The Rest of God. The Sabbath. It is something everyone needs. A day to refuel, restore, and recreate. A day to be emptied of the funk and junk and lies of the world and be filled with the goodness of God. God modeled the Sabbath in Genesis 2 when He created for 6 days then rested for 1. He commanded the Sabbath in Exodus 20, telling mankind to “keep the Sabbath day holy…”. Yet few choose to enter the rest of God. Most choose to pursue a life of busy-ness and incessant activity. Somehow we’ve come to believe this is the way to accomplishment, success, and happiness. But if we go that way, we find ourselves coming up short. Stressed out. Tired out. Poured out. Nothing left to give- not to God, not to ourselves, not to others.
We need the Sabbath. God instituted it for our own good and for the good of those around us. If we are to love God and love others, if we are to be salt and light, we must be obedient to God. And we must take the time to be emptied and refilled regularly. We must rest. Then we will have the spiritual fuel, the mental sharpness, the creative energy, the relational drive to live as God called and created us to live.
In this series we learned that to institute the Sabbath into our lives we must 1) PLAN for it - pick a day, mark the calendar, and protect it from intrusion by anyone or anything. 2) We must PREPARE for it by using wisely the other 6 days of the week to get done what needs to get done and we must be ready to release the things of lower priority - let the go undone. 3) We must the PRACTICE the Sabbath by putting work to rest and rest to work. We need to draw close to God through prayer, reading, and resting. We must be still and know He is God. And we must pursue recreational rest - doing the things that empty our anxieties, deplete our doubts and fill us with joy.
We are called to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. You have heard what God has to say about rest. Now let’s do it! In my next post you will find suggestions, ideas, and strategies for implementing the rest of God in your life. I will share some things to do on a Sabbath day and some things NOT to do. I will post some of my own experiences and lessons from the past year when I have begun to take the Sabbath seriously, to implement it in my life, and to keep it holy. I hope you will be inspired and encouraged to enter the rest of God, and in so doing discover what you’ve been missing.
This blog post will serve as a place to share our Sabbath experiences as we seek the rest of God over these next 10 weeks. Post ideas for planning, preparing, and practicing. Share what you are learning and how you are growing through the Sabbath. We can brainstorm restful and recreational things to do on a Sabbath as well as things that sabotage the Sabbath.
I’ll start with a short list of things I enjoy doing on my Sabbath day. These are recreational, restful things that bring restoration to my mind, body and spirit as well as refuel me for the week ahead. Here we go…
1. Sleep in
2. Turn off my phone
3. Pray
4. Take a walk or hike
5. Read my Bible
6. Read a novel
7. Walk my kids to/from school
8. Eat a leisurely lunch out with a friend or two
9. Go fishing
10. Simple home repairs or small building projects
Here are a couple of Sabbath killers for me…these are things I DON’T recommend for your day of rest:
1. Wake up by alarm clock
2. Have appointments or deadlines
3. Catch up on work or chores
4. Plan the rest of your week
5. Check voice mail, email, and other work related media
Now it’s your turn…post comments about this or share some of your own Sabbath day do’s and don’ts. Together we can break the habit of busy-busy-busy and enter the rest of God!
What a great series! I’d always thought a Sabbath day had to be a Sunday and I wasn’t supposed to do anything but go to church. Now I understand that it’s making use of my time in 6 days, to spend the 7th worry-free, reflecting on God’s provisions and relaxing, recharging myself for the week to come.
I used to work 7 days a week 12 hours a day and thought I was the man.. Now I realize I am nothing without God and that he calls me to rest and be still and know that he is God. Meaning that in my busy times I am not listening to God. But when I slow down and do nothing and open my heart and my ears, I hear what God has to say to me. Just like Jesus he withdrew and rested and prayed. His closest times with his father was when he removed himself from others and the noise and withdrew to a quiet place to be with his father and to listen to what he had to say to him.
The sabbath is my favorite day of the week. I am thinking about having a double sabbath this week.
Tanner I know you better than that! ( But it does sound fun.) As a small business owner how do you remove yourself from the demands for your time and attention so you can rest one day a week?
A day in the life of Missy is one of disorganized chaos. I get overwhelmed by all my to-do’s sometimes. Productivity is always pretty low. What I am learning is that if I can improve my productivity then I might, just might, have one day a week where I could feel like I don’t have a single thing on my to-do list. That would be wonderful.
