Stress

With my stress level having hit the roof and then beyond in the past few days, I am reminded of exactly why the Lord commands us to keep the Sabbath Holy! I think so many Christians think of the Sabbath as an outdated command or 'too Jewish' or something too insignificant for heartfelt obedience. But NOTHING in God's word was ever given to us without reason...each word was penned just for us as an investment of His love and care for each of us. And that means Deuteronomy 5:12-15

"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day."

What a picture the Lord has given us here...First, a picture of urgence toward not being lazy. SIX days you shall labor and do ALL your work. But next, a picture of rest..."the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord and NO ONE does ANY work. Why? Because God wants us to remember that we have been freed from slavery. He's reminding His children that not so long ago, they were slaves in Egypt and because of His mighty hand of redemption, they have been freed! THAT's why we are commanded to observe the Sabbath day as a Holy day.

While of course it is still important to commune with our Lord daily, one day a week is a special day set aside for rejuvenation. The importance of this command has become so apparent to me in the last couple of weeks because I haven't taken much of a break from my full time job, my part time job, and the job of moving and arranging our new home. I'm not sleeping much and I'm putting everything I have into each and every waking hour. Busy, busy, busy, busy. For the short run, I was fine with that pace, even driven. But it was a sprint and I had forgotten life is a marathon. In the past couple of days I have crashed pretty hard because I was trying to keep up my sprinting. My attitude is awful and my communing with the Lord is next to nothing. That has meant the life has drained right on out of me and fast!

So this morning, the Lord reminded me that there is a reason for His commands and it's not just for the sake of obedience. My "busy, busy, busyness" is slavery. But....His mighty hand has freed me from slavery! So as a means of reminding myself of that...as a means of praising Him for my freedom...and as a means of rejuvenating my mind, body and spirit...I ought to keep the Sabbath Holy! Now, I'm not saying I know whether that day should be Saturday or Sunday or some other day, but I know in my heart that setting aside one day a week is a command I can't overlook because it is one of the many ways in which God breathes His life into me!

What about you? Are you feeling stressed about anything? Have you kept the Sabbath Holy? Perhaps you too could benefit from being reminded that busyness is slavery and God has provided the means of freedom! :D God bless you and keep you rejuvenated!