Exodus 20: 8-11
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it
holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but
the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your
God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you,
your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any
foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made
the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day
he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it
apart as holy.
The venerable preacher, Vance Havner, used to look over the
top of his glasses and say to his congregation, "If you don't come apart,
you will come apart." While not all stress is bad for us, too
much of it over too long a period of time can be a killer. Literally. Most of
us are wound pretty tight, which can result in everything from mild anger and
irritation all the way to road rage and even a complete emotional breakdown.
The old Greek motto wasn't far off: "You will break the bow if you keep it
always bent."
It's interesting what our Creator did on the seventh day of
creation. Do you remember? Just in case you forgot, read Genesis 2:2 for
yourself: "By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done,
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."
Now, why? Why did Almighty God need to rest? He didn't need to,
He chose to. But why? Being God, He certainly wasn't tired (an
absolute impossibility). He rested because He considered His work complete. He
also rested to leave us an example to follow . . . to pattern our lives after.
Many, many years later, He very deliberately included the importance of resting
in His top ten priorities. These have come to be called the Ten Commandments.
Obviously, they represent the ten things God cares about the most when it comes
to wholesome human behavior. Number four on that list is found in Exodus
20:8-11, which reads:
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days
you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your
God; in it you shall not do any work . . . . For in six days the LORD made
the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the
seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it
holy."
"Sabbath" is actually a Hebrew term, meaning
"seventh." The seventh day of the week is Saturday. It was tradition
that transferred Saturday to Sunday, but in God's original plan, He never had
Sunday in mind, only the seventh—or last—day of the week. On that final day,
REST!
My concern at this point is not which day you choose to rest
and relax—only that you take time to do so. As Jesus taught, "the Sabbath
was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Because of
stacks and stacks of legalistic traditionalism, many people have gotten the
plan all mixed up. They wind up arguing over which day is the actual Sabbath
while they overlook the primary purpose God had in mind in the first place:
taking sufficient time to rest and relax. Finding relief from the stress.
Pushing away from our computers. Leaving the responsibilities of work. Giving
our bodies time to refuel. Allowing our minds to be renewed. Letting our
emotions be refreshed and restored.
Here are five searching questions only you can answer:
Do you deliberately and regularly take time each week to
rest?
When you're taking time to relax, do you mentally release
yourself from your responsibilities?
Are you strong enough to say no to things that would result
in your falling into the trap of over-commitment?
Have you begun to cultivate hobbies that relieve your stress
and free you to be creative?
After you have rested and gotten recharged, do you return to
your responsibilities without any guilt for having taken the time off?
In all my years in the ministry, I've never known or heard
of anyone near death, wishing they had spent more time at the office.
Thought for today: A paradox - Can I unplug and yet still get recharged?
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