Stop the Busyness
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Ex. 35:1, 2, NIV.
For too many of us the Sabbath is a busy day—just a different kind of busyness. We rush to get dressed, rush to get to church on time, and rush home to get a meal prepared for company. Perhaps we worry about the lesson we are to teach or about what people will think of our new hairstyle, worry about the kids sitting still in the pew, or worry about whether the guests we invited over for lunch will stay the whole afternoon so we won't be able to take a nap.
If on weekdays you seldom have any "down" time because of your hectic schedule, if you rush from one activity to another without taking time to enjoy them, then it is doubly important to stop your busyness on the Sabbath.
The root of the word Sabbath means "to stop, rest, cease." The rest refers to God's acts of creation. After bringing the world into being, God stopped, not from tiredness, but because He had finished His work, the reasoning behind the command to observe the Sabbath. God intended us to "finish" our work in six days so we too could celebrate with Him on the Sabbath.
But for most of us our work never gets "finished." So when the sun sets in the west on Friday evening, God gave us permission just to drop it, walk away from it, forget it, and take a vacation from it for 24 hours. You may not think you have the time. But the busier you get, the more important the Sabbath becomes. After a day of rest from your regular routine, you'll feel refreshed and ready to return to your job with renewed interest and energy, and will be able to work smarter, instead of longer.
Ceasing work on the seventh day isn't an arbitrary command. God sanctified (set apart) that day for the good of humanity. He had you in mind when He ceased His work and declared the seventh day of each week a holiday in His honor.
What busy things are you doing on the Sabbath that are robbing you of experiencing a Sabbath day blessing? What are you going to do differently next Sabbath?
For too many of us the Sabbath is a busy day—just a different kind of busyness. We rush to get dressed, rush to get to church on time, and rush home to get a meal prepared for company. Perhaps we worry about the lesson we are to teach or about what people will think of our new hairstyle, worry about the kids sitting still in the pew, or worry about whether the guests we invited over for lunch will stay the whole afternoon so we won't be able to take a nap.
If on weekdays you seldom have any "down" time because of your hectic schedule, if you rush from one activity to another without taking time to enjoy them, then it is doubly important to stop your busyness on the Sabbath.
The root of the word Sabbath means "to stop, rest, cease." The rest refers to God's acts of creation. After bringing the world into being, God stopped, not from tiredness, but because He had finished His work, the reasoning behind the command to observe the Sabbath. God intended us to "finish" our work in six days so we too could celebrate with Him on the Sabbath.
But for most of us our work never gets "finished." So when the sun sets in the west on Friday evening, God gave us permission just to drop it, walk away from it, forget it, and take a vacation from it for 24 hours. You may not think you have the time. But the busier you get, the more important the Sabbath becomes. After a day of rest from your regular routine, you'll feel refreshed and ready to return to your job with renewed interest and energy, and will be able to work smarter, instead of longer.
Ceasing work on the seventh day isn't an arbitrary command. God sanctified (set apart) that day for the good of humanity. He had you in mind when He ceased His work and declared the seventh day of each week a holiday in His honor.
What busy things are you doing on the Sabbath that are robbing you of experiencing a Sabbath day blessing? What are you going to do differently next Sabbath?
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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