HAVING A REST DAY

Sabbath in the Bible means rest. Exodus 20:8-11 says, "Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day, no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy." The traditional observance of the Sabbath in today's society is on Sunday. It is a day we go to church to worship God. Many businesses are closed on Sunday, and it is a great time to rest. God knows that our physical bodies need rest, and we need time to relax and spend time with Him. However, we are in an overworked culture. There is no longer a rest day, but people keep on working to be successful or accomplish their goals. As a result, it brought so much chaos into our lives, especially in our relationship with God and families.

Being overworked leads to fatigue, physical injuries, and mental and emotional burnout. If we do not take a rest day and keep on working, we will eventually get sick because our bodies are not created to work seven days a week. God created our bodies to work six days and rest one day a week. Overworking ourselves is not God's way. Jesus said, "The Sabbath (rest) was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27)." When we take a rest day in a week, we will be more productive in life because we are giving our mind, emotion, and physical body to reset and be rejuvenated. Our rest day can be any day for us as Christians. It can be on our day off. The proper Sabbath is to have physical rest and a time with God. We can go for a walk, take a nap, have quiet time, relax, be with family and friends, do some self-care, and spend time with the Lord. 

Let us not overwork ourselves. God did not make us like machines, but He created us as humans with physical, mental, and emotional limitations. He designed our bodies to rest for one day. When we rest, we are not wasting time, but we are helping our whole being to be rejuvenated so that we become more productive in our daily lives.

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Am I giving my body a rest day per week? Why do I need to take a rest day? What are the things that I can do on my rest day?

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for teaching me today about having a rest day per week. Please help me not to overwork myself so that I can be more productive and fulfill your will in my life. Please give me a willing heart to rest. Please help me adjust my schedule and priorities for the purpose of having a rest day. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.