that we do. Exercise is absolutely necessary for good health, and so is rest, and relaxation.
2: Let us look at some of the needs of our bodies for physical rest. We usually think of the organs of our body as working, but we do not often take into account that they also rest. Your heart is a good example. Every minute your heart beats about 70 times. Each contraction of the heart lasts only about 4/10 of a second. The remaining 6/10 of the second your heart is resting. So, actually your heart should be resting slightly more than it is working, if it is in good condition. If you have a rapid pulse, you should get started on that exercise program, and you will find that your heart will slow down after a few weeks. It will get more rest and last longer!
3: Our muscles work hard, and then they rest. If they are forced to continue working without proper periods of rest, they become tired out and stop functioning until given proper time to rest and recuperate. Your stomach needs periods of rest. After a meal, it works hard for you. It should have a chance to rest before the next meal. Did you know that you make it impossible for your stomach to get this rest when you eat between meals?
4: During the war in England, a certain factory decided to start a 75-hour work week in order to increase production. Later, when a survey was made, it was found that the workers were doing only 50 hours of efficient work. The factory then cut the schedule to 64 hours. The next survey showed that only 54 hours of actual work was getting done. So the work hours were cut to 54 hours and it was then found that the people actually worked for 48 hours. During those 48 hours in which they worked, they put out 15% MORE work than when they were working 75 hours a weeks. In other words, they were doing about 64 hours worth of work in the 48 hours of time.
5: Now, here is a tip for students. Would you like to know how to get better grades? Research shows that students who study every spare moment are fatigued just like those factory workers on the 75-hour workweek schedule. They do not do so well. If you sit up late and study until you cannot hold your eyes open any longer, your grades will likely not improve. But, if you will try the balanced program which includes daily exercises, you will find your mind clearer and your grades better. :So, work outdoors, go swimming, running, walking:GET EXERCISE! You will learn more during the time you study, and your grades will be better.
6: Generally speaking, adults should have at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night. This should be in as comfortable and well-ventilated a place as possible. Keep your windows open so that you can have circulation of fresh air.
7: Rest is a very important factor in recovering from illness and in staying well. Sleep brought on by pills is not as beneficial as natural sleep. The pills are simply artificial nerve depressants. Sleep should be well-earned by balanced living! And may I add, this includes a clear conscience and trust in God. Sleep should certainly not have to depend on a pill!
8: Research has shown that going to the theater, or watching television, watching an exciting picture disturbs the mind and the body. Actually, both are only a so-called relaxation, actually straining and tiring the nervous system.
9: Do not stay up late, and rob your body of the rest it needs. It has also been scientifically proven that the sleep you get before midnight does more good than the sleep you get after the hours of midnight. Loss of sleep is hard to make up. Research shows that it takes from one to three weeks to make up for the loss of efficiency resulting from missing one night of sleep!
10: But sleep is only one means of relaxing. You have heard the saying that a change is as good as a rest. There is a great deal of truth to this statement. If your day is spent in the office sitting, or as a student studying, you will find good relaxation in some sort of action that does not call for mental exertion, and which gives you some activity. There is nothing so good as gardening, but that is pretty hard here in a city like this.
11: On the other hand, if you have been busy running about the whole day, you can find good relaxation in sitting down with an elevating book or magazine or in doing something quiet. Whatever you do, do not let yourself become a cinema or TV addict. You get very little benefit from it and you can get a great deal of harm.
12: As pressures mount, and as tensions build in the world around us and in our own country, we sometimes find ourselves being affected by them. If at times you find it hard to relax because you feel all tied up in knots, here are some things that you can do to help yourself. I want you to practice them right now.
13: First of all, clench your fists just as tightly as you can. Hold it! Tighter! Now, let go suddenly. You can feel the tension leave your hands, arms, shoulders. Now do it again.
14: Second, stretch your legs out in front of you. Bend your feet and toes downward. Go as far as you can. Now, let go. Now, push your heels down as far as you can. Farther! Now relax. More tension disappears. (Repeat)
15: Third, close your eyes tightly. Squeeze them tight. Press your lips and bite hard. Now let go. If you let your head drop to one side, so much the better.
16: Each of these three relaxing exercises should be done three times. Remember these little tips. Perhaps you can pass them on to a friend as well.
