If we neglect God’s structure for our rhythms of work and rest, we will find ourselves eventually burning out. The gift of the Sabbath is a needed weekly pause amid a culture committed to constant hurry.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
The Problem
- None of us will survive if we subscribe to the American pace for a successful life.
- Most of us are nearing burnout not due to what we are doing but what we refuse to stop doing.
- If you keep breaking the Sabbath, your schedule will eventually break you.
The Passage
- Observing one day a week to stop obeys God’s command to set apart our days to His standards (5:12).
- Create well for six days and enjoy what’s been created on the seventh day (5:13).
- Forbidding even one’s assistants to work enforced the idea that the world is not dependent upon our productivity(5:14).
- The Sabbath rhythm reminds us that we are not enslaved to the patterns of this world anymore (5:15).
- We serve a God who commands us to remember weekly what He has done and what we don’t have to do (5:16).
The Process
- Relentlessly remove distractions so you can be the most focused, productive version of yourself.
- Diligently approach your calling to bring glory to God and good to others for six days a week.
- Wisely prepare your schedule and your surroundings for a commitment to a Sabbath rest.
- Weekly pause for one full day to remind yourself of who you are and who you are not.
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Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.