TAKE A BREAK

Ex. 20:8

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”

It may just be the season of the year, but it seems like Vicki and I just go and go and never stop going.  Even our weekends are filled.  I understand the urgency of our mission; but are our lives really supposed to be like that? 

The fact is that if a person’s Christian life is go, go, and go, one of two things will happen:  either they will just get tired, wear out, and quit; or they will burn out and quit.  In either case, their life is miserable and, ultimately, they become useless to the Lord and to His church. 

Now make no mistake.  Jesus has called His people to service.  We all have jobs to do in the body of Christ.  In fact, one of my core ministry values is the ministry of every member.  But that has to be balanced against God’s clear instruction to “remember.”  The task oriented among us are thinking:  “Oh, right; I remember that I promised to teach Sunday School this week and I haven’t prepared the lesson yet,” or something like that.  But that isn’t what I’m talking about.  God said “Remember the Sabbath.”  Remember, in the midst of your service, in the midst of your work, in the midst of your life, you need rest and reflection and prayer and quietness.  It isn’t God’s plan that His people should work until they drop or that they should have a zeal that burns incessantly and fries their brains!  A period of time without work or stress is God’s gift. 

And friends, here is the great secret . . . going and going and going doesn’t enable you to achieve more.  In the end, if you remember the Sabbath and utilize this gift of God, you will accomplish just as much or more.  How can that be?  It can be because when you are working you will be working with the blessing of God.  God makes our work time more efficient, more focused, and more powerful because of the time we spent with Him.  So set some time apart each week to rest, recover, worship, and heal.  It’s God provision for you.

--- Pastor Keith Andrews