The last couple of posts we’ve looked at two of the basic disciplines of the Christian faith, Scripture reading and prayer. As with many of the disciplines, these are things God asks us to do, not to earn his favor, but to aid our maturity in the faith. However, there is a spiritual discipline that doesn’t require us to do anything, it is just the opposite. We are challenged to simply take time off our schedule and rest.
A second important truth to understand concerning this discipline is that it was the first God established. As you know, we read the creation account in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. In chapter 2:2-3 we see this, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
A final fact regarding this discipline is that it is part of God’s Ten Commandments. It is important enough to him that he is unwilling to take a chance that we will miss it. Unfortunately, it is one of the least obeyed commands in Scripture.
God desires for us to make a sabbath rest part of our regular practice as men pursuing to mature in Christ. This is NOT God calling us to honor one day of the week over others. This was the error made by the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day. They made it about the rule and totally ignored the purpose of the instruction. Taking a sabbath is simply stopping for a day to physically, emotionally, and spiritually recharge. When Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders because he and his disciples did not obey the rules concerning the Sabbath, he responded by saying in Mark 2:27, Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
His point was to help them, and us, see that he was obeying the intent of keeping a sabbath instead of following the rules set up by men. We can better understand God’s intention for this discipline by looking at his practice. After creating the universe in six days, God observed a sabbath, a day of rest. Why? Was he emotionally and physically drained? No, he is so powerful that all he needed to do was speak a word and creation took place. Was he spiritually exhausted by the effort? Hardly, he IS GOD. The only answer left to us as to the motive of God for resting on the seventh day was to model the importance of this practice in our lives.
Again, he reinforces this importance by commanding it in his Top Ten List. It is not optional for spiritual health; we need to rest. God understands exactly how we are made. He knows that all people, but especially me can drive ourselves to work and play hard as a means of affirming our importance. Because of this tendency, he commands us to put regular time in our schedule to refresh and rest.
The means of doing this can be as varied as our different personalities. For me as a Pastor, Sundays are not a good day for me to use as my sabbath. It is a busy day of teaching and interaction with people. It is one of the most stressful times of my week. I take Mondays as my sabbath.
Sabbath rest could mean lying on the sofa doing nothing, but it doesn’t have to. What is relaxing for you? What activity relieves the physical and emotional strain of your regular routine. You may find sabbath rest in a round of golf or some other hobby. I find working in our garden or caring for my yard a stress reliever. The key is to get out of the routine and refresh.
A part of your sabbath rest should also include time alone with our Lord. Reading scripture and prayer are good ways to connect. Being quiet before God and giving him a turn to speak into your life can also be available to you as you slow down and step away.
To begin this practice, you may only be able to get an hour or two to yourself. Work toward this goal. This can be increased as you learn creative ways of setting side time. Like all areas of our lives, saying yes to one thing will mean saying no to something else. Evaluate your schedule for those things that may not be bad but would be better replaced by an obedient response to God to find a sabbath rest in him.