17: Our Lord said to His disciples, "Come ye apart and rest awhile." To get the most out of life, we must learn to live with a balanced program. God made our bodies in such a way that work and exercise, rest and relaxation, are all necessary for maximum efficiency. God wants you to be alive for Him. The Christian life is life at its very best. It is a balanced life.
18: Jesus says to each one of us. "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." There cannot be any joy and happiness without rest and Jesus wants us to be happy. If we come to Him for rest, He will give us relief from our burdens.
19: There are so many, many problems confronting men every day. Sometimes, not being able to find a way out of their difficult problems of life, many have committed suicide. They become helpless and hopeless. They try in vain to find answers to their difficulties and problems.
20: Jesus claims to have the water which will truly satisfy. Listen to Him. "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst: but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14. He also has the bread of life to satisfy our hunger. He again says in this connection, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever." John 6:51.
21: For those burdened with sin, He says, "Come now . . though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18. To the sorrowing and worried ones He says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27.
22: During the three and a half years of Jesus' ministry in this world Jesus fulfilled all that He professed. On one occasion he fed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and 2 fishes. He comforted those that wept. He said to those, 'Weep not." He healed all kinds of sickness. He even raised the dead. At one time, He stopped a funeral procession, and He went to the dead, who was the only son of a widow, and raised him to life. To each one of us, He brings the assurance of life, life abundant and eternal. "He that hath the Son, hath life. and he that bath not the Son of God bath not life. 1 John 5:12.
23: Now the question comes, how can we have Him? How can we come to Him for rest, for Living Water, for living bread, and for life everlasting? The answer is found in the Bible itself: 'Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into Him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20. He talks to us through His messengers that bring to us His words.
24: The first step is to hear Him. When we hear Him, we can at once realize our sinfulness and a need for His pardon. We come to Him as we are. This is our second step. We bring our unclean defiled hearts to Him. Just as we are, we give ourselves to Jesus and He cleanseth us. He gives us a new heart in place of a stony heart. We are sorry for having disobeyed Him, which was the cause for His crucifixion. We ask forgiveness of all our sins. Specify every sin and seek His pardon. He says, "He that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast him away." John 6:37. There is joy in heaven when one sinner repents and comes to Him. He has compassion on us like a father when his wayward child returns to him.
25: After we have asked forgiveness from Him, we should believe that we are forgiven. We are justified through Him. We stand before God as if we have never sinned. From this point, we should live a new life. We should be new people. "Let him that stole, steal no more." If we told lies in the past, now we tell only the truth. We will not smoke or drink or murder or worship idols or commit suicide or commit adultery. We will not cheat any one; we will not use bad words. We will be clean in and out.
26: So, the third step is to be converted. A complete change. Then we become children of God. We take His name "Christian" or "follower of Christ." This is done by being baptized in the name of Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. We shall learn more about this in our future lessons.
27: Thus, Jesus becomes our Saviour and our Redeemer. He becomes our constant companion. In times of need, He is always with us. He lifts us when we fall and strengthens us so that we will not fall. The Creator of Heaven and Earth is with us to help. You can be a murderer, a thief and what not, but all your sins are forgiven the moment you accept His provision for you. You say, it is so simple. Yes, it is so, this is why many people do not accept Christianity because of its simplicity. They think of doing some thing very difficult before they can be accepted.
28: Once we have sinned, there is nothing we can do to atone for our sins. No pilgrimage, no penance will be of any avail. We are doomed. The wages of sin is death. Death is the only verdict; so Jesus comes along and pays our penalty by His precious blood. Now we are set free.
29: Salvation is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We cannot earn it. We have to accept it. Friends, are you burdened tonight? Are you worried? Is your soul thirsty and hungry? Jesus can be yours. He invites you to accept Him. Will you do it? He may not be always at your door if you do not open. While you can hear His pleading voice, harden not your hearts. He will bring joy and gladness, peace and life everlasting into your life.
30: He is coming soon and we must accept Him now. The choice is yours. You do not have to die. He has made all the provisions for your salvation. If you are lost, it will be because of your own choice. God bless you my brother and sister, that when He comes, you and I will be ready to meet Him.
Here is additional information on coming to Christ:
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1.
"For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6.
