Day of Rest

I remember checking out at the grocery store with an older gentleman behind the counter. He was relaying to me how tired he was because he worked a full 7 days a week. I said, “Hey, God even took a day of rest. If God took a day of rest, then you definitely need one!” He laughed and we said good-bye, but there is so much truth in that one statement I spoke to him.

Exodus 31:15a

You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord.

Exodus 31:17b

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.

On the 7th day He stopped working and was refreshed. We have a lot of tired, worn out, stressed people in our society today. I wonder how many of them realize how refreshed they would feel if they took a day completely off each week? If the Lord can feel refreshed from a day of rest, how much more can we?

I imagine the main reason people say they can’t take a day off of work is because they believe they won’t have time to get everything done that they need to. I say that that is really saying, “I don’t trust You, God, with my time. Oh, You created me, You created time. You know what’s best for me, but in this area I’m just going to do what I want to do.”

I have been practicing the Sabbath day of rest for quite some time now. I can tell you assuredly that the Lord blesses my work time so much when I honor His Word that I am able to accomplish everything I need to do because my time is blessed.

When I was in college, I purposed not to work on school work on my Sabbath day of rest. If a paper was due by Sunday evening, I would have it turned in by Saturday so that I could rest all day Sunday. When I was employed by a company, I let them know from the beginning that I was not available one day a week for my Sabbath day of rest. It never cost me a job and the work I did for the company was more than blessed in the time I gave them. Now that I am self-employed, I have purposed to do no work for my business whatsoever on my Sabbath day of rest. I have to use a lot of self-control because I could easily pick up my laptop, or phone, but I restrain myself to honor God’s principals. Guess what? All my work gets done every week and I accomplish more in the other 6 days than I would without taking the Sabbath day of rest.

The Bible tells us that some people see one day as more sacred than the other. I take that to mean that for some the Sabbath is a Saturday and for some it’s another day. Whatever that day is in your world, I would encourage you to take God at His Word. He made us. He knows what’s best for us. You can trust Him! Your body won’t regret taking a day of rest! Your family won’t regret you taking a day of rest! Your mind won’t regret you taking a day of rest! :-)

The Lord set an example for me by taking a day of rest. I will follow Him and set the same example for my children by trusting Him with my time during a Sabbath day of rest!

Father God, You showed me the best way for my life from the beginning of creation! You allowed 6 days for work and the 7th You rested. I do not know better than You! I trust You with my time. If You have shown me that this is the best way for my life, then I believe that I can lay down my work for 1 day so that You can bless the other 6 days! Please show me all the different areas of my life that I can rest in for one day.

#rest