Sabbath: The Roots of Restlessness

Three People Holding Hearts to Their Breasts

Image © Pacific Press

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Matthew 10:34-39, Luke 12:13-21, Philippians 2:5-8, Luke 22:14-30, Matthew 23:1-13.

Memory Text: “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16).

Aspens are beautiful trees, reaching 45-90 feet (15-30 meters) in height. They thrive in cold climates with cool summers. Their wood is used in furniture and also for making matches and paper. Deer and other animals often feed on young aspen trees during hard winters as their bark contains many nutrients. Aspens need lots of sunshine, and they grow all the time — even in winter, making them important winter food sources for different animals.

Aspens, however, are most notorious for the fact that they have one of the largest root systems in the plant world. The roots spread by underground suckers and form a colony that can spread relatively quickly, covering large areas. Individual aspen trees can live up to 150 years, but the larger organism below the ground can live for thousands of years.

In this week’s study, we want to discover some of the roots of our restlessness. There are many things that can prevent us from finding true rest in Jesus. Some of these are obvious and don’t require much attention. Others may be less obvious to us and, as with to the huge aspen organism unseen beneath the ground, we may not always be conscious of the attitudes and actions that separate us from our Savior.