.jpg)
Pursuing God with Gene Appel
Gene Appel is the senior pastor of Eastside Christian Church, a multi-site church based in Anaheim, California. Since 2008, Gene has led Eastside into multiple seasons of rapid growth and as a result, Eastside has been consistently named among the 100 fastest growing churches in America. Gene’s recipe for success is simple: Pursue God, Build Community, and Unleash Compassion. Eastside’s explosive growth is rooted in a deep conviction that God’s heart and God’s grace is for everyone, resulting in a radically inclusive community of God-conscious “servant leaders” who serve both locally and globally. Join Gene Monday - Friday as he walks you through practical biblical teachings that will foster a deeper connection and awareness of God’s activity and presence in your life. No matter where you are at with your walk with God, this podcast is for everyone.
Pursuing God with Gene Appel
Episode 1257: Why Did God Rest Even Though He Wasn't Tired?
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
God worked six days creating the world, and on the seventh, He stopped. Not because He was exhausted. God doesn't get tired. He stopped to enjoy what He had made. And if God rested even though He didn't need to, it tells us there is more value in rest than just recovering from physical exertion. Moses says in Exodus 31 that God was refreshed. The literal translation suggests He refreshed Himself. And we are called to imitate that. Here's what trips most of us up, though: we treat rest like a reward for finishing everything on the list. But it's a command, not a prize for productivity. The universe keeps spinning even if you stop. You are not essential, just significant. And there is real freedom in knowing the difference. So is there a day in your week you can genuinely call a rest day, not a catch-up day, not an errand day, but a day of actual renewal?
Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.