“The gospel isn’t an invitation for us to work harder; it is an invitation for us to rest harder in who God is and what He’s already accomplished.” (p. 136)

1. Once you became a believer, did you feel more pressure to “do more” or did you experience greater rest? Has that changed over time? Explain.

Albert identifies three aspects of belief:

One – the assent of the mind (understanding who God is)

Two – the consent of the will (our actions matching our belief)

Three – the reclining of the heart (resting and trusting)

2. Which of these three has been the most difficult for you? Why?

After freeing the Israelites from slavery, God gave them some commandments. One of them was to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. The author describes this as “putting into practice one day of the week that looks different from all the other days of the week. An invitation to rest.” (p. 139)

3. When you think of the command to take a Sabbath day, does that feel like more of a burden or blessing to you? Why?

4. Do you intentionally take one day of the week to rest? If so, what does that look like for you? If not, what is keeping you from making that a priority?

Think back a few years to 2020. The pandemic hit and slowed the whole world down.

5. What was your initial reaction to suddenly having your plans cancelled and rhythms disrupted?

6. In hindsight, what are some good things in your life that resulted from this forced rest? Any answered prayers?

7. Now that life is back to “normal,” have you gone back to the way things were before, or have some of your rhythms changed permanently? Can you look back at that crazy time when God went “off-script” and be thankful for it?

Wrapping Up…

Pray as a group, or silently, that God would show you how to more fully enter His rest and trust in Him.