I write a lot about the fourth commandment because it’s one of the ones with which we struggle most. Hopefully most people aren’t out there murdering someone or stealing candy from a baby or anyone else. Not only do a lot of us break the fourth commandment, but we feel justified in doing so; we can even celebrate it at times. We wear our ability to work for days on end without taking a break like a badge of honor.
God isn’t interested in handing out merit badges for ignoring the Sabbath.
I also write a lot about the fourth commandment because it’s something with which I wrestle. In the busyness of life it’s easy to fill a day with plans and not leave any margin for God or our loved ones. Thankfully I’m taking a step to correcting that today.
Thursdays are my day off from church but, because of a side job I was working on Thursdays, I never had my day off with Alycia. Today, though, is the first time since Alycia started working at the church in February that we’re taking our day off together.
God gave us the Sabbath in order to spend time with him and focus on those things that really matter. I plan on spending time with God today through prayer, reading the Bible and hanging out with Alycia. Alycia and I may not spend the whole day talking about God, but simply interacting with each other and investing in each other can help us honor God and see the blessing that he’s given us in each other.
The Sabbath is about God and us but we were never created to live our lives in a solitary vacuum. God created us to be in relationships with himself and other people. So it only makes sense that when we take the Sabbath we should spend time with God and the people he has brought into our lives.
Also, sleeping in on the Sabbath is good.
How do others help you rest and reflect on God?
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