Hey Missy, I had similar struggles when I began implementing Sabbath a year ago. What I’ve found is that if I make a day of rest a priority (keep it holy) I have a clearer mind and can better organize and prioritize the activities for my other 6 days. When I’m better organized and have clear priorities I am more productive, leaving me more time for what is truly important - God, family, others, and rest. It’s one of those things where you have to trust God first. Make Sabbth a priority for the next 10 weeks and see if He increases your productivity. I bet He will!
I too struggle with my to do list and feeling like I have to get everything done now or that my list gets so long that I end up doing whatever is due next…not the best plan. I have to say that I have a new perspective to a very familiar verse in the Bible, Phil 4:13 “I can do all things throught Jesus Christ who gives me strength.” I used to look at this verse saying that Jesus gives us the strength during difficult times, but now I also think of it Christ giving us what we need…even helping me handle my “to-do list” if I will be obedient to Him in everything including Rest!
Oh the busy schedule of moms and working moms sometimes…..how we never feel fully “accomplished!” The endless “to-do” list is our biggest enemy to entering that rest. For me, spending uninterrupted time with my family and having the “to-do” list crossed off means I HAVE to make good use of the six days of work I have. The family time and time spent recreating or reading and “listening” to what God wants to pour in are truly how I prefer to spend my Sabbath time. It does not always happen, but I try to push hard through the week so that Saturday or Sunday end up being just that…restful. Kids sports events are even restful for us when it is family time that is not “competing” with a bunch of other “busyness.” This series has helped me realize what a “gift” the Sabbath is and how our culture does not support this concept much. This has to be an active choice we make for our lives. Thank you Lord for providing the framework- teach us and help us to follow so that we may know your rest.
Though still young, unmarried, childless, and living under my father’s roof, I still have been touched by Todd’s messages these past few weeks. Even though I am these things, I, myself, still find myself worrying more about being busy, busy, busy, constantly surrounding myself with the stresses of school work, midterms, finals, college applications, and work. From listening to the messages, I have realized that at the end of the day, those things will still be the same tomorrow, will still be waiting for me exactly the way I left them. Nearing the end of my senior year, the last real chance I have to be a “carefree kid”, I have decided that the Sabbath is something I need to envelop myself in. Constantly surrounding myself with busy work has allowed my mind to get so caught up with stress and anxiety that I’ve forgotten the things that really matter- friends, family, and myself. I guess it’s time to be a little selfish and do some things for me. I have taken my family for granted… My dad, his girlfriend, my mother, my sister, and of course my adoptive family - the Mckinley’s. I guess what I’m trying to say is that my Sabbath day is going to be a day for me to reflect, for me to look into myself and start to deal with the things I’ve been pushing aside whilst busying myself. It’s time to sit down, relax, self-search, and let go of the stress.
Alexis, this makes me think about Matthew 6:34 (and certainly worth reading from verse 25). My favorite is “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” I have to say how amazing it is to know that you have realized this so early in your years. For me, I spent way too much time getting caught up with the “what ifs?” I come from a long line of worriers, so much so, my Mum said my Grandma was the best worrier in England and would “worry for all of the world”. Recently, my bible study has me focusing on that it’s ok to have concerns, but “Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING [that means NOTHING is too small, so give it ALL up to the Lord!!], by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6)
My sabbath day this week was much needed. I needed to rest…both physically and spiritually. Fortunately I got to do both. I am encouraged that many from Elevation Church seem to be taking the sabbath seriously. Y’all keep it up. You;ll never regret obeying God!
Hey everyone, I want to share a resource with you. The book “The Rest of God” by Mark Buchanan (available at Amazon.com) has been instrumental in my understanding and application of the Sabbath this past year. It’s short, easy to read, and just a really good resource. I recommend reading it over the next 10 weeks as we continue striving to break the work-work-work habit and enter into God’s rest. Here is the link to it on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Rest-God-Restoring-Your-Sabbath/dp/0849918707/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328288342&sr=1-1
I can’t wait to read about what God is teaching you through this book, His Word, and your own Sabbath day!
Just wanted to encourage everyone at Elevation (re: their attempt, and desire, to claim their Sabbath) to KEEP UP THE GOD WORK!! It’s a tough one but sooooo critical to your walk. In the beginning, it may be only an afternoon, an evening, a morning—just set aside a ‘chunk’ of time—-for you and the Lord. Sometimes, my husband and I say ” going to get spiritual” which is code for , taking a nap! (taking time to ‘rest in the Lord’ on a Sunday afternoon .) To-do lists will wait! Talk to your creator on how to tackle them WITH His wisdom , power, strength and attitude!!!!
