“You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me.”
Exodus 20:9-10 (GNT)
As a church leader, you must consciously decide to make time for things other than work. If you don’t, you’ll never rest and your ministry will suffer.
This includes making deliberate decisions about how many hours you will work each week and sticking to it—or else you’ll quickly burn out.
It’s like a bow and arrow. When a bow is constantly strung tight, it loses its power. It has to be unstrung periodically.
Getting proper rest isn’t pop psychology or just good advice.
It’s actually very important to the heart of God; he even put it in the Ten Commandments—along with “Do not murder,” “Do not lie,” and “Do not steal.”
“Take a day off every seven days” made it on God’s top 10 list of moral choices.
Shouldn’t it make it on ours, too?
The Bible says, “You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me” (Exodus 20:9-10 GNT).
We call this the Sabbath, which simply means a “day of rest.”
What should you do on your Sabbath?
1. Rest your body. If you don’t take time off, your body will make you take time off. Your back will go out. You’ll get a headache. You’ll get sick. God didn’t design our bodies to go without rest. That’s why sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do on your Sabbath is take a nap!
2. Recharge your emotions. Everyone does this differently. For some, recharging happens through quietness. Others rejuvenate through recreation. Still others reenergize through relationships. Discover what it takes to recharge your emotions, and make it a regular part of your Sabbath.
3. Refocus your spirit. You need to worship on your Sabbath. Take time to focus on God instead of all your problems. Worship puts everything else in perspective. It shrinks your problems. It reminds you that God is still on his throne and he’ll help you through whatever you’re facing.
Suddenly the problem you’ve stressed over all week won’t be nearly as big anymore.
We all need a Sabbath in our lives.
Remember, your Sabbath can be any day of the week.
Just make sure you take one day off each week to rest your body, recharge your emotions, and refocus your spirit.
