In my last post I talked a little about some things I learned growing up on a farm. One lesson I learned I saved for today as it one of those lessons that isn't so much related to living on a farm as it is to simply living.
Both my parents were great teachers when it came to preparing us kids for life. Each played a part in the lessons of growing up. One of the most important lessons I learned came from my father. Dad was what one would call "laid back" in his approach to life. He had a saying for almost every occasion or situation which usually brought a degree of insight and peace into what could be a stressful time. Two of his favorite sayings were "Don't stress the little things" and "Don't get so wound up". In those days, all we had were wind up watches and dad would like to compare what happens to a watch that was wound too tight. The spring would break. Dad meant that we would break also if we stayed all wound up.
Granted, times were more "laid back" in those days but we still had stresses in our lives. Dad's philosophy was pretty simple when it came to stressful situations. First he knew that God was still in control of everything and second, he knew from years of experience that whatever the situation was, it was going to get worked out somehow.
Even though Sunday had its mandatory chores that had to be done, for the most part, it was a day of rest. A day to forget about problems and work and rejuvenate for the week ahead. Dad liked to say "even God took a day off". Do you remember what God did on the seventh day? Just in case you forgot, read Genesis 2:2 for yourself: "By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."
Now you may ask, Why did Almighty God need to rest? He didn't need to, He just chose to. Being God, He certainly wasn't tired (that's an absolute impossibility). He rested because He considered His work complete. He also rested to leave us an example to follow and to pattern our lives after. A little later in His Word, He very deliberately included the importance of resting in His top ten priorities, The Ten Commandments. Ten things God cares about the most when it comes to wholesome human behavior and living. Number four on that list is found in Exodus 20:8-11, which reads: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work . . . . For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy."
In Hebrew, the word "Sabbath" means "seventh" Now back then, the seventh day of the week was Saturday. It was our tradition that transferred Saturday to Sunday. In God's original plan however, He never had Sunday in mind, only the seventh—or last—day of the week. On that final day, REST! Today, we associate Sunday with the last day of the week.
Personally, I don't believe that God really cares which day is Your saabath. Just that you have one. Jesus taught, "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). The primary purpose God had in mind in the first place was taking sufficient time to rest and relax. Finding relief from the stress. Pushing away from that computer. Leaving the responsibilities of work. Giving our bodies time to refuel. Allowing our minds to be renewed. Letting our emotions be refreshed and restored. A time when we put all the cares of the world away and focus on Him.
Thinking back over my many years of ministry, I can't recall ever hearing of someone approaching death ever say they wished they had spent more time at work.
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