This week I am moving my Sabbath from Tuesday (the day I usually take off) to Wednesday. No big deal, right? Well, some would argue it is a big deal what day we set aside for Sabbath. Some today might say Sunday is the only biblical day for Sabbath. Wrong. The original Sabbath was Friday midnight to Saturday midnight. So our modern understanding of Sabbath may be a bit skewed. Looking at Jesus’ teaching on Sabbath I see that it is not a legalistic obligation to be kept or else. It is a command for our own good…one we need to keep…and one in which Jesus was clear does not fit neatly into a set of rules or requirements. Jesus taught on the Sabbath. He took a walk with his disciples on the Sabbath. He healed on the Sabbath. And he said, “I am Lord of the Sabbath.” In other words, he knows how the Sabbath is supposed to work. Don’t get caught up in legalism as you set out to make a day of rest part of your week. Remember, it doesn’t have to be Sunday, but it needs to be some day! Plan. Prepare. Practice.
I just wanted to update that the last 2 1/2 weeks, for me, have been some of the most productive I’ve had in a loooooong time. I think it’s the change in perspective that has done so much for me. My old way of thinking was to add a chunk of Missy time into every day, decreasing my productivity on a daily basis so that by the time my Sabbath came around I would be frazzled and playing catch up. Not optimal for sure. So instead, placing a higher value on getting quality R&R in on my Sabbath has encouraged me to cut out the excessive Missy time so I could get way more accomplished in my day. And my stress level has gone down. The self-imposed guilt trips are not an issue. I love the feeling of peace and R&R that comes from having absolutely nothing on my to-do list. Very nice.
Hey Missy, I love what you said about the self imposed guilt trips we can go on when we take time off from our work….whatever that work may be. I experience them myself and have talked with so many others…men and women alike…who feel this way when they try to rest. But God says we need to rest. He created us to work, but also to take time off, to rest, to be refueled and refilled by Him and to be emptied out from the junk we encounter in our world. I’m glad you are finding peace in entering a Godly rest. Remember to keep planning, preparing, and certainly practicing!
I made a mess of my Sabbath this week. I hve been under the weather a bit with a sinus infection and while I planned my Sabbath for Tuesday, I did not prepare very well. So when Tuesday came I felt I had too much on my plate to rest. But I didn’t really work either. I tried doing a little of both…working for a little while and resting for a little while. But I was not effective at either. I accomplished little in the way of work, less in the way of rest, and have been out of sorts ever since. This used to be a regular thing for me, but as I implemented sabbath I found I was far more effective with my time and energy because I planned better. I hate this feeling of unrest and trying to catch up. I feel slow and cumbersome because I’ve not been emptied and I feel tired and unenthusastic because I’ve not been filled. I. Need. Rest.
So do you! Enter God’s holy rest for you by setting 1 day aside for Him. Allow yourself to be still and quiet, to pray and read, to recreate and relax. Allow yourself a day a week for the rest of God.
Todd I felt the exact same way this week. Definitely under the weather. Something was just lurking all week. Felt sluggish, and just plain “off” and it threw “off” the whole week. Then Wednesday Tate got sick. Stayed home from school Thursday and Friday. Then just as he was recovering I got sick. That thing that was lurking earlier in the week finally caught up to me. So no Sabbath this week. Not that I didn’t get much needed R&R, I just would have preferred to spend it feeling good. Here’s to a more effective Sabbath this week.
Awwww….the Sabbath! Today after church we came home to do nothing! Yeah! As Kathy commented above- Jim got “spiritual” with a fat nap. I hung with my sweet girls and we went to see our little neighbor friend in a cheerleading pep rally. No schedules, just rest and fun down time. We were tempted to reschedule a softball practice but fought the temptation- awwww, felt good.
I have to say I’m a slacker and the king of procrastination. I’ve slacked on taking time for God in my life… for a LONG time. With the recent shift in our family schedule it is going to be decidedly difficult to set aside a day to just be, not be somewhere or be doing something…. just BE. Pray for me and my family as we try to make the Sabbath a priority.
Jared, you have said it well. Many of us struggle to ‘just be’. Instead we schedule in all kinds of activites so we have to be somewhere, or be someone, or be something. And we never make time to ‘just be’…just be still, just be in God’s presence, just be listening for His still, small voice.
We are too busy being what/who/where the world wants and have no time/understanding/energy to be all God designed us to be.
I pray you (we all) make it a priority to just be. Just be still. Just be quiet. Just be.