Stop What You're Doing!

When was the last time you rested? Not just a few hours of sleep in the evening or even an afternoon nap.


I mean, taking an entire day to REST.


Our world is so full of  activities, work, sports, cleaning, cooking, caring for kids and so many other distractions that we often lose sight of the commandment that God gave us in the 20th chapter of Exodus.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

This is one of the longest commandments given as part of the Ten Commandments shared with Moses on Mount Sinai. We often find it easy to abide by the commandments where we are told  not to murder, lie, or commit adultery, but when we are commanded to take a day of rest, we often shrug it off.

Push it aside or not pay attention to it at all.

The Ten Commandments aren't answers to a multiple choice question where you pick a few to obey and then decide whether or not you will follow the others. ALL of them are important and serve a purpose in our lives. 

There should be at least one day of the week that you set apart for rest and worship with your Heavenly Father. Sabbath rest is vital to refresh your body and soul.

Not only are we supposed to rest, so should our children, employees, and even our visitors. God thought so much of this commandment that He demonstrated an example of Sabbath rest when He formed the world. Now let's be honest, God didn't need the rest. He did however want to lead by example. Let's read the scripture again from another translation:

 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.

I now understand why my mom didn't cook or clean on Sunday when we were growing up. Our Sunday's started with church and concluded with rest. We watched very little television on Sunday's especially before church. It all makes sense now.  This time of quiet provided a time of reflection before a time of worship. I hope you will find the ability to trust God and give your body the rest it needs. Trust me, whatever you need to get finished, it can wait. He's got you covered! (Posted by Renee)