The Rising Church

DAY 4-Cast Your Cares

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

That word “casting” is strong. It doesn’t mean gently set your worries down nearby in case you need them back. It means throw them. Heave them. Hurl that burden onto Someone else and let it go. Peter is painting a picture of you taking the heavy load that’s been crushing you and flinging it onto the shoulders of God.
And here’s why you can: because He careth for you. The God of all creation is not annoyed by your worries. He’s not too busy. He’s not rolling His eyes at your anxious heart. He cares — personally, tenderly, completely. The same God holding the galaxies together has His attention on what’s keeping you up at night.
So biblical rest is active here. It’s not just hoping the worry fades. It’s intentionally taking every care — by name — and handing it to God in prayer. ‘Lord, here’s the bill. Here’s my kid. Here’s the diagnosis. Here’s the thing I can’t fix.’ You throw it onto Him and you leave it there. Stop picking back up what you already gave to God. He caught it. Let Him carry it.

◆ What specific cares am I still carrying that I need to cast on God by name?
◆ Have I been “picking back up” worries I already prayed about?
◆ Do I really believe He cares for me — or do I act like my problems are too small or too big for Him?

DAY 3-Trusting God’s Provision

Proverbs 3:5 (KJV)
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Here’s why a lot of us can’t rest — fear. We’re scared of what happens if we stop. “If I’m not grinding, who’s going to pay the bills? Who’s going to hold this together? If I take my hands off it, won’t it all fall apart?” That fear keeps us striving long after God told us to stop.
But rest means believing God is still working even when you are not. Read that again. The world does not run on your effort — it runs on His faithfulness. When you lie down at night and close your eyes, the God who never slumbers stays on the job. When you take a day to breathe, the One who feeds the sparrows hasn’t forgotten your name.
“Lean not unto thine own understanding.” Your understanding tells you it all depends on you. Your understanding tells you rest is too risky. But trust says, ‘God’s got this, and God’s got me.’ You can only rest as deeply as you trust. So if rest feels impossible, the real issue might not be your schedule — it might be your trust. Hand Him the controls. He’s a better provider than you are anyway.

◆ What am I afraid will happen if I actually stop and rest?
◆ Where am I leaning on my own understanding instead of trusting God?
◆ Can I name one area of provision I need to consciously hand back to God today?

DAY 2-The Old, Godly Path

Matthew 11:29 (KJV)
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT)
This is what the LORD says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’”

After Jesus says “come,” He says “take My yoke.” Now wait — isn’t a yoke a burden? How is putting on a yoke supposed to give me rest? Because a yoke joins two together. Jesus isn’t asking you to pull the load alone; He’s stepping into the harness beside you. His way is the lighter way.
And listen, this is an old road. Jeremiah heard God say it centuries before Jesus walked the earth: stop at the crossroads, ask for the old godly way, walk in it — and you’ll find rest for your souls. The path to peace isn’t some brand-new method somebody invented online. It’s the ancient road of trusting and obeying God.
But catch the heartbreak in that verse. God offers the road of rest, and the people answer, “No, that’s not the road we want.” And family, people still say that today. God is holding out rest, real soul-deep peace, and we keep choosing the road of striving because it feels productive. Don’t make that trade. The old, godly path is still open. Walk in it.

◆ Where have I been choosing my own road over God’s, even though His leads to rest?
◆ What would it look like to take Jesus’ yoke today — to let Him share the load instead of carrying it solo?
◆ Is there an “old, godly way” God has already shown me that I’ve been ignoring?

Come To Me

Matthew 11:28 (NLT)
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Notice what Jesus said first. He didn’t say “do less.” He didn’t say “try harder.” He didn’t say “organize your calendar better.” He said come to Me. The very first step to rest is not a productivity tip — it’s a Person.
Jesus was talking to people who were flat worn out. Worn out from their sin. Worn out from the crushing weight of religious rules the Pharisees piled on their backs — burdens those leaders wouldn’t lift a finger to help carry. Worn out from trying to be good enough and never getting there. Sound familiar?
There is nothing more tiring in this world than carrying the guilt and shame of sin you were never meant to carry. The Greek word Jesus used for “rest” — anapausis — means refreshment, relief, inward peace. That’s soul rest. And He doesn’t hand it out to the people who’ve got it all together. He hands it to the weary ones who finally stop running and come.
If you’re tired of doing it your way — tired of carrying everything for yourself and everybody else — that exhaustion is an invitation. Come to Him.

◆ Am I carrying guilt that Christ has already forgiven?
◆ Am I still trying to earn God’s acceptance instead of receiving it?
◆ What is the heaviest thing I’m carrying right now — and have I actually brought it to Jesus, or just talked about it?

How Do I Rest?
Taking a break to enjoy God is holy — not lazy

Family, let me ask you a real question this week — when is the last time you actually rested? Not collapsed. Not crashed because your body finally quit on you. I mean rested on purpose, the way God designed you to.
We live in a culture that wears “busy” like a badge of honor. We brag about being tired. We treat exhaustion like its proof we love God enough. But here’s the truth the Spirit wants to settle in your heart over these next seven days: rest is not a reward you earn after you’ve done enough. Rest is a command God gave you, and a gift He bought for you.
On the very seventh day of creation, before sin ever entered the picture, God rested. Not because He was worn out — He’s God, He doesn’t get tired. He rested to set the rhythm for everything He made. Then He turned around and told us to follow that rhythm. So, when you take time to stop, to breathe, to enjoy Him and the people He gave you — you are not being lazy. You are being obedient.
This week we’re going to walk through two kinds of rest. First, the rest for your soul that only comes from coming to Jesus — laying down the guilt, the striving, the performance. And then the rest for your body that God built into creation itself. Both are holy. Both are His will for you. Let’s rise together and learn how to truly rest.

There is POWER in the name of JESUS!!
What a service this morning!!!

https://www.youtube.com/live/ifJ0-Cp8cao?si=R6YddwH3oy4gLhkm

Family, thank you for walking through “Working Hard” with us this week. My prayer is that you’ll never look at your job the same way again. Work was God’s idea from the beginning, it’s done for an audience of One, it deserves your excellence, it serves as a witness, and — done right, with proper rest — it can be pure joy.
Don’t keep this to yourself. Share it with a coworker who’s burned out. Tag a friend who needs the encouragement. And if you don’t have a church home, we’d love to have you worship with us at The Rising Church. Whatever your hands find to do this week — do it heartily, as unto the Lord.
We love you, and we’re believing God for joy in your labor.

DAY 7 • Take This Job and LOVE IT!

Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT)
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

We started this week with an old song about quitting. Let’s end it with a brand-new anthem. God does NOT want you to “take this job and shove it.” He wants you to take this job and LOVE IT!
When you put it all together — working for an audience of One, giving God your excellence, letting your labor be a witness, refusing to let the enemy burn you out, and building in real rhythms of rest — something shifts. Work stops being a grind and starts becoming worship. The Master you’re really serving is Christ, and He never misses a single thing you do for Him.
So go to work this week with your head up and your heart full. Whatever your hands find to do — cleaning, studying, building, serving — do it heartily, as unto the Lord. There’s an inheritance waiting, and joy available right now. Take this job… and LOVE IT!