Sabbath.

It’s actually one of the Ten Commandments. It’s number four. So, really, it’s in the top five. It’s one of the Five Commandments.

When He gives this command, God makes a point of telling the Israelites to remember that it was Him who brought them out of slavery in Egypt. It was Him who dealt with Pharaoh. It was him who parted the sea, and gave them manna and water and all that. If I can do that for you for forty years, He says, don’t you think I can take care of your needs on one day per week?

For six days, you can work. You can check off your lists. You can do your homework or housework or whatever. But on one day—just one day—love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Just hang out with Him.

It’s a pretty big deal to God, Sabbath is. Of all the commandments, this one is the most discussed, most commented on and most reinforced in all of the Old Testament. It’s interesting, because I’d say for most people who believe in God today and are at least somewhat serious about following Him, this is the one commandment we’re willing to break without even blinking.

Most of us wouldn’t willfully, knowingly worship another god, or steal, or commit adultery… but not take a Sabbath? Not a problem. That’s so antiquated, so outdated, so Old Testament. It’s number four, but it’s like we’ve forgotten it was even on the list.

I’m not going to ask you to log your time and email me a copy of your schedule every week so we can be sure you’re not committing this egregious sin. But, if we’re going to be serious about living like Jesus—walking his pace—we’ve got to be as serious about Sabbath as we are about service and worship… and monogamy.

If you’re worried about how and when you’ll get things done—and I am—just remember what God told the Israelites, “If I can handle Pharaoh an get you out of slavery in Egypt, then you can take a day and rest and trust me to take care of you this week too.”

Let me suggest that you use these three ways to build Sabbath into your life:

• Daily: Every day, have some time where you slow down, eliminate distractions, and spend time just with God.
• Weekly: Every week, have a day of rest and refreshing, a day to reflect, to do things you enjoy, to spend time with friends and family, and to focus your attention on loving god and loving His people.
• Annually: Once a year, get out of town for at least a couple of days, abandon your regular schedule, your to-do lists, your cell phone and just relax and recharge. Let me suggest that this doesn’t have to be complicated: attend a retreat at SpringHill, take your tent to an out-of-the way campground for a night, or stay at the family cabin when no one is around.

Jesus invites us to live life at his pace, focused on what really matters: loving God and loving His people. It will require a rearrangement of our priorities. It will require us to look at interruptions differently, even to ask for them and build them into our lives.

When I hurry through life at my pace, I really miss the life I desire and that god desires for me. But when I choose to walk instead of run, to live life at the speed of love, it leads me to an intentional life of deeply loving God and His people.

How will you build a Sabbath interruption into your day today?

 

Read more in this series: Selah, Walk: The Speed of Love, and Margin.