A Sabbath Priority
If you’ve read this blog for long, you know I’ve been struggling to take a Sabbath rest, and periodically I’ve been posting what I’m learning in this process. I’m not taking Sabbaths as a legalistic thing, but as something God’s put on my heart as important. (It did make the 10 Commandments, after all. It’s certainly the one I understand the least, and I don’t think I’m alone here in Western Christianity.) He wants me to unplug partly to spend extended time with him, partly for self-investment by reading the books on my reading list, and partly because I physically need the rest. Anyway, I successfully took a Sabbath rest this past Sunday! And I was successful for one reason. And only one reason. I made it a priority.
I made taking a Sabbath a priority even over this blog, our ministry, which is why this post was posted on Tuesday instead of on Monday this week. In fact, we’re moving our blog posts to Tuesdays for this reason. Allow me to pull back the curtain on our blog process in a moment of honesty.
My goal’s always been to have blog posts queued up several weeks in advance. That has worked only sporadically, for a few weeks at a time, and then I’m back to posting the week I write. The last 9 out of 15 weeks, I’ve written the post on Sunday afternoon. “Egads, it‘s Sunday afternoon! I need a post for tomorrow!” Usually I have an idea at least before then, but sometimes the Holy Spirit’s come through at the last minute. This has put a sizeable dent in my Sabbaths. Which I thought was ok. After all, this is my ministry, right?
Until this Sunday afternoon where I again was needing a post for the next day. And the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to me: “No.”
Then I asked myself the question, “What would happen if I took a Sabbath anyway, and wrote the post Monday afternoon instead, posting Tuesday morning?” I felt the Holy Spirit’s pleasure with that option. It’s something I’d not considered before. So I took a Sabbath rest instead of writing my blog post, and I was so blessed. God was so close. And I was truly refreshed. What do you know, God’s way works! 🙂 I bet it would bless you, too.
What I’ve learned through this is my Sabbath rest is more important to God than my ministry. That’s a mind-blow, huh?
The truth is, I won’t take a Sabbath rest unless I make it a priority, which means guarding it against other good things by saying “no” to them, which is my action step for this week.
Action Step: I am now making my Sabbath rest a priority, and will guard it by saying “no” to other good things.
Does this resonate with you? Do you take a Sabbath rest, or some weekly time of refreshing? Can you do it without being intentional about it? How has it blessed you? Tell us your story in the comments.
Dave, what I admire most in this story is your responsiveness to the Spirit of God. That requires spiritual acuity and “death to self.” You also give us liberty to follow your lead — not by a religious obligation to the Sabbath, but by detecting and responding to God’s promptings in our own lives. I am drawn in by your writings and I thank you for the holiness and liberty you espouse.
You asked if we take a Sabbath. I personally do not, although I certainly recognize the value of consecrating a day to avoid doing our own work. I remain fascinated by Paul who seems to lead us to an alternative approach when said “yet I show you a more excellent way.” (1 Cor 12:31). I personally believe that his claim applies to a host of Old Testament topics.
Jesus prayed for His Kingdom to come to Earth as it is in heaven. Along with enjoying the very practical fruit of the judicial and economic systems of His Kingdom government (e.g., kingly favor vs. democratic rights, superabundant grace vs. stress-management techniques, and 30/60/100-fold return vs. incremental profits) we are invited to live a transcendent life where time itself collapses.
In the new dispensation we have an opportunity to organize our affairs around God’s “kairos” clock rather than our earthly “chronos” clock. In calming the sea, raising the dead and healing the blind, Jesus accelerated natural processes of biology and physics as a demonstration of His power over time itself. He then claimed: “Greater things than these you will do in my Name.” I believe He wants us to take Him at His word, demonstrate kairos level faith and inspire a world desperate for His love.
Thanks Dave…love your writings.
Thanks for the kind words Eric! I really like the distinction you draw between earthly chronos time and Kingdom kairos time.
Even though I am now retired from Nursing; I consciously take a Sabbath Rest in my spirit as my life is not nearly as active it used to be when raising children, helping with grandchildren, handling extended family matters and other unexpected matters; I consciously refer to the Sabbath when those unexpected matters come up. I mark Saturday as my Sabbath rest though I know mankind does not really know what time it is. lol All I have to do is remember when I was non-stop busy to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy. Not a religious minded holy but a whole as in completely dedicated to rest.
Good stuff, Charlene. There’s wisdom we all could use! I love that you remember what it was like before without resting, so often we have such a short memory.