“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Between being a dad, husband, pastor and home owner, life is rather busy. Throw in a few sides jobs, graduate school and I find myself weary. I often wonder if I can get everything done and am simply amazed when, by the grace of God, I do fulfill my weekly obligations. Because of my "busyness" I have found that I, at times, am spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally weary. I have found that by eating better, exercising regularly, spending time in the scriptures and praying daily helps me overcome my weariness. However, even with those smart disciplines I still find myself eventually running out of energy. Many have told me I should quit doing so much and, although that may be true, I am learning that what I really need is a Sabbath day.
The Sabbath was an Old Testament law and ritual that required an individual to work six days a week and then rest completely on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8-9). To disregard the Sabbath was to be in sin. Under the new law of the covenant with Christ we are no longer in sin if we do not follow the Sabbath ritual. However, just because we are no longer are required to fulfill a Sabbath day we can still find value in its principles. Setting aside a day for rest is a smart discipline to have. In the past few months I have gotten sick twice, had to miss a few days at work, and cancel an important training session. During those weeks I did not sleep much and I failed to take a day of rest. It seems to me that if I don't take a Sabbath day during the week then my body will eventually force me to take one anyway. God was getting my attention and I now realize how important this Sabbath principle is for me and my family. I need a day each week where I do absolutely nothing but rest. A day to pray and reflect on my blessings. A day to take a nap in the afternoon. A day to turn my phone off and enjoy my family. A day to take a walk and enjoy the sunshine. A day to open an exciting new book. A day to worship God in the quiet place. What I need is a day to free myself from the burden of life's work related responsibilities. And on my Sabbath day I need to allow God to remove the guilt I have of not doing anything!
Have you been feeling weary? Have you been too busy with life's responsibilities? Maybe what you need is a Sabbath day. Find rest in Jesus our Lord who takes away our burdens and weariness.
Between being a dad, husband, pastor and home owner, life is rather busy. Throw in a few sides jobs, graduate school and I find myself weary. I often wonder if I can get everything done and am simply amazed when, by the grace of God, I do fulfill my weekly obligations. Because of my "busyness" I have found that I, at times, am spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally weary. I have found that by eating better, exercising regularly, spending time in the scriptures and praying daily helps me overcome my weariness. However, even with those smart disciplines I still find myself eventually running out of energy. Many have told me I should quit doing so much and, although that may be true, I am learning that what I really need is a Sabbath day.
The Sabbath was an Old Testament law and ritual that required an individual to work six days a week and then rest completely on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8-9). To disregard the Sabbath was to be in sin. Under the new law of the covenant with Christ we are no longer in sin if we do not follow the Sabbath ritual. However, just because we are no longer are required to fulfill a Sabbath day we can still find value in its principles. Setting aside a day for rest is a smart discipline to have. In the past few months I have gotten sick twice, had to miss a few days at work, and cancel an important training session. During those weeks I did not sleep much and I failed to take a day of rest. It seems to me that if I don't take a Sabbath day during the week then my body will eventually force me to take one anyway. God was getting my attention and I now realize how important this Sabbath principle is for me and my family. I need a day each week where I do absolutely nothing but rest. A day to pray and reflect on my blessings. A day to take a nap in the afternoon. A day to turn my phone off and enjoy my family. A day to take a walk and enjoy the sunshine. A day to open an exciting new book. A day to worship God in the quiet place. What I need is a day to free myself from the burden of life's work related responsibilities. And on my Sabbath day I need to allow God to remove the guilt I have of not doing anything!
Have you been feeling weary? Have you been too busy with life's responsibilities? Maybe what you need is a Sabbath day. Find rest in Jesus our Lord who takes away our burdens and weariness.
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