God’s Gift to Us
The Sabbath is something God has given us (
When was your last Sabbath? Is it something you have on your schedule every week and that you guard? When it is the Sabbath, are you truly resting?
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (
I Have to Be There for Them…
How easy it is to be so busy. It is not like it is just wasted work, we are doing what God has called us to and caring for His people, but we are so busy that we neglect our own intimacy with Christ and miss out on the soul rest we need! When we are not resting in Christ, we will not be able to share His love effectively with others.
Why not take a Sabbath and do no ministry, but allow Him to minister to us? Yes, even on our Sabbath, ministry is sometimes needed. Jesus said so (
I was in a session dealing with burn out at a youth conference several years ago when a volunteer broke down and started crying. She could not understand the idea of not doing ministry because so many teenagers had so many great needs. Fifteen hours a day for seven days a week was not enough, and she felt that she needed to do more. Yet here she was completely broken and unable to serve them. After a lengthy conversation, hearing her heart, and looking at what could happen, she said something amazing. “I need to let God be Lord of their lives. I simply cannot do it.” I couldn’t say it any better!
Take the Gift
So where can you add a continuous 24-hour Sabbath? (Don’t short yourself or God and do 12 hours here and 12 hours there.) Some need to take Mondays after their sermons, others like to have it on Fridays in preparation for Sunday. With my schedule is, Thursday at noon until Friday at noon suits me perfectly — no seminary homework, no reading Christian books, no preparing for the youth. My Sabbath contains tennis with my wife, date night with my wife, flexing my Photoshop and programming skills and blogging (not to work, but to de-stress).
What gives you rest? How can you fill your cup on your next Sabbath (
