Maybe its time to take the Sabbath Seriously
For the last several years that I have been following Jesus (ok actually all the years) I have casually neglected to take what scripture says about a Sabbath seriously. I mean, come on, I’m a busy guy. I have been working between two and four jobs at the same time since High School. I have managed to woo (gotta love that word) and win my beautiful bride, which any guy can tell you is a labor intensive deal. I am planting a church, which is by far the most labor intensive job I have ever had. And, I am a dad to 2 great kiddos, which is such a blessing and also a ton of work. And somehow, in the midst of all this craziness God actually expects me to set aside an entire day for rest and reflection on Him? As in 24 whole hours? Seriously?
The resounding answer in my spirit these last few days has been, YES!
God started working on my heart Saturday when 2 different speakers, men that I love and respect dearly, both talked about the need for church planters to take a Sabbath. The cool thing is that they didn’t plan it, they just both “happened” to talk about it on the same day. That really got the ball rolling around in my noggin, and then I read this passage, Leviticus 25:20-21:
And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years.
You see, God had commanded His people that in the seventh year they were to leave their farmland alone. During that year that couldn’t sow seed, grow anything, or pick anything that grew in the field for the family to eat. And when they complained about the possibility of not having enough food, God has a simple solution, the 6th year would produce enough food for that year, the 7th year, and the 8th year until the time of the harvest!
This was my “ah ha!” moment. For years I have been thinking that I am so busy that I can’t afford to give up time for a Sabbath because I won’t be able to get everything done, but the reality is that I can’t afford not to. I am convinced now more than ever that God does something miraculous when we follow His lead on taking a day or rest. He blesses the rest of the work we do more greatly, helping us to be more productive than before so that we can do in 6 days what we would have done in 8.
Now, the temptation here is for many of you to think the same way that I used to and assume that just because you go to church on Sunday morning that you are taking your Sabbath. To that, let me simply pose this question. Is Sunday really a day of rest and reflection on God, or is it just another really busy day where the emphasis of the busyness just happens to be spiritual rather than secular?
Do you realize that taking a Sabbath, a day or rest, is the very first thing that God models for us in Scripture in Genesis 2:1-3? That alone speaks volumes to my spirit. I hope it touches yours as well.
March 10th, 2008 at 7:13 am
Hey, Adam,
I, too, wrestle with this one. I mean, what is “rest”? Can we cook, or like Orthodox Jews do we take the day off from that, too? Also, sometimes just getting a family ready for church seems like “work”. And then I’ve always wondered – how do pastors approach Sunday, since the worship service is, frankly, their job (or at least part of it)?
I think you’re right – I think the day of rest is important and I violate it, too. The above questions are part of my struggle with it. Any insights?
March 10th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Hey adam,
you know i think its pretty cool that your recent blog is about the day of rest. It is actually something that i am working on (one of many things). Being in my health feild, working, going to school, and being apart of community, i tend to find myself very busy ALL THE TIME! I use sunday as a day to catch up on my homework, get groceries for the week, go to the gym to catch up on my work out….the list goes on! I have felt a convicition about this too this past week and already yesterday i used the day of rest to….take a nap! I felt more refreshed and stress-free! I am so glad that He has set the example and made this a necessity for us because it totally helps redefine your thoughts and helps in gaining a better perspective and attitude! Gotta love God!