Jesus Never Said ‘Hustle’: Finding True Rest in a Burnout WorldSample

Day 3: Working From Rest (Not For Rest)

The email comes in at 9:30 PM. My phone buzzes while I'm reading bedtime stories to my kids. "Just need a quick response tonight if possible..." My heart rate increases. The boundary I've been trying to set between work and home feels impossible to maintain.

One of hustle culture's biggest lies is that rest is merely a tool for better productivity.

"Sleep well so you can hustle harder tomorrow!" We've turned rest into just another productivity hack.

But Jesus showed a radically different approach. He regularly withdrew to rest and pray, even when the demands around him were intense. In Mark 6:31, when the disciples were so busy they "did not even have a chance to eat," Jesus told them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

What's revolutionary about Jesus's approach is the sequence: rest first, then work.

This pattern appears throughout scripture:

• Creation begins with God resting on the seventh day, establishing the pattern before human work even begins
• The Jewish day begins at sundown, with rest coming before the work day
• Jesus often withdrew to pray before major ministry activities

Hustle culture says: "Work hard now so you can rest later." Jesus says: "Rest in me now so you can work from a place of peace."

This is what Jesus meant when he said "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Rest isn't just a productivity strategy—it's a gift that reminds us we are more than what we produce.

When we work from rest rather than for rest, everything changes.

Our worth isn't tied to our output. Our identity isn't determined by our achievements. And paradoxically, we often find ourselves more effective and purposeful than when we were hustling.

Today's Practice: Schedule a specific time this week for true Sabbath—even if it's just a few hours. No work, no productivity, no "getting ahead." Just presence with God and others, receiving the gift of rest.

Reflection Question: What keeps you from experiencing true rest? How might embracing regular rhythms of rest actually increase your effectiveness?

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for treating rest as merely a means to more productivity rather than as a gift from you. Help me establish rhythms that honor your design—working from rest rather than merely for it. Renew my mind to see that my worth comes from being your beloved child, not from what I accomplish.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Take the next step toward healthy work and finances:

As a thank you for finishing the plan, I'd love to give you a copy of my award-winning book 'Simple Money, Rich Life'. It'll show you how to thrive financially and professionally without the exhaustion of hustle culture—embracing God's rhythm of rest first, work second.

👉 See how to work from rest, not for rest here