Why is it important to take a day off a week? God made it one of the 10 Commandments; we live in a world where we are constantly told time is money and we must be doing something every single moment. The invention of the cell phone and the internet has helped spread this as well. I am not saying the cell phone or internet is wrong, but it feeds the notion to work all the time.

 

First some practical advice. If you must work 7 days a week, are you really living? When do you get to enjoy the fruits of your labors? That really makes for a miserable life. When you think about it, is it good for your life, your family, your relationships? The answer is no because we need downtime.

 

If you are working 7 days a week I would ask you to share your financial situation with someone you trust, who is good at finances by the way (if you pick someone in the same boat as you, they won’t be able to help you get to the better boat). See if there are changes you can make so you do not have to constantly be working so you can have real time off you can look forward to and count on. You will appreciate it and so will those you love.

 

We need downtime and we cannot allow it to be interrupted by worrying about work or making ends meet or it really is not downtime. Your time should not be stressful. This is why Jeus gave us the sabbath. It was given for us, Mark 2:27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Leviticus 23:3 says Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

 

God says take one day off a week and really take it off. God says do no work. This refers to making a living. God is saying on this day just trust me to provide for you. Enjoy the day. The Sabbath is listed as a feast day. Feast days are supposed to be celebrations. If you are worrying about how to make a living or the next business deal can you really celebrate?

 

God says you can stop all that you are doing to make a living and enjoy the day. You can have fun on the Sabbath day. You should be with others. Going to church is a great thing because it should be a celebration and an encouragement around others who are enjoying the day. God also says it is a holy day, Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”. Make God a part of the day. Enjoy being in His presence and allow Him to move in your life in amazing ways.

 

You do this by not worrying about what will happen the next day or the next week. God knows all that is going on in your life and God says let it go, relax with Me. When you truly do that, God will work in your life. God knows you need this and that done. While you relax God goes to work for you because He loves and wants to truly take care of you.

 

One more thing, when you worry and try to make things happen you often leave God out of the picture, not on purpose, it just happens. We also can then get in God’s way and hinder God from helping us. The Sabbath is a time to let go and get out of God’s way so He can do amazing things for us, because He loves you so much!

 

All the 10 Commandments are great to live by, but it seems our world is designed to intentionally break this one. So, we are miserable. God says no, have a feast day, a celebration once a week. And God goes on step further He does not just suggest it, He commands it!

 

Why not give the Sabbath a real chance in your life. What do you have to lose? If nothing happens, at least you had a day with no stress that is something, but God loves you so much more than that.

 

Unplug your devices. Turn your phone off. Tell people you will not do any business today. Then go out and enjoy the day that God has given you. Make God a part of it, that is why church is in the morning, so the day gets off to a good start. It also gets you around other people who are celebrating. Celebrating is always better with others. Make every Sabbath day a day to remember because you truly enjoy this gift and allow the stress to leave your life.

 

Take God at His Word and see if God does not make your day even better. Then when you return back to work you will be relaxed ready to take on the world, and you will find out that God has taken care of some things for you, while you were enjoying yourself on the Sabbath day.

 

Remember Jesus loves you; I love you, and you are awesome!